This is the best Signalis video, I didn't even realize the photo at 22:43 was showing the gestalt Elster was based off of and I've played through the game twice this month
Hey everyone! Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the vid :) it took a lot of time and effort to make this one. I've changed a bunch of thoughts on theories etc. since making this LOL but still hope it's entertaining nonetheless! Wanna also highlight the sponsor real quick and say that you can use my affiliate link for checking out Lost in Cult's projects and back Volume 005 of lock-on here: www.lostincult.co.uk?aff=22 I've really enjoyed writing for them so far! I've done interviews and my own analytical pieces, and the journals themselves are FILLED with amazing work from so many. If you want a magazine that is beautifully produced and made by a passionate community you should check them out :) Anyway, hope y'all have a great week, I appreciate you being here
I think to me what I appreciate so much about this vid, as someone who also puts this game as my favorite of 2022, is that you don't spend much time going through the surface plot of the game. You jump right into what, I think, is the core of this game's lingering appeal. And what I think makes it so special. This is a rare game that begs to its player, so thoroughly, to be read. To think about the context and events before you. To process the emotions and come to your own reading on what it all means. What is real? What is not real? Even without a concrete answer to these questions, the pathos of the game still hit me like a truck. It's a game that makes me want to cry, without even really being able to fully articulate in words why. It worms its way into your subconscious as the sum total of the visual and audio input bombard you with ideas, words, static and emotion. Items and rooms that ask you to fill in the context as best as you can. To me this is what makes the Pareidoilia puzzle one of the most brilliant things I have seen in a game. All of this information is in this game hinting at this larger meaning. A meaning that can be seen with a shift in mental perspective.. and can be changed just as easily to mean something else. A microcosm of the game as a whole inside the game itself. I love this video for engaging with the game on this level. Of raising these questions and providing your views and your interpretation. I think this is the sort of game you could talk about for ages without running out of new things or new questions. And so, raising these questions and pointing out new possible references and context leaves it off on a note to continue to think and continue to engage with these mysteries.
(And my theory on the games events, for what it's worth): My feeling is that the entire game is not 'real.' We are not actually physically in any of the locations we visit. Rather what we are experiencing is the breakdown of reality in the penrose ship. As Elster copes with having to fulfill her promise and undergoing deterioration and the experiences of mental resonance brought about by Ariane's condition getting worse and worse. Of course, the game is clever and gives lots of evidence that can support this, but also some evidence to counter it, as it does with a lot of things. We are given enough to think, but not enough to be able to be certain. To truly understand the reality of the game.
Easily my favorite video on Signalis. You mentioned everything I've wanted people to talk about; the paintings, the flashbacks to the Vinetan war, the mystery of the Itou family, the concept of pareidolia, the rhyming architecture in several parts of the game, and then some. I felt like I was going crazy seeing things no one else seemed to talk about. Thank you, I am now free. You broke the cycle.
Something that I love about Signalis is how it becomes a nexus for people to share their feelings, perspectives and experiences surrounding not only the game itself, but the very core nature of its themes in regards to our own perception. In resume: this video has been prepared with eco friendly material gathered from the sea of flesh. It is a beautiful blob that made me appreciate a game I already wish to praise constantly even more than before.
Beautiful words on a beautiful game. I love this game and it's so nice to hear other people's feelings on it. I also appreciate how you stress these are how YOU felt and saw, and how it's important not to take things entirely literally. One of the disappointing things about any mysteries these days are the inevitable "THIS is what really happened" explanation videos that often have a very surface level take. Signalis is so important and rewarding because you don't know all the details and answers, but it can still be tremendously engaging and moving, right down to the little details you keep spotting on repeated playthroughs and watching other people's videos. Another great video, and well worth the wait!
OH MY GOD THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, GREAT JOB!!! You are so good at editing ughhhh!!!!! Couple of thoughts: 1 - I think this is one of my favorite videos of yours. The presentation is absolutely delightful, and I also might be a bit biased because it's based on one of my favorite games of 2022 that's been very fresh in my mind lately. 2 - I always think about the relationship between us and our own memories. Are we still us if we lose our memories? If we build new memories, do we become someone else? And what if suddenly our old memories come back, who are we now? To me, SIGNALIS was an absolutely fascinating game exactly because of that, and it's absolutely wonderful to see a video exploring the concept in the game. Especially because there were many details here that I just... never realized, and probably would never have realized if not for this video. So thank you! I hope this video gets the attention it absolutely deserves!
During the cutscene where Elster and Ariane look to their names, if you look very carefully in good quality images you see the furthest one away for both of them is Falke, hinting that she plays a bigger role and linking back to how Falke is unintentionally the anchor for Ariane to latch to while in the Penrose.... I always took the interpretation that the station and characters are part of Arianes life, how all Replikas are aggressive and untrustworthy except Elster, Isa looking for Erika much like she did when they were kids and with Ariane wanting to bring Elster back to life inadvertently brings everyone back, enemies don't stay dead, Isa is alive when her and Erika died presumably before Ariane went on the Penrose....damn I could sit and dissect this game forever it's amazing!!
Easily your best video yet, and easily the best piece on Signalis I’ve read/watched. Makes me appreciate this masterpiece of a game even more. Outstanding work.
What an absolutely superb love letter to Signalis. I'd been really looking forward to the video, and you went above and beyond my expectations. Signalis is now one of my favorite games of all time, and you captured what I loved about it perfectly. (I love that you've played it five times!) The use of footage on the CRT television, my god! Your thoughts on the game were excellent, and beautifully poignant - the focus and exploration on memory was particularly fascinating. The use of first person mod footage was beautiful, too, it was amazing to see so many scenes and areas from a more immersive perspective. I've already got an itch to rewatch the video again, and I can see myself revisiting it many, many times in the future. Thank you for such an incredible video essay, your work and channel continues to be an absolute gem. ETA: I'd forgotten about Kairo, too! I'll be checking it out, it looks intriguing.
The amount of Direct Influence from silent hill in this game made me love it SO much, from many of the aestetic and psychologic aspects, to starting the game.. in a dim grungy bathroom, peering deeply into a mirror.
This is such a beautiful, beautiful video. There have been a lot of lovely videos for this amazing game made that I've really enjoyed a ton, but you've truly captured something so special about it that I've had trouble putting into words--that I still have trouble putting into words. Thank you so much.
In Falke's words: Signalis shows you, no, touches you, poisons you. It truly posseses you, once you start playing, you can't stop wondering about things, and the more you know, the less you know and the more you want to know. It also makes you look for happiness, cling to hope, only giving you a feel of despair and dread in exchange the more you progress. You begin playing as Elster and the game turns you into Elster.
Finally got around to playing the game so I could watch this -- I love this video! I think you do an excellent job at laying out your own interpretations while not providing too many answers, like leaving breadcrumbs for us to come to our own conclusions. It's fascinating to see so many different interpretations, all of which plausible. Easily my GOTY for 2022, thanks for showcasing it and doing it justice!
Great timing with this, because I just finished it in the early hours of yesterday morning, with the Memory ending. This is a game that is going to stay with me for a very long time. What a wonderful video as well, excellent breakdown of all the themes and events of the game. Well done! You’ve earnt a new subscriber 😊
I'm a member of a DID system. The concepts of blurred identities, sense of self, and memory all resonated strongly with me. Often, we find ourselves not entirely sure who we are, who's fronting, and our memories shift and obscure, blending into one another at times to the point we can no longer make sense of them. Often we do not know what memories belong to whom. The passage of time is much the same.
I finished watching a let's play of the game today and in the final moments I cried. But I don't even understand why. This is a first time ever and I want to find out how this game made me cry.
**this comment will contain spoilers** it's funny, i didn't interpret ariane as the source (though it makes a LOT of sense). rather, i thought maybe the planet they crash on at the start has some eldritch monster at the bottom of that hole. and that monster used ariane's memories to create the game we play, spurring elster on in light of her promise to ariane. every time elster goes through the gate, everything deteriorates further, which i figure the eldritch entity wants. the process lets it infiltrate this reality more. in short, lesbians are so powerful that we can be used to destroy the world.
This was a very interesting watch on my way home from work. Had only heard bits and pieces, it's definitely my next game after Dead Space. It has like 13 trophies, too! Looking forward to the next vid
fantastic video! As I've just recently watched everything of Evangelion I also saw some of the parallels, and to NieR of course! I definitely wanna revisit this game sometime, in the meantime I'm gonna make friends play it as well
I used to take issue with the retro-futuristic approach because I felt like it would break immersion in terms of feeling like I am in a setting if I see CRT monitors and floppy disks. However, Alien: Isolation was such a well done game that I gave it a pass. Of course, there's also Fallout. Then, I saw a trailer for an upcoming horror game that really leans into the '80s retro-futuristic (I got Total Recall vibes from it in some places) aesthetic titled "Routine", a game I definitely plan on playing. It even has floppy disks lol. Then it hit me, as high tech as our current vision of the future may seem to us now, whatever year is depicted may be very different in reality when it actually comes. Halo is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) fictional universes, but if we're being real, space Marines and super soldiers will likely not be used to fight wars in the twenty-sixth century it takes place in. Highly trained special ops that are either bioengineered or entirely robotic may be used in very specific scenarios, but I see small air drones (akin to the Sentinels since I mentioned Halo) that use swarm tactics as being likely to do most of the fighting. Hell, we're already moving in that direction. Furthermore, just because a technology is replaced by something doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior to what replaced it depending on your criteria. I'll go back to the floppy disk example. Maybe a more technologically literate person can correct me if I speak out of ignorance, but it seems to me that floppy disks should have remained the dominant vehicle for any media at least until MP3 players and smartphones came about because they seem like they'd be more physically durable than CDs. It makes me think that maybe older depictions of the future might not be as low-tech or corny as we make them out to be at a superficial glance.
Your scripts always have been stellar but you outdid yourself with the cinematography and editing in this one! Definitely going to give Signalis a try, especially after just finishing RE4-6. Really curious aesthetic with the mixture of Chinese communism and German fascism. Always interesting to me to see German text in these kind of works. Peculiar mark we left on the world, I guess.
@@eurothug4000 the first playthrough left me with a lot of questions and with a very little understanding of the story as a whole, the second playthrough answered a few questions with me gasping every time, your video helped me understand the references and appreciate the game a little more.
I just finished signalis and got the “Memory” ending, and I realized something during the credits. It made me tear up Spoilers! As you might know, The last scene is where the player “Elster” stays besides Ariane “the white haired girl” And then Elster says that she wants to stay by Ariane’s side for a bit longer. If you play with a controller, you can actually feel the controller vibrates like a heartbeat. The heartbeats are active during credits, even during the results screen. I believe this is intentional. You the player are the one who decides to end her cycle, thus ending her life. To continue you must hold any button, they don’t want you to ACCIDENTALLY press a button and end the cycle. This made me feel so much guilt knowing that I’m the one who will end her cycle. So I turned off the game without skipping the RESULTS screen
I am so happy you pointed out the Kairo connection. I love Kairo and when I first noticed the black smudges left by the dead Gestalts, it was such an "ah-ha!" moment for me during my 1st playthrough. The list of references and inspirations for Signalis is fucking endless. I really enjoyed your video. It's the most in depth analysis I've seen yet, and probably my favorite. This is very close to my own thoughts on the game. Thank you for sharing!
Really glad you mentioned the mirrored portraits. They always made me consider the relationship two characters can share even if they've never met. Killing Falke is interspersed with embracing Ariane, because like her, Falke has to die for you to keep your promise. Can't believe two people made this game. It will never really set in how incredible a feat it is.
This is not only one of my favorite games ever, it’s also one of the best Lovecraftian stories told imho. I struggle to explain to people why I love it so much except that the game hit me so hard emotionally.
You know, only after watching this did I pick up on the most obvious Silent Hill reference in the game. A world shaped by the memories and thoughts of a dying girl. Ariane is our Alessa AND our Mary. Boy, this game is going to live rent-free in my mind for years to come.
Just how Arianna infected the world with her memories and emotions, she infected my head with them as well. Can't stop thinking about it, it is truly going into the list of my top favourites of all time
The game's use of the name Sierpinski might be a nod to Wacław Sierpiński, a mathematician who has two planar fractals named after himself: Sierpiński triangle and Sierpiński carpet. The recursive, similar-but-not-quite-the-same narrative surrounding the game's replicants reflect a similar property in these fractals.
For a game that's so menacingly uncomfortable - you still made a very comfy video 😌. I cannot get enough of this soundtrack, it be making me cry fr 😭 Amazing work as always. 🙏 Thank you for explaining a game that flew 100% over my head.
I'll share my experience with one completion of the game (Memory ending) First, the most horrifying part of the game for me was when you find the document on Penrose that contains the message for 3000th cycle. You read it and you slowly realize that right at this moment Elster and Ariane are dancing, completely unaware of what kind of message their ship has just received. Second, the ending for me was not sad (and I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that many people deemed it so). It was relieving and hopeful in a way. Like there were so many of dead Elsters on the way but I did it. I gave the Elster under my control solace. Ariane may not have recognized her but that didn't matter. She's alive and she's there. I don't know why I feel a little... idk, jealous of Elster. Of the fact that she has someone to go through that "which is hell" for. I remember the feeling of tunnel vision when I went right to 3rd floor of Sierpinski without even trying to check 1st floor or when I was descending on the elevator to the Mine from 8th floor and I was feeling too much dread about WHAT may be on the bottom of the elevator that when I found the track "Cigarette wife" (the one that plays during this descent) I couldn't remember hearing it. I was going to find Ariane. I was not looking for Alina Seo. Elster was coming. And that one track I might never forget - Die Toteninsel - because when this one played I was feeling so peaceful and was trying to take in as much as possible from the scene. Great game. Your video might just convinced me to recomplete the game three more times for other endings. Though I might not let the idea of getting a CRT-monitor for this manifest itself in reality)
Both Signalis' cassette futurism aesthetic and constant and aggressive visual references to 90s anime and video games feel like an evocation of Hauntology - resurrection of old cultural artifacts due to the cancellation of any idea of a future. This in itself ties into the game's larger theme of eternal return.
This is the best Signalis video. Other attempts to explain Signalis, including my own, have failed because we're trying to UNDERSTAND the game, which is purposefully impossible. You clearly LOVE the game, which is needed to help others navigate Signalis. Thank you.
Hello. I just wanted to say that I've found your channel not that long ago and since then watched every video on your channel, some of them more than once. Your videos are one of the few things that keep me sane these days and makes power outages bearable (I live in Ukraine). I download then on my phone because we dont have internet when the power goes out. You also inspired me to start writing and editing again because I had something like a mental block so now I can work on things when we get power back. So basically its my long way to say thank you for what youre doing, it meants a lot. (sorry about my English by the way, must've been a pain to read heh)
This might be my new favourite video on your channel, just delightful. Matching the video aesthetics to the game is on point. It's really fun how much you focused on the themes only, yet this is one of the longer videos you've made. That in itself speaks to how interesting Signalis is.
Thanks for taking your time and giving your insights on this wonderful game. I think Isa is a part of Arianes memory because of the bullying scene. It passes quickly but the german in the flashing scenes after she see's Ariane getting beaten up say "In the end, it was my sister, not me, who ended up helping Ariane. This short moment of weakness cast a lasting shadow over our brief friendship. I've always been useless." So it is either her immense regret which let her manifest again somehow or it's a sort of punishment for not helping her, as Ariane clearly saw her / was looking at her in the scene.
This game made me want to make a game similar to it with my friend but that kinda fell through. The thing that hooked me instantly was the the song ‘the Promise’ idk why but it gripped its fingers into me and I played the crap out of it. I even have this song in my playlist
The real horror of Signalis is I havent been able to play any other games for months now. Thanks for putting the complex appeal of Signalis into video form, and a superbly wonderful one at that.
Really great video I'd say your best actually Loved the cinema feel of it the old tvs the flashing quotes and the camera angles inside the game (how did you do that I was really impressed?) and the dark rooms and just all the shots of the game that could be posters or laptop backgrounds it just sucked me in due to being so visually interesting. Also loved your interpretation, I finished the game not too long ago but despite loving the gameplay I was just really really confused about everything but seeing yours and other youtubers perspectives has honestly elevated the game for me as it truly is a game where your interpretation matters. Like it could be something as wild as the player (and everyone the player represents) is the infection and so whenever you play the game again another Elster is now plagued by memories of the past and again going though the cycle again and only ends when you end it. So yeah in short loved the video.
Great overview of the game's narrative maze. It's eerie how Signalis invades the player's mind and haunts us long after it's over. It creates a new layer of empathizing with its characters like we're going through a (very) toned down version of their experience.
By far the best analysis of this game that I've seen so far, whether its the way you presented it, the way you talked about it, everything ticked the boxes, fantastic work ! I'm also really happy to see I wasnt the only one noticing the reference of "The Shining" with the iconic carpet lmao This game is a pure piece of art to me, I will never forget about this game. Thank you for giving it the justice it deserves
I'm late to the party, but the concept of Bioresonance sounds a lot like the Hindu concept of Brahman. Essentially, the universe is mad eup of this formless probability wave that can resonate to different frequencies to shape different things. It is pure potential at first, then breaks down into energy and then into matter. As Brahman is the origin of all things, it is believed that humans carry a spark of the "divine" within them, essentially the part of us that experiences things and isn't subject to thought or emotion, but capable of observing them. It is believed that through meditation you can align your mind with Brahman to gain transcendence, at least temporarily. The most commonly known method being Oum chanting, as it is believed that those three syllabes (a low-pitched "A", followed by "U" and finally "M") are the closest our bodies are capable of reproducing Brahman's basic frequency. So it's possible Bioresonance is somehow based on this principle, aka people being naturally in tune with Brahman and somehow being able to influence their surroundings by resonating with it.
I loved this essay on signalis! But i need to say, i've yet to see someone engage with the game through a lens of queerness and feminist analysis I just really need someone to talk about the bleakness in finding queer love inside a system that will doom you both from the start, and still choosing to love the person you love. Or about the possibility that, in theory, you could take a amab individual gestalt and put them in a replika model, which are almost exclusively female Or about the fact the game has One male character in it's entirety, and yet he is put in a position of power unlike any other female member of the workforce God i love this game
i've finished the game last month and there are parts of the game that is still rent free in my head, this and chained echoes is 2 of my favorite games this year
one of the best games last year, shame it is still kinda underappreciated and mostly went under the radar
I got most of my friends into it. After weeks of nagging and praising.
Its not underappreciated, people just dont know that it exist. As soon its get touched, everyone loves it.
A lot of the best gems are sadly 🥲
This is the best Signalis video, I didn't even realize the photo at 22:43 was showing the gestalt Elster was based off of and I've played through the game twice this month
Hey everyone! Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the vid :) it took a lot of time and effort to make this one. I've changed a bunch of thoughts on theories etc. since making this LOL but still hope it's entertaining nonetheless!
Wanna also highlight the sponsor real quick and say that you can use my affiliate link for checking out Lost in Cult's projects and back Volume 005 of lock-on here: www.lostincult.co.uk?aff=22
I've really enjoyed writing for them so far! I've done interviews and my own analytical pieces, and the journals themselves are FILLED with amazing work from so many. If you want a magazine that is beautifully produced and made by a passionate community you should check them out :)
Anyway, hope y'all have a great week, I appreciate you being here
I think to me what I appreciate so much about this vid, as someone who also puts this game as my favorite of 2022, is that you don't spend much time going through the surface plot of the game.
You jump right into what, I think, is the core of this game's lingering appeal. And what I think makes it so special. This is a rare game that begs to its player, so thoroughly, to be read. To think about the context and events before you. To process the emotions and come to your own reading on what it all means. What is real? What is not real? Even without a concrete answer to these questions, the pathos of the game still hit me like a truck. It's a game that makes me want to cry, without even really being able to fully articulate in words why. It worms its way into your subconscious as the sum total of the visual and audio input bombard you with ideas, words, static and emotion. Items and rooms that ask you to fill in the context as best as you can.
To me this is what makes the Pareidoilia puzzle one of the most brilliant things I have seen in a game. All of this information is in this game hinting at this larger meaning. A meaning that can be seen with a shift in mental perspective.. and can be changed just as easily to mean something else. A microcosm of the game as a whole inside the game itself.
I love this video for engaging with the game on this level. Of raising these questions and providing your views and your interpretation. I think this is the sort of game you could talk about for ages without running out of new things or new questions. And so, raising these questions and pointing out new possible references and context leaves it off on a note to continue to think and continue to engage with these mysteries.
(And my theory on the games events, for what it's worth): My feeling is that the entire game is not 'real.' We are not actually physically in any of the locations we visit. Rather what we are experiencing is the breakdown of reality in the penrose ship. As Elster copes with having to fulfill her promise and undergoing deterioration and the experiences of mental resonance brought about by Ariane's condition getting worse and worse. Of course, the game is clever and gives lots of evidence that can support this, but also some evidence to counter it, as it does with a lot of things. We are given enough to think, but not enough to be able to be certain. To truly understand the reality of the game.
Easily my favorite video on Signalis. You mentioned everything I've wanted people to talk about; the paintings, the flashbacks to the Vinetan war, the mystery of the Itou family, the concept of pareidolia, the rhyming architecture in several parts of the game, and then some. I felt like I was going crazy seeing things no one else seemed to talk about. Thank you, I am now free. You broke the cycle.
Playing footage on an actual CRT was an amazing touch.
Something that I love about Signalis is how it becomes a nexus for people to share their feelings, perspectives and experiences surrounding not only the game itself, but the very core nature of its themes in regards to our own perception.
In resume: this video has been prepared with eco friendly material gathered from the sea of flesh. It is a beautiful blob that made me appreciate a game I already wish to praise constantly even more than before.
Beautiful words on a beautiful game. I love this game and it's so nice to hear other people's feelings on it. I also appreciate how you stress these are how YOU felt and saw, and how it's important not to take things entirely literally. One of the disappointing things about any mysteries these days are the inevitable "THIS is what really happened" explanation videos that often have a very surface level take. Signalis is so important and rewarding because you don't know all the details and answers, but it can still be tremendously engaging and moving, right down to the little details you keep spotting on repeated playthroughs and watching other people's videos. Another great video, and well worth the wait!
OMG MARIA IS BACK AT IT AGAIN BABYYYYYYYYYYYY
OH MY GOD THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, GREAT JOB!!! You are so good at editing ughhhh!!!!! Couple of thoughts:
1 - I think this is one of my favorite videos of yours. The presentation is absolutely delightful, and I also might be a bit biased because it's based on one of my favorite games of 2022 that's been very fresh in my mind lately.
2 - I always think about the relationship between us and our own memories. Are we still us if we lose our memories? If we build new memories, do we become someone else? And what if suddenly our old memories come back, who are we now? To me, SIGNALIS was an absolutely fascinating game exactly because of that, and it's absolutely wonderful to see a video exploring the concept in the game. Especially because there were many details here that I just... never realized, and probably would never have realized if not for this video. So thank you! I hope this video gets the attention it absolutely deserves!
During the cutscene where Elster and Ariane look to their names, if you look very carefully in good quality images you see the furthest one away for both of them is Falke, hinting that she plays a bigger role and linking back to how Falke is unintentionally the anchor for Ariane to latch to while in the Penrose.... I always took the interpretation that the station and characters are part of Arianes life, how all Replikas are aggressive and untrustworthy except Elster, Isa looking for Erika much like she did when they were kids and with Ariane wanting to bring Elster back to life inadvertently brings everyone back, enemies don't stay dead, Isa is alive when her and Erika died presumably before Ariane went on the Penrose....damn I could sit and dissect this game forever it's amazing!!
A horror masterpiece, such a beautiful and haunting game.
Easily your best video yet, and easily the best piece on Signalis I’ve read/watched. Makes me appreciate this masterpiece of a game even more. Outstanding work.
The game itself is creating a pool of memories that we share with each other
What an absolutely superb love letter to Signalis. I'd been really looking forward to the video, and you went above and beyond my expectations. Signalis is now one of my favorite games of all time, and you captured what I loved about it perfectly. (I love that you've played it five times!) The use of footage on the CRT television, my god! Your thoughts on the game were excellent, and beautifully poignant - the focus and exploration on memory was particularly fascinating. The use of first person mod footage was beautiful, too, it was amazing to see so many scenes and areas from a more immersive perspective. I've already got an itch to rewatch the video again, and I can see myself revisiting it many, many times in the future. Thank you for such an incredible video essay, your work and channel continues to be an absolute gem.
ETA: I'd forgotten about Kairo, too! I'll be checking it out, it looks intriguing.
The amount of Direct Influence from silent hill in this game made me love it SO much, from many of the aestetic and psychologic aspects, to starting the game.. in a dim grungy bathroom, peering deeply into a mirror.
This is such a beautiful, beautiful video. There have been a lot of lovely videos for this amazing game made that I've really enjoyed a ton, but you've truly captured something so special about it that I've had trouble putting into words--that I still have trouble putting into words. Thank you so much.
In Falke's words: Signalis shows you, no, touches you, poisons you.
It truly posseses you, once you start playing, you can't stop wondering about things, and the more you know, the less you know and the more you want to know.
It also makes you look for happiness, cling to hope, only giving you a feel of despair and dread in exchange the more you progress.
You begin playing as Elster and the game turns you into Elster.
Finally got around to playing the game so I could watch this -- I love this video! I think you do an excellent job at laying out your own interpretations while not providing too many answers, like leaving breadcrumbs for us to come to our own conclusions. It's fascinating to see so many different interpretations, all of which plausible. Easily my GOTY for 2022, thanks for showcasing it and doing it justice!
Also I thought I was reaching when I connected the black body outlines to Kairo, so that part was extremely vindicating for me lol
hiya, just want to say i havent gotten around to beating this game yet, but as soon as i do, this is immediately going on the watch list :)
even in just the first minute it really shines through how much u love this game
This is really good! I love the analysis you made for its in-universe elements as well. :)
Just beat this game a couple of days ago because of you, so seeing this vid pop up is awesome. I loved this game.
Great timing with this, because I just finished it in the early hours of yesterday morning, with the Memory ending. This is a game that is going to stay with me for a very long time. What a wonderful video as well, excellent breakdown of all the themes and events of the game. Well done! You’ve earnt a new subscriber 😊
I'm a member of a DID system. The concepts of blurred identities, sense of self, and memory all resonated strongly with me. Often, we find ourselves not entirely sure who we are, who's fronting, and our memories shift and obscure, blending into one another at times to the point we can no longer make sense of them. Often we do not know what memories belong to whom. The passage of time is much the same.
Game goes great with the anime Texhnolyze. That anime is one of my favorite when I'm in a nihilistic mood :).
signalis is a gorgeous game and i must say it has the best ost and sound design i've experienced in years... truly a masterpiece.
Wonderful video!
I love your use of CRTs.
I also never made the connection between the twins and Elster. Fascinating revelation.
Ooo im going to have to come back to this vid after I play the game
Was a mod used to get the clips in the video? Great use of close up game footage.
What a great Video, probably the best analysis I watched so far, it literally kept me up at night.
Gorgeous video
God I love this game so much I love how many different conclusions you can come to I love it so much
A preference for CRT monitors is the sign of an extremely advanced civilization.
Excellent video!
Another certified Eurothug W
Fantastic analysis to a great game! (Nice touch with the first person footage, I love the aesthetic of the game)
a standout experience of 2022 for me, incredible game
I finished watching a let's play of the game today and in the final moments I cried. But I don't even understand why.
This is a first time ever and I want to find out how this game made me cry.
**this comment will contain spoilers**
it's funny, i didn't interpret ariane as the source (though it makes a LOT of sense). rather, i thought maybe the planet they crash on at the start has some eldritch monster at the bottom of that hole. and that monster used ariane's memories to create the game we play, spurring elster on in light of her promise to ariane. every time elster goes through the gate, everything deteriorates further, which i figure the eldritch entity wants. the process lets it infiltrate this reality more. in short, lesbians are so powerful that we can be used to destroy the world.
This was a very interesting watch on my way home from work. Had only heard bits and pieces, it's definitely my next game after Dead Space. It has like 13 trophies, too! Looking forward to the next vid
absolutely incredible video. so, so stunning!
Great video. A game I hear more and more about as the year goes on. 📼🎮
I completed the game tonight and it's kinda left feeling empty like, what even did I just play Good video!
This video is really good! Good job :)
fantastic video! As I've just recently watched everything of Evangelion I also saw some of the parallels, and to NieR of course!
I definitely wanna revisit this game sometime, in the meantime I'm gonna make friends play it as well
I used to take issue with the retro-futuristic approach because I felt like it would break immersion in terms of feeling like I am in a setting if I see CRT monitors and floppy disks. However, Alien: Isolation was such a well done game that I gave it a pass. Of course, there's also Fallout.
Then, I saw a trailer for an upcoming horror game that really leans into the '80s retro-futuristic (I got Total Recall vibes from it in some places) aesthetic titled "Routine", a game I definitely plan on playing. It even has floppy disks lol. Then it hit me, as high tech as our current vision of the future may seem to us now, whatever year is depicted may be very different in reality when it actually comes.
Halo is one of my favorite (if not my favorite) fictional universes, but if we're being real, space Marines and super soldiers will likely not be used to fight wars in the twenty-sixth century it takes place in. Highly trained special ops that are either bioengineered or entirely robotic may be used in very specific scenarios, but I see small air drones (akin to the Sentinels since I mentioned Halo) that use swarm tactics as being likely to do most of the fighting. Hell, we're already moving in that direction.
Furthermore, just because a technology is replaced by something doesn't necessarily mean it's inferior to what replaced it depending on your criteria. I'll go back to the floppy disk example. Maybe a more technologically literate person can correct me if I speak out of ignorance, but it seems to me that floppy disks should have remained the dominant vehicle for any media at least until MP3 players and smartphones came about because they seem like they'd be more physically durable than CDs.
It makes me think that maybe older depictions of the future might not be as low-tech or corny as we make them out to be at a superficial glance.
Isle of the dead mentioned
Great video, I have subscribed to your channel!!
0:06 SAME
Man I definitely need to play this now
Okay im crying
Thanks for the vid
Great one! 😃👍🏼
S I G N A L I S absolutely is one of the best horror games ever imo
Awesome video. Where did you get all of thes 3d shots of the game though? They look fantastic.
I love robo girls
I had other plans you know, can't just casually throw this video out and mess them up. :p
Hey spill the beans on what adapter you used to hook signalis to this beaut, PLEASE
A great video about a great game.
Your scripts always have been stellar but you outdid yourself with the cinematography and editing in this one! Definitely going to give Signalis a try, especially after just finishing RE4-6. Really curious aesthetic with the mixture of Chinese communism and German fascism. Always interesting to me to see German text in these kind of works. Peculiar mark we left on the world, I guess.
It's more German communism that is represented here. Look up East Germany and their symbols and propaganda.
I'll be back around feb 10th
ENJOY THE GAME!!!
@@eurothug4000 the first playthrough left me with a lot of questions and with a very little understanding of the story as a whole, the second playthrough answered a few questions with me gasping every time, your video helped me understand the references and appreciate the game a little more.
Succinct, yet eloquent. Your vocabulary is impressive.
space lesbians
"At the moment of writing this, I've played the game 5 times." Is this why you haven't streamed in the past two weeks Kappa
💀
hey, here's an even weirder interpretation;
*the game is about radiation poisoning.*
In my opinion, Signalis is THE titular "King in Yellow". The more you want to know about it, the crazier one gets.
I love Signalis' aesthetic so much
I too am enchanted by the cassette futurist, international Soviet, anime lesbian aesthetic
I just finished signalis and got the “Memory” ending, and I realized something during the credits. It made me tear up
Spoilers!
As you might know,
The last scene is where the player “Elster” stays besides Ariane “the white haired girl”
And then Elster says that she wants to stay by Ariane’s side for a bit longer. If you play with a controller, you can actually feel the controller vibrates like a heartbeat. The heartbeats are active during credits, even during the results screen. I believe this is intentional. You the player are the one who decides to end her cycle, thus ending her life. To continue you must hold any button, they don’t want you to ACCIDENTALLY press a button and end the cycle.
This made me feel so much guilt knowing that I’m the one who will end her cycle.
So I turned off the game without skipping the RESULTS screen
I am so happy you pointed out the Kairo connection. I love Kairo and when I first noticed the black smudges left by the dead Gestalts, it was such an "ah-ha!" moment for me during my 1st playthrough. The list of references and inspirations for Signalis is fucking endless. I really enjoyed your video. It's the most in depth analysis I've seen yet, and probably my favorite. This is very close to my own thoughts on the game. Thank you for sharing!
Really glad you mentioned the mirrored portraits. They always made me consider the relationship two characters can share even if they've never met.
Killing Falke is interspersed with embracing Ariane, because like her, Falke has to die for you to keep your promise.
Can't believe two people made this game. It will never really set in how incredible a feat it is.
This is not only one of my favorite games ever, it’s also one of the best Lovecraftian stories told imho. I struggle to explain to people why I love it so much except that the game hit me so hard emotionally.
You know, only after watching this did I pick up on the most obvious Silent Hill reference in the game. A world shaped by the memories and thoughts of a dying girl. Ariane is our Alessa AND our Mary. Boy, this game is going to live rent-free in my mind for years to come.
Just how Arianna infected the world with her memories and emotions, she infected my head with them as well.
Can't stop thinking about it, it is truly going into the list of my top favourites of all time
THE CRT! 🥺
The game's use of the name Sierpinski might be a nod to Wacław Sierpiński, a mathematician who has two planar fractals named after himself: Sierpiński triangle and Sierpiński carpet. The recursive, similar-but-not-quite-the-same narrative surrounding the game's replicants reflect a similar property in these fractals.
Amazing analysis,
Well made and well articulated as to why Signalis is such a amazing title.
For a game that's so menacingly uncomfortable - you still made a very comfy video 😌. I cannot get enough of this soundtrack, it be making me cry fr 😭 Amazing work as always. 🙏 Thank you for explaining a game that flew 100% over my head.
I'll share my experience with one completion of the game (Memory ending)
First, the most horrifying part of the game for me was when you find the document on Penrose that contains the message for 3000th cycle. You read it and you slowly realize that right at this moment Elster and Ariane are dancing, completely unaware of what kind of message their ship has just received.
Second, the ending for me was not sad (and I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that many people deemed it so). It was relieving and hopeful in a way. Like there were so many of dead Elsters on the way but I did it. I gave the Elster under my control solace. Ariane may not have recognized her but that didn't matter. She's alive and she's there.
I don't know why I feel a little... idk, jealous of Elster. Of the fact that she has someone to go through that "which is hell" for. I remember the feeling of tunnel vision when I went right to 3rd floor of Sierpinski without even trying to check 1st floor or when I was descending on the elevator to the Mine from 8th floor and I was feeling too much dread about WHAT may be on the bottom of the elevator that when I found the track "Cigarette wife" (the one that plays during this descent) I couldn't remember hearing it. I was going to find Ariane. I was not looking for Alina Seo. Elster was coming. And that one track I might never forget - Die Toteninsel - because when this one played I was feeling so peaceful and was trying to take in as much as possible from the scene. Great game.
Your video might just convinced me to recomplete the game three more times for other endings. Though I might not let the idea of getting a CRT-monitor for this manifest itself in reality)
Both Signalis' cassette futurism aesthetic and constant and aggressive visual references to 90s anime and video games feel like an evocation of Hauntology - resurrection of old cultural artifacts due to the cancellation of any idea of a future. This in itself ties into the game's larger theme of eternal return.
Fantastic video, I haven't felt this way about a horror game since I played Silent Hill 2. This game is an absolute masterpiece. It's so good.
the character in the back (23:43) is Falke, being overwritten by Elster. She's on both sides.
This is the best Signalis video. Other attempts to explain Signalis, including my own, have failed because we're trying to UNDERSTAND the game, which is purposefully impossible. You clearly LOVE the game, which is needed to help others navigate Signalis. Thank you.
Hello. I just wanted to say that I've found your channel not that long ago and since then watched every video on your channel, some of them more than once. Your videos are one of the few things that keep me sane these days and makes power outages bearable (I live in Ukraine). I download then on my phone because we dont have internet when the power goes out. You also inspired me to start writing and editing again because I had something like a mental block so now I can work on things when we get power back. So basically its my long way to say thank you for what youre doing, it meants a lot. (sorry about my English by the way, must've been a pain to read heh)
This might be my new favourite video on your channel, just delightful. Matching the video aesthetics to the game is on point. It's really fun how much you focused on the themes only, yet this is one of the longer videos you've made. That in itself speaks to how interesting Signalis is.
Thanks for taking your time and giving your insights on this wonderful game. I think Isa is a part of Arianes memory because of the bullying scene. It passes quickly but the german in the flashing scenes after she see's Ariane getting beaten up say "In the end, it was my sister, not me, who ended up helping Ariane. This short moment of weakness cast a lasting shadow over our brief friendship. I've always been useless."
So it is either her immense regret which let her manifest again somehow or it's a sort of punishment for not helping her, as Ariane clearly saw her / was looking at her in the scene.
Or Ariane manifests her wishes into flesh which turns into Isa
@@ShayCooper-fz1dwomg stop making so much sense. Actually, dont stop
This game made me want to make a game similar to it with my friend but that kinda fell through.
The thing that hooked me instantly was the the song ‘the Promise’ idk why but it gripped its fingers into me and I played the crap out of it. I even have this song in my playlist
Babe wake up, new Maria video is up
The real horror of Signalis is I havent been able to play any other games for months now. Thanks for putting the complex appeal of Signalis into video form, and a superbly wonderful one at that.
Really great video I'd say your best actually
Loved the cinema feel of it the old tvs the flashing quotes and the camera angles inside the game (how did you do that I was really impressed?) and the dark rooms and just all the shots of the game that could be posters or laptop backgrounds it just sucked me in due to being so visually interesting.
Also loved your interpretation, I finished the game not too long ago but despite loving the gameplay I was just really really confused about everything but seeing yours and other youtubers perspectives has honestly elevated the game for me as it truly is a game where your interpretation matters.
Like it could be something as wild as the player (and everyone the player represents) is the infection and so whenever you play the game again another Elster is now plagued by memories of the past and again going though the cycle again and only ends when you end it.
So yeah in short loved the video.
Great overview of the game's narrative maze. It's eerie how Signalis invades the player's mind and haunts us long after it's over. It creates a new layer of empathizing with its characters like we're going through a (very) toned down version of their experience.
I can't deny that Signalis being a gay tragedy is a big part of why it hit me so hard.
And they totally don't treat it like a big deal or even mention the sexual orientation of the characters, they're just two women who love eachother
This is the only piece of Media with a gay main character that has done it right.
By far the best analysis of this game that I've seen so far, whether its the way you presented it, the way you talked about it, everything ticked the boxes, fantastic work ! I'm also really happy to see I wasnt the only one noticing the reference of "The Shining" with the iconic carpet lmao
This game is a pure piece of art to me, I will never forget about this game. Thank you for giving it the justice it deserves
I'm late to the party, but the concept of Bioresonance sounds a lot like the Hindu concept of Brahman. Essentially, the universe is mad eup of this formless probability wave that can resonate to different frequencies to shape different things. It is pure potential at first, then breaks down into energy and then into matter. As Brahman is the origin of all things, it is believed that humans carry a spark of the "divine" within them, essentially the part of us that experiences things and isn't subject to thought or emotion, but capable of observing them.
It is believed that through meditation you can align your mind with Brahman to gain transcendence, at least temporarily. The most commonly known method being Oum chanting, as it is believed that those three syllabes (a low-pitched "A", followed by "U" and finally "M") are the closest our bodies are capable of reproducing Brahman's basic frequency.
So it's possible Bioresonance is somehow based on this principle, aka people being naturally in tune with Brahman and somehow being able to influence their surroundings by resonating with it.
Personal GOTY 2023, and if nothing else- we'll see- but-.. Game of the Decade. Such an impact.
Starfield may be GOTY 2023..but for me Signalis is potentially game of the decade..
I really love this channel
I loved this essay on signalis! But i need to say, i've yet to see someone engage with the game through a lens of queerness and feminist analysis
I just really need someone to talk about the bleakness in finding queer love inside a system that will doom you both from the start, and still choosing to love the person you love. Or about the possibility that, in theory, you could take a amab individual gestalt and put them in a replika model, which are almost exclusively female
Or about the fact the game has One male character in it's entirety, and yet he is put in a position of power unlike any other female member of the workforce
God i love this game
would love to see that kind of analysis!
It would be unique..
i've finished the game last month and there are parts of the game that is still rent free in my head, this and chained echoes is 2 of my favorite games this year
just played my 1st playthrough but i need to do more so good !
Maybe the real horror was the friends we made along the way
This game... I feel like a part of me is stuck in the cycle with them ever since I've played it. The soundtrack takes me straight back. Zyklus.