Signalis

 Xbox One
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 69 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 69
  3. Negative: 10 out of 69

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  1. MarkyBee
    Nov 22, 2022
    10
    I just completed Signalis, and it's complete story arc makes it my GOTY.
    Its a Masterpiece. Definitely the best indie I've played this year and possibly the best ever of its genre, surpassing even the survival horror games of old that inspired it.
    10/10
  2. Broyax
    Nov 6, 2022
    0
    Un étron indé qui fait dans la survie et l’horreur dans un vaisseau spatial en panne, autant dire une sorte de Resident Debil de l’espace, voire un Dead Space à deux balles… en fait. Car c’est effectivement d’une laideur sans précédent ou presque ! du pixel lard, du pixel larve dans toute son horreur, même si on a vu pire -sans doute- ici et là auparavant…

    C’est donc -déjà graphiquement    Un étron indé qui fait dans la survie et l’horreur dans un vaisseau spatial en panne, autant dire une sorte de Resident Debil de l’espace, voire un Dead Space à deux balles… en fait. Car c’est effectivement d’une laideur sans précédent ou presque ! du pixel lard, du pixel larve dans toute son horreur, même si on a vu pire -sans doute- ici et là auparavant…

    C’est donc -déjà graphiquement parlant- une pure vision d’horreur en soi, un dégoût à chaque image, cette espèce de jeu de rétrons qui a une sale gueule de déterré zombifié des années 90. Et encore.

    Très limité et très psychorigide, ce jeu de merde ne sauvegarde jamais et on ne va pas assez loin pour savoir comment on sauvegarde dans cette chiasse parce que franchement, on s’en tamponne. En fait. On a en effet déjà désinstallé ce sous-produit (qui pollue le Game Pass soit dit en passant et en fait surtout un… Daube Pass… en fait !).    … Expand
  3. Ekko
    Nov 2, 2022
    10
    If you like the first Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, you MUST get Signalis.
    If you didn't, you have get it anyway. It's *that* good. It controls almost perfectly, it's deep, dark and brooding and oozes style. GOTY for me.
  4. Pmrainer6
    Oct 29, 2022
    9
    An absolute must-play for all, old school Resident Evil Fans. Classic Puzzles, Auto aim fighting system and Ressource Management a the Code of this Game, beside the really immersive and fascinating worldbuilding.
    Just a 9 because of some gamedesign fails, one or two Cryptic Puzzles and to much enemys in some room.
    Best Horror Game this year so far and i can't wait for the next playtrough.
  5. d3uzZ
    Nov 1, 2022
    9
    Лучший survival horror 2022 года. (да простит меня The Callisto Protocol)
  6. Rincemac
    Nov 4, 2022
    8
    TL;DR: A challenging, visually and narratively compelling Survival-Horror game and spiritual successor of the old day's "Resident Evil" type games. Get if you're into hard-ass and "weird" experiences, enjoy the glimpses into this strange universe with socialist-fascist undertones. Very worth it if you like a good challenge.

    As Signalis is in Game Pass right at launch it was a good    TL;DR: A challenging, visually and narratively compelling Survival-Horror game and spiritual successor of the old day's "Resident Evil" type games. Get if you're into hard-ass and "weird" experiences, enjoy the glimpses into this strange universe with socialist-fascist undertones. Very worth it if you like a good challenge.

    As Signalis is in Game Pass right at launch it was a good chance to pick up and get into - and it sure was a hell of a positive surprise! Signalis throws you right in your "Replika" body without any big fanfare. You don't know who you are - literally as the unit you are playing, and figuratively as the player - you just know you have to find your partner unit who misteriously vanished, leaving only a photograph as proof it ever existed.

    And so you go down into a mysterious base, very much driven by a strange urge to find your partner - since you are a unit of exploration and support, as you find out by reading up on your tech specs - and discover a derelict base full of dead units walking, afflicted with a mysterious disease, or whatever you would call it on machine-human hybrids. The mystery gets deeper and deeper as you progress, at first slowly, then at an almost breakneck speed in the middle stages of the game, as puzzle after puzzle gets thrown at you.

    Weapons are sparse, as is ammo - so you'll need to think before you shoot. Sometimes that is not at all possible and the game will set you up to fail. Saving is done in true Resident Evil style, at red glaring monitor stations - there is no auto save. So when you fail one hour after your last one, you will have the pleasure of re-doing everything.

    Strong points of the game:

    Narrative - the weird, fascist-germano regime that seems to be controlling this part of space will probably make you shake all by yourself, reading the strange suppressive messages strewn all around the base as you discover more about yourself and the world.

    Graphics - they are a weird, intentional pixelated mess, throwing you back to what gaming used to be ca 1995-2000 roughly. The game artfully masters to render into this 90s pixel filter.

    Sound - it's dead quiet most of the time, but the game masters audio cues to clue you into "danger close" moments. The atmosphere is seriously dark.

    The bad:
    Aiming mechanics are finnicky and hard to control - the auto aim does sometimes lock on to the wrong enemy without much control for the player.

    Inventory - the game keeps the inventory to 6 items max at every point. There actually is a short narrative bit explaining it to the player, but that doesn't make it any better. The game would benefit from giving you means to expand your inventory. The back-and-forth tracking due to this at later game stages is very annoying.
    Overall, super strong game with great narrative and a serious challenge. If you can work with the finnicky aim mechanics and the "no guide given" outside of the narrative - you'll have a blast.    … Expand
  7. Olisadebe555
    Nov 2, 2022
    8
    Un Re de los de toda la vida, algo que muchos echamos de menos.
    Tiene sus fallos, como inventario algo descompensados y niveles mejorables y algo repetitivos.
    Pero es una base solida que ojala una segunda parte o otro estudio tome nota y reviva el genero.
  8. slaine130177
    Nov 1, 2022
    7
    Fini sur Xbox Séries X

    Un jeu indé qui est dans le style Resident Evil 1 ou Metal Gear Solid 1 en version pixel art. Comprenez par là une sorte de jeu d'action / "horreur" avec une vue de "dessus", des sauvegardes à la RE, des énigmes, etc... Un bon petit jeu avec beaucoup de bonnes idées mais le scénario est vraiment trop tiré par les cheveux (j'avoue ne pas avoir tout compris). Il    Fini sur Xbox Séries X

    Un jeu indé qui est dans le style Resident Evil 1 ou Metal Gear Solid 1 en version pixel art. Comprenez par là une sorte de jeu d'action / "horreur" avec une vue de "dessus", des sauvegardes à la RE, des énigmes, etc...

    Un bon petit jeu avec beaucoup de bonnes idées mais le scénario est vraiment trop tiré par les cheveux (j'avoue ne pas avoir tout compris). Il y a plusieurs fins possibles, apparemment j'ai eu la "bonne" fin, mais je ne sais pas vraiment pourquoi et il m'aura fallu 7h environ. Je pense que si on fait le jeu trop vite ou sans chercher à connaître l'histoire (c'est à dire en évitant de lire toutes les notes disséminées par exemple), ça doit nous sanctionner sur la fin, parce que je ne vois rien d'autre.

    Le jeu manque aussi de diversité dans les ennemis, les décors, etc... On trouve ça "jolie" au début, mais ça reste toujours pareil et ça fini par devenir quelconque, c'est dommage parce qu'il y a une vraie patte artistique. Ah, et j'ai du louper une arme vu que j'avais les munitions sans avoir trouvé l'arme qui va avec, pourtant j'ai eu l'impression d'aller partout...

    Bref, je lui mets un 7/10 max. Sympa, prenant, mais très imparfait.

    , petit spoil sans en être un. Si vous voulez avoir la vrai fin du jeu, après l'avoir "fini" une première fois, il faut relancer le jeu comme si vous faisiez une nouvelle partie. Alors le titre nous embarque dans la 2ème moitié de l'aventure et le vrai ending    … Expand
  9. tgdsant
    Nov 14, 2022
    8
    Nice graphics, cool puzzles and interesting story. Old school Resident Evil vibe... loved it.
  10. Lance293
    Nov 14, 2022
    8
    Great game, reminds me of older horror games. I'm expecting a sequel soon.
  11. guiletheguiles
    Jan 11, 2023
    5
    It's hard to rate Signalis.
    I did enjoy it a bit, but its imperfections kept troubling my experience.
    Signalis is a beautiful take on classic survival horror games. It feels obvious to say this, but some of its inspirations will be thrown at your face at times and I actually liked this. It is a solid mix of the OG Resident Evil and Silent Hill, while trying to create its own identity.    It's hard to rate Signalis.
    I did enjoy it a bit, but its imperfections kept troubling my experience.

    Signalis is a beautiful take on classic survival horror games. It feels obvious to say this, but some of its inspirations will be thrown at your face at times and I actually liked this. It is a solid mix of the OG Resident Evil and Silent Hill, while trying to create its own identity. And it kinda does! With beautiful visuals, bloody character designs, haunting environments, ominous use of sound and cryptic story.

    That is what I liked the most about Signalis. It manages to convey a retro horror portrait filled with style and mystery. The shooting mechanics work alright, weapon variety is good, soundtrack is beautiful, level design flows well, the atmosphere is great and the final boss is technically and visually impressive!

    At first, it seemed like I was going to love this game, but after watching the credits, I realized that... I did not.

    One of Signalis' major problems, in my opinion, is enemy placement and enemy respawn. From the moment you fall down the elevator shaft until the end of the game, levels will be FILLED with fast respawning enemies. As usual, the focus here is survival and exploration, not combat, so you're not really encouraged to do it, but you either get maimed by everybody or you waste all of your ammo. Avoiding them doesn't always work.

    This messy design choice absolutely hurts exploration and story telling. To make matters even worse, there's a whole chunk of the game where you won't be able to access the map. It's frustrating and gets tiresome quick, especially while solving puzzles.

    Speaking of puzzles: I didn't like most of them. Admittedly, I'm not a puzzle guy, but I know how to appreciate the clever ones. Here, they are original, sure, but ultimately unclear and overly complicated. Most of the times I was left looking at confusing and obtuse things on the screen.

    And lastly but not least, the story. It is... fine, I guess? You can see influences from Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell in it (especially aesthetically), but there's something missing. Characters were interesting, the mystery kept me going, but it just didn't pay off in the end. In any of the endings, in fact. Also, there are, like, only 3 bosses in the whole game. They're good, but it could be SO much better!

    Again, this is a conflicting one. I liked and disliked playing Signalis.
    But in the end, I just feel like not wanting to go back to it. Good idea, but wasted potential.    … Expand
  12. axelrodvl
    Dec 21, 2022
    10
    Absolutely awesome. Despite copying Resident Evil mechanics, it feels like a completely standalone game. Great art and atmosphere. Interesting plot. Love it.
  13. Awanka
    Jan 10, 2023
    9
    First attempt by a small studio and they knock it out of the park. I've been playing survival horror since the original Alone in the Dark, and this is an inspired and original take on the genre unlike anything I've ever seen. More accurately I should say it's like a lot of things I've seen, specifically the best parts of them. The gameplay and atmosphere borrow wholesale from the SilentFirst attempt by a small studio and they knock it out of the park. I've been playing survival horror since the original Alone in the Dark, and this is an inspired and original take on the genre unlike anything I've ever seen. More accurately I should say it's like a lot of things I've seen, specifically the best parts of them. The gameplay and atmosphere borrow wholesale from the Silent Hill series, particulary Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill: The Room. The puzzles and combat are of a near-perfect difficulty. No obnoxious Nintendo logic puzzles, or controller-throwing combat, but they're not trivial either.

    The story itself reminded me of the androids in Nier: Automata, except instead of Yorha being taken over by a dormant computer virus, what if they were controlled by some Lovecraftian reality virus like the one from the "Nameless" by Grant Morrison.

    The narrative plays with the main character's point of view in interesting ways through bizarre cutscenes and quick edits. Unlike most game flashback sequences, the ones here are very well done.. You jump around in your character's memories like Dr. Manhattan, and you're left with a feeling of disquieting uncertainty if her experiences are real, if what she's seeing is actually happening now or in the past, and no idea of what comes next. I don't want to undersell how great the cutscenes are, even though they are made with a fraction of Blizzard's budget. They are weird, fragmented, melancholy, and have a sense of urgency with a surreal dream-like quality to them. They possess great artistry, like something David Lynch would make.    … Expand
  14. bonee
    Dec 19, 2022
    9
    Wow idk what to even say. I'm so impressed this was made by pretty much 2 people. Stylish visuals, amazing worldbuilding, clever puzzles, ominous music and anxiety inducing atmosphere. And absolutely beautiful ending (got "memory" on first playthrough).
  15. SuperPanda91
    Mar 23, 2023
    9
    Nunca he jugado a un juego de este estilo, así que no es nostalgia lo que ha hecho que me guste tanto. Increíble que hayan hecho esto 2 personas
  16. Ralsenoi
    Nov 20, 2022
    9
    A real indie gem, super nice style and interesting to go through. Great aesthetic and puzzles and the combat is super satisfying
  17. moteses
    Dec 12, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a breath of an old-school air I needed so much.

    This game excels at everything: music, plot, gameplay, atmosphere, puzzles, graphics; combining the best aspects of video games (and other media) classics of the horror genre, such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc.

    The only thing I did not quite enjoy was the anime style of the characters, that I am not a fan of, but that’s my problem.

    And that fake ending… genius!    … Expand
  18. TheMasterPengu
    Nov 20, 2022
    10
    This game is the best survival horror game since resident evil 1 remake. Play it. It’s cheap and on game pass.
  19. Yurilover123
    Dec 15, 2022
    10
    Survival horror at it's finest. Such an amazing game, any fan of Resident Evil should be a played by anyone!
  20. LnZ
    Jan 31, 2023
    9
    Old school survival horror masterpiece with great art design and nice puzzles.

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Xbox One Game of 2022
4
#4 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Xbox Tavern
    Jan 3, 2023
    84
    If you’re in the mood for classic Resident Evil-style thrills, Signalis is the best example of its kind in modern videogames. Don’t expect Signalis to evolve survival horror formulae or give you a horror experience that’s resoundingly new, but provided that you crave a faithful and sumptuous classic horror game experience, Signalis will be a nice and welcoming surprise that you will be sure to savour.
    Read full review
  2. TheXboxHub
    Dec 15, 2022
    90
    Signalis punches above its weight in almost every aspect. Don’t miss out on this riveting, polished journey into a brutalist, nightmarish world.
    Read full review
  3. SomosXbox
    Dec 13, 2022
    78
    Signalis is a game that has managed to adapt the most classic mechanics to modern times, adding an aerial view that helps create this environment. The shortage of ammunition and cures, the enemies yelling at you when you cross any door, the disturbing scenarios or the story told in the purest Evangelion style, are points that only add positively to this title. While not all that glitters is gold, combat is easy if you have enough ammunition and inventory space is rather a nuisance. Having said all this, I can only recommend Signalis to all those lovers of classic Survival Horror, those who enjoy convoluted stories that make you think and for those who want to have a heart-wrenching time without having a heart attack along the way.
    Read full review
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