SIGNALIS, an indie game released in 2022 by a pair of developers known as rose-engine, is perhaps one of the best and most terrifying survival horror experiences ever. With a haunting atmosphere, gut-wrenching story, and Lovecraftian themes galore, it desperately needs a sequel, or, more precisely, a spin-off.
When I first played SIGNALIS last year, I didn't know what to expect. I was itching for a proper survival horror experience and eyeing a few potential titles, with this one particularly captivating me with its art style. Having pixel graphics combined with fluid 3D animations, and art direction inspired by anime, it's a game that you'll see once but never forget.
And so it was that I hopped on, gripped by a promising story and artistry more beautiful still. And man, what a ride it was.
You play as a Replika, an android made to look exactly like a normal human, called Elster, who wakes up on a derelict ship stranded on a strange, cold planet. You explore a massive facility on this colonized world, uncover dark and strange secrets related to Elster's life, and start on a path to find her partner and Gestalt, Ariane.
The game's story is largely inspired by cosmic horror and 80s sci-fi, giving everything a strong retrofuturistic look which meshes incredibly well with Lovecraftian themes. The book The King in Yellow features prominently, which Lovecraft himself incorporated into his mythos, adding layer upon layer of cosmic dread. As you uncover bits and pieces of Elster's life and her connection to Ariane, you're actually left with more questions than answers.
SIGNALIS also takes a lot of inspiration from Japanese horror, focusing more on the psychological than the “scary,” with Elster going through fever dreams and Evangelion-style sequences, abstractly showcasing her inner state, the horrors of post-humanism, and the inherently overwhelming weight of the cosmos.
Following in cosmic horror tradition, open-ended storytelling is the name of the game in SIGNALIS. Symbolism, lack of information, and mystery drive the narrative, with players invited to piece together their own interpretation of a complicated, layered world. Emotions are off the charts, mysteries pile up, all while fear is running rampant with each dark corner, every strange turn.
Which brings me to the crux of this article: SIGNALIS desperately needs a sequel. The story in this game, detailed as it might be, is incredibly open-ended. And I wouldn't want that feeling spoiled, not in a million years.
However, there is so much unique storytelling and narrative design at play here that it'd be a damned shame to leave it as is. After all, this is a genre game, not high literary fiction (though it does make a strong bid for that), and could do well with some new game set in the same universe, following different characters.
Those questions the developers wanted us to give our own answers to can remain as they are, unspoiled by franchising efforts and the need to overexplain. What should be expanded upon is the overarching narrative, the world, the background, other planets, the Eusan Nation.
The developers never released anything after SIGNALIS, though they did update the game with additional content, patches, and sporadic story clues.
SIGNALIS could even serve as a significant template for a potential anime adaptation, but that's as much wishful thinking as it gets.
This game was their first, and it took eight years from start to launch. They very well could be making something else. But so far, it's been quiet, and I sincerely hope they haven't given up on what is arguably the most gripping survival horror story and world I have ever encountered.
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