Most of the time in the survival horror genre, we're dealing with the supernatural. We're dealing with normal everyday humans trying to explain and deal with being presented a very non-normal problem such as zombies, vampires, or monsters. But it's rare in the genre to have a game that focuses just as much on these supernatural elements, as it does on the larger philosophical questions of existence, sentience, memory, and love. In fact, I can think of only one other major example we've played for this show that even comes close, that being Silent Hill 2 Remake. You can imagine the surprise, and the joy then that Josh and I (Colin) felt when we started digging into Signalis. Signalis , released in October of 2022 and developed by the two person team of Rose Engine, is an ethereal and haunting journey through the psyche of a Replika unit named Elster. Touching on questions posed in movies like Blade Runner, and I am Robot, Signalis follows the story of one machine, implanted with human memories who tries to make sense of the world she finds herself in, full of horrors and monstrosities, all the while pushing to fulfill a promise she made to a human companion. Signalis is the journey of Elster and the player through labyrinths of mining colonies, into the dreamlike landscapes of Nowhere and eventually through the inner workings of the mind. Packed with stunning pixelated graphics, a mesmerizing soundtrack, and Lynchian dreamy first person sequences, Signalis does not disappoint. It is one of those games that will have you questioning if you truly understood what was happening all the way up until the very end.

Josh and I do our best to expound on the story, the themes, the literary influences, and of course the core mechanics of Signalis in this episode. Having said that a game like this can be tough to talk about, with individual interpretations varying wildly. We hope that by listening you find something new to think about with this game that you hadn't considered before. And if you haven't played Signalis, we hope that you do, and then come back and listen. Happy Gaming, and take care!