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If you can be patient when it loses its way a bit or feels mired in inventory management it can work out
Signalis, for me, is one of those titles that feels like it has many or even most of the elements in place to deliver a great experience but somehow manages to get in its own way just enough that it stumbles more than it should. There’s no doubt that a part of the reason for that is its insistence on sticking with some pretty old-school fundamentals from the likes of early Resident Evil games (though, thankfully, no tank controls). I don’t have a problem with that aesthetic choice or the way the story reveals itself in fits and starts as you put the pieces you discover together. I’d say the enemies you face weren’t quite so imposing and scary as a nuisance to be an impediment more often than not, but that isn’t even my biggest gripe. There’s just something in the pacing here that feels deliberately prolonged when it comes to your limited inventory space and too much tedium in managing it and having to move to and fro to drop something you found you didn’t need and pick up something you do. For me this sort of thing should have died more than a generation ago as it serves the player experience poorly and wastes time, something that has become a sort of mortal sin in my book. If you don’t mind that classic survival horror feel and grind, this may have some nostalgic feels that elevate the experience, but if your inclinations are more modern it should likely be a pass.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.1]