Signalis is truly something special. As someone starting to get more interested in survival horror games, I decided to get this game because I heard great things about it, as well as seeing that it embraced classic survival horror gameplay and had an interesting premise. After finishing the game, I can definitely say that this is an experience I won't forget anytime soon. Signalis is such a wonderful game and excels on almost every front.

The gameplay, on the surface, is generally what you'd expect from a classic survival horror game. Scarce resources, limited inventory slots, puzzles, backtracking, it's all there. However, the gameplay of Signalis manages to never feel derivative, and instead showcases the best of what this genre has to offer. The distribution of resources throughout the game is finely-tuned to give the player just enough of what they need, while never allowing the player to feel too comfortable with what they have. Oftentimes, the game design will force the player to make difficult decisions related to resource management. Do you use precious ammunition to kill the enemies in this hallway, thereby allowing yourself to pass through safely? Or do you run past them, potentially taking damage, and instead opt to use your healing instead? For fans of classic survival horror, this will absolutely scratch that itch.

Of course, the puzzles of Signalis are top-notch as well. They are all satisfying to work through and solve, and some of them are quite creative. There are some relatively standard ones, which isn't even a negative really, but the puzzles taking advantage of the game's unique mechanics really shine here. The difficulty of said puzzles is also just right. They aren't so difficult that you'll get hard stuck on them, but they are difficult enough and generally encourage some degree of lateral thinking, making them extremely satisfying to solve.

The level design complements the gameplay quite well, and presents the player with a lot of precarious situations that they will need to navigate through. Enemies are placed thoughtfully and intelligently to allow the player to make the decisions I outlined above, without ever feeling unfair or artificial. There's a good amount of backtracking and exploration as well, as is standard for the genre.

While the gameplay of Signalis is excellent, I think that the game's story stands out the most from other survival horror titles. I won't go into too many specifics here and will keep things relatively brief, but the story is quite mysterious and leaves a lot up to player interpretation. However, it doesn't do this in a frivolous or meaningless manner. Notes are expertly spread throughout the game and often leave the player with more questions than answers. Some scenes, especially near the beginning, may also not make much sense at first. However, if you explore thoroughly and pay close attention, you will start to piece the story together eventually. After you do, you'll start to realize how deep, meaningful, and well-written it actually is. Once you start to understand more of what's going on and the context for a lot of the scenes, you can become attached very quickly. Rarely does a game's story leave as much of a lasting impression as this one did for me.

You can really tell how passionate the developers were about this game. The gameplay, story, level design, exploration, presentation, etc. are all great and just oozing with individuality and style. Speaking of style, the visual style of Signalis is unmatched, both in-game and in the menus, and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of classic survival horror. There's even a CRT filter!

There are also a lot of references in the game, but they never feel like they are only there just for the sake of it. A lot of the references can even help you understand the themes and emotions the game is trying to portray on a deeper level. If you've played Resident Evil or Silent Hill, you'll no doubt spot some of them, although there are references to other (non-video game) franchises as well.

Also, if you're on the fence because you have never really played a survival horror game before and are concerned about the difficulty, I would say you don't have to worry. There are multiple difficulty options for the player to select, so even newcomers to the genre shouldn't have too much trouble.

Honestly, the game is just such an amazing and memorable experience. I have so many more things I want to say, but in the interest of time and allowing you to experience a lot of it for yourself, I'll end it here. If you are even remotely interested in survival horror, or just looking for a fantastic story, or just looking for a game that was made with love and care, look no further. One of the best games of this year, and certainly one of the best survival horror games to come out in a long while.