Signalis: Things have learnt to walk which ought to crawl.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Signalis: Things have learnt to walk which ought to crawl.

1stGear: Jan 16, 2010; Here's to the new us.

quote:

SIGNALIS is a classic survival horror experience with a unique aesthetic, full of melancholic mystery. Investigate a dark secret, solve puzzles, fight off nightmarish creatures and navigate dystopian, surreal retrotech worlds as Elster, a technician Replika searching for her lost dreams.

After her ship crash-landed on a remote, snow-covered planet, the Replika Elster is looking for her missing crew member. In her search she wanders through the ruins of a seemingly abandoned underground labor camp, surreal visions of cosmic horror, and flashbacks to a past that isn't hers. As the lines between reality and dream blur, Elster has to venture into the depths below the planet's surface to learn what has happened to her and why - but mysterious encoded radio signals and a Replika with dark intentions are not the only obstacles she has to overcome along the way.

Inspired by classics of the genre like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, the gameplay of SIGNALIS is a love-letter to the golden era of survival horror. Central to the game is its unsettling mood and multilayered story. To advance in the game, the player has to solve various puzzles by breaking codes, using radio signals or by combining objects. Combat is only a last resort since ammunition is scarce and enemies are not easily defeated, so players must carefully choose when to fight and when to run.

Developed by rose-engine, a two-person team from Germany, SIGNALIS is looking to be the perfect capstone to the spooky month.

Polygon: Signalis is a near pitch-perfect ode to Resident Evil and Silent Hill

Eurogamer: A sumptuously atmopsheric survival horror

Bloody Disgusting: A puzzle box of a survival horror game

Original teaser trailer
Official announcement

SIGNALIS releases October 27th on all platforms, including GamePass.

1stGear fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Oct 27, 2022

# ? Oct 27, 2022 08:47

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# ? May 9, 2024 20:59

Mindblast: Jun 28, 2006; Moving at the speed of death.

Im stoked. Scifi Silent Hill vibes all over the place. Glad Im working from home today.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 10:19

Blackchamber: Jan 25, 2005

Gonna grab this today also, seems pretty interesting!

# ? Oct 27, 2022 11:41

SpiritOfLenin: Apr 29, 2013; be happy :3

If you have Game Pass, it also seems to be there in roughly 3 hours.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 12:02

Wanderer: Nov 5, 2006; our every move is the new tradition

I beat the game a couple of weeks ago for the Bloody Disgusting review linked in the OP.

The one thing I'll say is that this is not a game where you want to skip over the files. A lot of questions that you might have about its setting and storyline are answered in various documents, particularly in the last few hours.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 18:03

Mindblast: Jun 28, 2006; Moving at the speed of death.

I just saved my game for the first time. Feels like coming home. Brings a tear to the nerd eye.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 19:19

Cream-of-Plenty: Apr 21, 2010; "The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering."

It's wild that it's finally real (and apparently, good)--it's been in development since 2014.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 22:42

Wanderer: Nov 5, 2006; our every move is the new tradition

Cream-of-Plenty posted:

It's wild that it's finally real (and apparently, good)--it's been in development since 2014.

I didn't end up running this part of an interview I did with the designers.

quote:

How long have you been working on SIGNALIS?
○ Barbara Wittmann: We conceived the first concept and prototype in 2014 but we didn�t get to
work fulltime on the game for many years. I was only able to work fulltime on it
once we found a publisher, just before the pandemic started.
○ Yuri Stern: It probably took us longer than it should have. We were learning a lot along
the way. I think we were just driven by dissatisfaction with our own abilities for a
long time.
○ BW: We went from 2D to 3D, while preserving a pixel-perfect 2D look, and I
learned how to do 3D animation for this game.
○ YS: I had this very specific idea in my mind how the game should look, and we
just kept iterating on our prototypes and learning new skills until we could get that
look right. It took a few years, but I�m glad we spent that time to get there in the
end.

# ? Oct 27, 2022 22:53

Pulcinella: Feb 15, 2019; Can't post for 16 days!

Characters look straight out of the Blame! manga (it�s a good thing). Did they mention that as inspiration?

# ? Oct 28, 2022 01:07

1stGear: Jan 16, 2010; Here's to the new us.

Put about two-and-a-half hours around chores and yeah, this game is good as hell. However, it is 90s survival horror as all hell. If spending lots of time backtracking to item boxes and figuring out industrial procedures that would have a real-world engineer tearing their hair out doesn't appeal to you, you probably won't like it.

Some basic tips (no real spoilers but if you want to go totally blind, avoid)

A lot of enemies can be juked and you should do so. Note that enemies will not immediately reset after running into another room and then running back into the first one, which means you can eat a hit if the monster was right outside the door when you escaped.

Early on, you will get the ability to listen to codes that are being broadcast out. I strongly recommend you write down all of the available codes immediately. This isn't a case of missing out on content or anything, its just to save you tedium when you're trying them later.

In fact, have a pen and paper handy in general. The puzzles aren't "Intimate knowledge of the works of Shakespeare yet" but I've encountered one so far that was not loving around at all and necessitated some note-taking.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 01:45

Wanderer: Nov 5, 2006; our every move is the new tradition

Pulcinella posted:

Characters look straight out of the Blame! manga (it�s a good thing). Did they mention that as inspiration?

Here's what Yuri Stern told me:

quote:

Can you talk about some of the artistic influences that went into SIGNALIS? It's
got a certain brutalist/Cold War feel to it, the general deal with Replikas reminds
me of Masamune Shirow's work, and the point I'm at is reminiscent of the most
surreal parts of the first two Silent Hill games.

○ YS: I think you�ve summed up some of the key influences nicely. I feel, often, it�s
easier to see a work�s artistic influences from the outside. As the artist, I find it
hard to distinguish which influences are strong enough to be worth listing - in a
way, nearly everything I consume and enjoy ends up influencing me one way or
another. I�ve been told that Tsutomu Nihei�s works are a very recognizable
influence, but it�s been at least 15 years since I�ve last read any of his works.
Some time last year, I re-watched Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time
since I was a teenager and was a little surprised just how strongly its influence
still stood out to me in my own work, including SIGNALIS.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 02:22

ghostinmyshell: Sep 17, 2004; I am very particular about biscuits, I'll have you know.

This is great so far, thanks game pass!

Although $20 isn't bad either and I'll probably pick it up for good if the game is still good at the end.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 03:24

Mindblast: Jun 28, 2006; Moving at the speed of death.

Not sure how many smaller details I missed but (4th floor) is that an elevator shaft filled with Elsters? :stare:

# ? Oct 28, 2022 07:24

Perestroika: Apr 8, 2010

Jumped in completely blind (gamepass is handy for that kind of thing) and so far I'm pretty impressed. Nice atmosphere that (so far) nails the balance between regular spooky and outright weird, and for once the retro style doesn't actually bother me. In fact it actually triggered some almost-forgotten nostalgia for games I hardly even remember playing, like Alone in the Dark.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 10:36

WaltherFeng: May 15, 2013; 50 thousand people used to live here. Now, it's the Mushroom Kingdom.

How does the enemy respawn thing work?

Like do all enemies just revive on a timer indefinitely no matter how many times you kill them with a gun?

I played this a bit last night and I encountered a couple respawning dudes but it wasn't a huge problem because I didn't get stuck in a puzzle or anything.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 11:03

Mindblast: Jun 28, 2006; Moving at the speed of death.

Yeah that sounds about right. Rule of thumb is that nothing stays down forever.

Don't fight anything you can dodge or outrun.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 11:08

1stGear: Jan 16, 2010; Here's to the new us.

I'm pretty sure the basic enemies that have cleavers don't get back up. Everything else does unless you use a flare on them. I haven't tested it much because

Mindblast posted:

Don't fight anything you can dodge or outrun.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 12:28

WaltherFeng: May 15, 2013; 50 thousand people used to live here. Now, it's the Mushroom Kingdom.

Based on couple floors I played, RE1-3 strategy applies pretty well here so always kill enemies if you think have to come back to a room and trying to run past the enemy seems too risky.

Enemies reviving does make me a bit nervous though if I get lost eventually.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 13:05

mirarant: Dec 18, 2012; Post or die

There is an early game bug regarding the butterfly box contents that disables movement, inventory, menu and forces a reload:
When the 160.000 frequency door is opening don't press any buttons or the radio stays on and you can't do anything. No button presses will be registered anymore.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 13:41

Doctor Hospital: Jul 16, 2011; what

Playing through on Survival difficulty and Mynah is beating the absolute poo poo out of me.

Game is very good.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 15:08

Carmant: Nov 23, 2015; Treadmill? What's that? Is that some kind of cake?

1stGear posted:

I'm pretty sure the basic enemies that have cleavers don't get back up. Everything else does unless you use a flare on them. I haven't tested it much because

They definitely do get back up.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 17:06

Wanderer: Nov 5, 2006; our every move is the new tradition

As far as I can tell, anything and everything gets back up unless flared, with the possible exception of the heavy-lift Replikas who show up later on.

However, "dead" enemies don't seem to revive unless you get close to them, so it's theoretically possible to score an effectively permanent kill by luring enemies into low-traffic parts of a room before you shoot them. There are only a couple of places in the game where that's a realistic option, but it's still an option.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 17:38

ultrachrist: Sep 27, 2008

Earlyish on, I got an achievement that said: "lose something of no value". Am I supposed to know what that means? Did I actually lose something or are the achievements trying to creep me out too?

Anyway, game owns. The way it immediately invokes old RE games and in a fun way is great. It's a little dark so it makes dodging enemies kind of hard when you can't tell what you can run around or not. I have a full clip but I'm hobbling with no heals (actually, that reminds me I have some in the box from earlier).

# ? Oct 28, 2022 18:24

Meiteron: Apr 4, 2008; Whoa! You're gonna be a legend!

1stGear posted:

I'm pretty sure the basic enemies that have cleavers don't get back up. Everything else does unless you use a flare on them. I haven't tested it much because

As far as I've found the only non-respawning enemy type is quasi-mini boss Kolibri, the hive mind ones that mess with your screen and you need to tune your radio to the right frequency to find the right one to take down. You can tell because once they're down, if you return to the room later they're gone, no body to get back up.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 18:33

Doctor Hospital: Jul 16, 2011; what

ultrachrist posted:

Earlyish on, I got an achievement that said: "lose something of no value". Am I supposed to know what that means? Did I actually lose something or are the achievements trying to creep me out too?

I think that achievement is for getting the protektor card impounded by the elevator

# ? Oct 28, 2022 19:00

sinky: Feb 22, 2011; Slippery Tilde

Pulcinella posted:

Characters look straight out of the Blame! manga (it�s a good thing). Did they mention that as inspiration?

Their outfit is very inspired by the one in Gantz. Looks like they toned it down a bit since the 2018 trailer.

Haven't got very far in the game, but it owns.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 20:11

LegionAreI: Nov 14, 2006; Lurk

I just realized the noises the enemies make are like bird noises which is pretty appropriate.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 21:59

Phoix: Jul 20, 2006

I'm in what I assume is the final area and this game is loving great but I wish there were more first person segments because those were also great.

# ? Oct 28, 2022 22:09

Wanderer: Nov 5, 2006; our every move is the new tradition

Once you've all had the chance to beat the game at your own pace, there's a secret in one of the final rooms that's driving me crazy, and I'd be all about some kind of goon project to figure it out.

At the end when you return to Ariane's bedroom on Rotfront, you can turn around to find a safe on the floor with a keypad and three big locks on it. There's clearly something in there, but no one has figured out what, and I'm really curious if it might be something that could trigger a new ending.

# ? Oct 29, 2022 05:54

WaltherFeng: May 15, 2013; 50 thousand people used to live here. Now, it's the Mushroom Kingdom.

Last night I was stumped because I couldnt find the incinerator room key but I realized the map shows rooms with unsolved puzzles with a red/black symbol. The more you know.

# ? Oct 29, 2022 06:09

Doctor Hospital: Jul 16, 2011; what

Chapter 2: I only got to talk to Beo for 30 seconds but I simultaneously love her and am sad :smith:

# ? Oct 29, 2022 06:33

Shoehead: Sep 28, 2005; Wassup, Choom?
Ya need sumthin'?

Only started last night because I was playing Resident Evil all week but I'm really enjoying this. Love the already noted visual connection to BLAME! which I only very recently read, fun to see that was an unconscious influence. The shift from a trad survival horror fixed angle to a top down shooter view seems to be working pretty nicely too, without losing tension (and controlling a lot nicer)

Oh also hitting the first save point and the screen soaking red scared the poo poo out of me, It's been a while since I played Silent Hill

# ? Oct 29, 2022 11:21

ErrEff: Feb 13, 2012

I can't make up my mind if the inventory system was a good or bad decision.

Everything else about the game is great.

# ? Oct 29, 2022 13:58

Honest Thief: Jan 11, 2009

ErrEff posted:

I can't make up my mind if the inventory system was a good or bad decision.

Everything else about the game is great.

I'm on the it's annoying side because boxes are always close by so it's just annoying to always go back and forth
at least it could work that sub items when equipped would free up a slot

# ? Oct 29, 2022 15:02

LegionAreI: Nov 14, 2006; Lurk

ErrEff posted:

I can't make up my mind if the inventory system was a good or bad decision.

Everything else about the game is great.

Doing the last area with 8 billion quest items and 6 slot was pretty annoying.

Also I have to say if they slapped "Silent Hill: Future" on this I'd believe it immediately with some tweaks to the lore. Getting the exact same feelings I did playing SH1 20 years ago. Good show, little dev studio. You did what Konami has been trying and failing to do for years.

# ? Oct 29, 2022 15:25

LegionAreI: Nov 14, 2006; Lurk

Edit: reply is not edit

# ? Oct 29, 2022 15:27

Inspector Gesicht: Oct 26, 2012; 500 Zeus a body.

Does this game have the color-coded maps from REmakes 1-3 and Village, or any kind of convenience?

# ? Oct 29, 2022 15:28

LegionAreI: Nov 14, 2006; Lurk

Inspector Gesicht posted:

Does this game have the color-coded maps from REmakes 1-3 and Village, or any kind of convenience?

Yes, there are good automaps except for one area. It'll mark regular doors, locked doors, broken doors, and also mark puzzles you haven't done.

# ? Oct 29, 2022 15:29

Flimf: Sep 3, 2006

Wanderer posted:

Once you've all had the chance to beat the game at your own pace, there's a secret in one of the final rooms that's driving me crazy, and I'd be all about some kind of goon project to figure it out.

At the end when you return to Ariane's bedroom on Rotfront, you can turn around to find a safe on the floor with a keypad and three big locks on it. There's clearly something in there, but no one has figured out what, and I'm really curious if it might be something that could trigger a new ending.

Check this video out :buddy:

ENDING AND 3- LOCK SAFE SPOILER :siren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfB8yOEa0U

It's not mine and I have no idea how that happened either.

That 3-lock safe is also there the first time you visit that room

# ? Oct 29, 2022 16:58

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# ? May 9, 2024 20:59

Oxxidation: Jul 22, 2007

the ending triggers seem to be a complete mystery so far, it's probably going to be a while before anyone works out the stats

# ? Oct 29, 2022 17:02

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