As of October 27, 2025, it will be the third anniversary of the release of Signalis. Despite this indie horror game being three years old by this point, it still retains a massive fandom that attracts more and more to it year after year. This makes it the perfect game to play on Halloween, even in the year 2025. But what is it about this game that makes it worth playing despite its age? Well, let’s dive into this rabbit hole together, shall we?
Signalis: Details
Much of Signalis is a partially top-down isometric shooter in which you control the main character Elster, as she advances through the game, watching her from a fixed perspective that pans around when you wander around larger rooms, and engage enemies with various guns. However, the game occasionally delves into a first-person view for many of the puzzles, giving you a much more detailed look at the setting akin to Myst. Overall, though, the game is a survival horror game, with some rather gruesome scenes and details present throughout the game, and with resource management and crafting being integral parts of the game.
Hamburg, Germany-based developer rose-engine is the developer behind Signalis. To this date, this is their only game. Yuri Stern is the director, programmer, and artist behind the game. Barbara Wittmann is the co-designer and co-writer of the game with Stern. 1000 Eyes and Cicada Sirens are the co-composers behind the game’s haunting music.
Signalis officially launched on October 27, 2022. You can purchase it right now for PC (Steam and Humble Games), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5, and Xbox One/Xbox Series S/X.
Signalis: The Good
The most notable thing about Signalis you should play it for is the story. There are many aspects to that story though, so let’s break it down into more manageable pieces.
The setting/worldbuilding of Signalis is definitely the most visually noticeable aspect of that story. The whole game takes place in a retro-futuristic world where biomechanical androids exist alongside bulky, blocky computers that look like they’d be perfect running Windows 95. It’s a setting highly reminiscent of the Alien franchise, which features a similar aesthetic, and which also makes that setting perfect for horror.
Indeed, horror is one of the main themes of Signalis‘ narrative. It’s fairly obvious from all the zombies running around trying to do horrible things to Elster. However, the best part of that horror comes not from the enemies, but from the environment. The game is exquisitely good at using the environment to provide horror. Whether from seeing splashes of dried blood amidst the chaos of an recently abandoned hospital wing, seeing cryptic warnings about “great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice”, or reading through the text left behind by a now-zombified character, the game excels at telling its horror story through all of those elements. This is not a game of cheap jump scares. This is a game that will make you think, and produce horror through that thinking.
However, horror isn’t the only thing that makes this game great. It’s the surprising inclusion of romance into the game’s story. That romance is interwoven throughout the entire narrative, since Elster’s quest is ultimately for the sake of her female lover. And yes, Signalis is very much a yuri story at its heart. In fact, yuri and other LGBTQ+ themes permeate the entire story, even in elements that aren’t directly related to Elster’s quest. It’s one more reason why you should give this horror game a try.
Signalis: The Bad
Honestly, in spite of how great Signalis is, there are some things about it that will annoy some people. The most noticeable thing is the inventory management. The game follows the older Resident Evil games in giving you a very limited inventory to work with. Specifically: you have a total of six inventory slots by default, with an additional inventory box you can access in save rooms for more storage. This means that you have to pick and choose what to take in your exploration of the game’s world, which can frustrate some players. However, you can also choose to disable this feature and carry whatever you want, so it’s not that big a problem.
The other probable annoyance for some people are the puzzles of Signalis. Some of them can be fiendishly difficult. If you’re not good at working out puzzles in your head, then I suggest bringing along a pencil and paper to solve some of the more complex puzzles. Or alternately, taking screenshots and using them as references. For me as a puzzle fanatic, the puzzles were difficult but doable, but others will definitely need some aid to solve them.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Signalis is a very well-developed horror sci-fi game with very strong LGBTQ+ themes present throughout the story. Heck, the queerness is woven into the game’s very story. If that sounds like something that interests you, then perhaps you might wish to play this game come Halloween 2025. It will certainly be an experience worth fighting (and dying) for.
What do you all think? Does Signalis pique your interest? Or perhaps you are someone who has already experienced Elster’s journey through the cycles? Tell us your thoughts about great holes secretly dug in the earth in the comments section below.
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