Signalis review - a sumptuously atmopsheric survival horror

I can't tell you what events literally happen in Signalis, the debut game for studio Rose Engine, or in what order they occur. The entire game is an intentionally hazy nightmare. But how it made me feel is clear as day, because it is a profoundly affecting experience, both in the unnerving dread of its moment to moment exploration and fighting and also in the larger arc of its story: a rumination on identity and memory that haunts me. I've thought of little else since I finished it. Now, as if struck by a cosmic curse, I intend to bring anyone who will listen into the fold of this masterful survival horror.

In the simplest terms, Signalis is a throwback to early Resident Evil games or Silent Hill, minus the tank controls. From above, you explore the decrepit facilities of an isolated planet as Elster, an android, who has awoken in search of a woman she holds dear. How you came to be there - and what exactly happened to reduce the local android population into shambling horrors - are the mysteries that will compel you as much as the resolution of Elster's mission. Though, as with any good tale of terror, there are no easy answers to be found. In her shoes you will be exploring, gathering tools and weapons, managing resources and fending off monsters. These are very familiar components of survival horror but it's been a while since I've played one assembled this neatly and presented with such visual flair.

This is a PS1-styled science fiction world with every detail accounted for, from the logos of every entity to the intricate design of its machines. Stark lighting and the use of reflections heighten the ambiguity already inherent in the stylised 3D, where each dark corner and silhouetted figure leapt straight into my imagination. Tangible in spite of its minimalism, it's a world whose cold concrete walls you can feel or whose flaking paint you can smell, where cameras follow every move you make, assuring you that someone or something is always watching. It's a grounding that makes each increasing departure from reality all the more effective. This is a place out to get you.

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