The set is " lesbian depression" ..(wh...what!?) the setting is "sci fi east germany "....what the actual F ! ? This dude take on the game is out of touch. Many interesting video about signalis out there , this one is a waste of time
Playing Signali before and after my fathers death is really something. My dad was an important part of my life, and had been cancer twice. We've been semi-estranged for a while, and only since 2022. We were talking more than we have since I was 13 Then one day. This past April, I got the call He was on life support from a sudden cardiac event, and had been fighting for over a week. They called and told me, that he was essentially. Vegetative and wouldn't likely wake up; the amount of work they were doing to keep his heart going. Was effectively liquidating the muscle and infection was almost guaranteed. Within moments. I was suddenly asked; "would you allow a DNR?" I could've said yes. I could have given into desperation and chose to try and keep him alive until he could get a donor. But by then, he'd be at risk of losing limbs, hearing and eyesight. I remembered this game in that moment. How long Arianes suffering was prolonged, and I told them to go ahead with the Do Not Rescesitate Order. From that moment. I couldn't sleep. I haven't been sleeping well, even though I kept That Promise with him, and let him go But the pain of separation. I both understand and empathize with Alder and Elster. More than I did beforehand
You sir have 100% done this game and its story justice. I have watched countless analysis videos of this game, even though my own head canon and my first ending (the Promise ending) seemed like the perfect close to this beautiful experience. But while all of these videos have provided some new insight or education into the classical art that inspired this game, your video is the first one that finally satisfied everything I will ever need to know about this game. *We will never dance with another Signalis analysis video ever again…*
I cannot stress enough, if you are the type of person to gravitate towards both Fear and Hunger and Signalis, you NEED to play 1000xResist. Signalis was my game of the year when it came out and 1000xResist is my favorite game of 2024.
@@saahwn1871 it's definitely not a straight up horror but it has some unsettling and existential elements. I hope it lands with you like it did for me.
I love games like this. It’s like the developers saw all this cool media (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion, etc.) and said “Yeah, we can do that! And it’s gonna be with robots and fascism and gay! And it’s gonna be badass!” I recommended this game to my friend, just to follow her playthrough and see her reactions to all the crazy shit that happens. I hope more people make games in this way.
Signalis is a love letter to gut wrenching stories of love and life, loss and death. The Inspirations are on the nose but that's good. Not only does it hit you with the pain Alina/Elster go through, but you get hit with the feelings you had watching Shinji fight woth all his strength to find his place in the world. It was beautiful to play through and when I saw the "happy" ending I was totally overwhelmed.
I already commented gushing about how much I like Signalis but i think one of the things I like about Signalis is how nonlinear its approach to storytelling. It has a great approach to lore: If you want it, it’s there for the taking, and if you don’t want it, it’s safely ignorable. None of it detracts or distracts from the human- er, gestalt and replika story at the center of it. It’s setting, the Nation, is also just the perfect blend of the kafkaesque bureaucratic Stalinism of East Germany (particularly in its early years) and the… there-aren’t-enough-words-to-describe-how-bad-this-was Fascism of Nazi Germany. It’s wonderfully dystopian in a way that tickles my brain. And while it may seem insurmountable, the horrors of dystopia and the suffering our characters faced ultimately at the hands of this Nation, there is a way to fight it. The Nazis, they would’ve found Signalis detestable, a piece of “degenerate art” because it makes people think. And thus, by playing it, it’s an ultimate victory over them and the dystopia that Signalis depicts. Keep making “degenerate art”, it’s the only way we’ll learn. If I wasn’t being clear, MAKE MORE SIGNALIS YURI IT’S SAVING THE WORLD
I like how this video doesn't take itself too seriously. Those edits and your humour is a chef's kiss! This is one of the best Signaslis video essays I've seen.
This is why I love SIGNALIS so much, every person has a different interpretation of the story. It makes the game unique to each person, it's beautiful piece of art that can be freshly experienced forever.
I just finished watching this video while washing the dishes. I stared at a red plate in the sink, applying soap to the pans filled with water, just in the exact moment of your narration through the ending, and I swear, I completely got lost into the moment. I fell into a trance, hypnotized by the meaning of your words, the Signalis ambience, and that red plate. I know a video is really good when, alongside other things, creates a moment like that. Plus, I haven't had a good night of sleep in a while. Great work, amigo!
I voraciously consume any video attempting to unpack the existential and expressionist components of the art that is signalis. I appreciate the long form content, and while I don't agree on everything said in this video per se, or everything the game expresses about reality or life, I love that it had something to say, and that you too, the creator of this video, had something to say...some piece to contribute to the conversation. It's so rare anymore to get media (and rarer still, media unpacking that media) that actually has vision and real voice. And that's where the true beauty lies for this game. It makes you think and it makes you feel and it makes you long. It inspires something primal in you, and begs questions we often are scared to answer about ourselves. Even now I'm just musing out loud as I write this, but to me, as a man of Christian faith, it makes me wonder what purpose I have and does my life accurately reflect what I believe? I believe everyone has a primal and even subconscious need and desire for God...that certain something beyond ourselves, something larger...something to define us. Many turn to themselves or others for this meaning, and as you said there's true beauty in the search, (I believe finding God through Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that)...so many people, with so many different perspectives come to different conclusions on this matter...and the fear of the unknown...or worse still, knowing what that something is, but being at odds with it People with religious trauma may relate somewhat to the game's concepts applying in some sense to God. Clearly it's woven in somewhat with the existential dread often inspired by the Book of Revelation (and the prominent cultural interpretation of it) and similar biblical allusions, and the nature of death and meaning of life. I feel like that's a perspective no one else playing this will really consider or share because it's obviously not explicitly in the game itself and the existence of God is clearly not foundational in the developers own worldview (going off the game itself)...but, things like the king in yellow and the red eye repeatedly mentioned in the game could represent the idea of God in some cosmic horror sense. It's so intriguing, and I just love the melancholy and gloom, yet strange hopefulness and perseverance in the face of futility that the game presents. In many ways this game forces me to consider and reconcile with my own worldview, and to ponder the views of others, relative to one another. Anyway if anyone's read this far...I hope you take something away from my thoughts lol. I enjoyed this game thoroughly, and I love discussing it, and I hope it's inspired you and made you think as much as it has done that for me... perhaps even more so for you.
i was really worried this was just going to be a simple recap of the plot but i'm glad my fears were unfounded! thank you for all the knowledge you brought into this video. i could definitely feel your emotions throughout your narration. i'm gonna go cry a little bit now
This was a fantastic analysis of the game. I felt terrible for Elster and Ariane but I had no idea about any of this, I was very confused with the story by the time I finished the game. But watching this video I have huge appreciation for the two developers and for you, Dennis! Without this I would have never known how dense and glorious the story is. Can't believe I watched a movie-length essay about a game. Nicely done!
Also I just wanna add that Rose-Engine did say that all of the endings are happy endings. That there is no BAD ending in this case. It's why I even consider the leave ending in a way a form of Elster reaching closure.
Thank you for this video. And if it helps at all, you absolutely did the game justice. And IMO, dont worry about a "video schedule", just make what you want whenever, as thats when great videos like yours are made. Subbed.
What a blast! I love this video, the amount of work you put into it is amazing!! Thank you sincerely for this, I've enjoyed it soooo much you can't even imagine!
ANOTHER nearly 2 hour video on Signalis? Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I guess i'll watch it. Seriously though I love that this game impacts people so heavily, myself included, and I'll never not enjoy sitting through people reconciling their experiences and thoughts and how they interpreted the events and themes. There's value in making an extremely interpretive game and that makes the fan content all the more thrilling to partake in. Will edit this comment after finishing video. if I have any further thoughts! Edit: You did a fantastic job, and anyone that takes things too literally fundamentally misunderstands the concept of pareidolia and why it is a keystone of the game design. At any rate I am always amazed and enthralled to see someone's interpretation and how events played out for them and yours was just as fascinating. You added a lot of context I've never seen other creators add, such as the context for Heimat and an excellent breakdown of the naming of the planets and their real world historical inspirations. You also went a bit deeper than I've seen most people touch on when it comes to Chambers which I was very thankful to finally hear someone do. Everyone references him but so few have actually read his work and are able to articulate more than the generalized association. Most importantly though you did a great job building up just how much Ariane was altering reality (and you could've done a touch more when you took a moment to highlight caulibri, as the corrupted kolibri have swollen heads directly resembling the drawing Ariane made). You're not alone in the emotions though. I cried at least as many times playing through the various endings myself, and even now the three note oddity sends shivers down my spine and Die Toteninsel never fails to immediately make my eyes misty. This game does things to you. It is one of those fundamental media which can leave a major impact on your psyche and makes you a better person. You made mention you haven't touched Evangelion but it is absolutely in that same camp. I watch it every year, the anime run and all the movies, and every year I still discover and feel new things about it. Also if you're looking for another game that has some deeper philosophical meaning buried in its simplicity I would recommend you look into Rain World. It isn't your ordinary survival experience, it is like Animal Well in the depth of the complexity of the ecosystem you exist in and are a part of, but there's some real heavy lore to uncover, even in the base game without the Downpour DLC. But I respect if you don't vibe with it. It isn't a game that clicks with a lot of folks. Consider it next Steam sale perhaps. It's not going to consume you like Signalis did, but it will leave an impact on you.
It's always interesting watching videos like this for games like this because they open the door for so many different interpretations with sometimes minute yet key differences.
Hi, sir. I'm packing up my house to move across the country and enjoy your writing quite a bit. Makes the move feel a little better. Much growth to your channel 🥃😎👍
got here through the Fear & Hunger, started signalis on my own because I heard it was good, now I'll have to rush it so that i can also watch what i presume will be a master piece of a video!!!
FYI, it seems chapter 1 is "synchronicity", not "synchronization". one of the devs expressed frustration over that particular mistranslation since he seems to see it quite often. I should add that I only know this because someone else mentioned this in a different analysis video. Yes, I'm also obsessed with this game, too lmao. Great video and looking forward to more from you!.
I love your analysis videos! I found your F&H video back then and subscribed. You have a great voice to listen to and (for me) the right balance between seriousness and some small jokes here and there 👍🏻 I am German and it makes me so happy such a great survival horror title was created here 😊
This was a fantastic and in-depth analysis, and definitely made me reconsider several parts of the game. Saw a few things I'd completely missed, like the King in Yellow at the beach memory. You managed to pack it all into an easily digestible video without making an opaque essay. Hope to see more from you!
I still haven't finished it. I was stuck at the tarot cards and didn't want to look for the answer online. Seeing how close to the end I was made me laugh. Well the ending didn't. "You promised.." Also as a German I appreciate that they used proper german and no gibberish
Yo I played through this game twice and trying to reply a third time (failing to not get jumpscared by things I already know are there) and I never realised you could turn back before the Falke fight. I just kept going with dread in my heart wondering if I would see the same ending again (I did). Thanks! Addendum: this game lodged itself in the backrooms of my brain; not quite rent free but leaving me telling people to play it while providing an incomplete list of content warnings
that was an absolutely gorgeous review!!! signalis has been one of my personal favorite works of art to date, and i love seeing all of the pieces of it that everyone's gone over and vigorously researched, and your video gave me yet another new perspective on this wonderful game. can't wait to see what else you make!!(also funger based hell yeah)
Love Signalis a bunch. If I may also give my interpretation. I feel the story also has a sense of cyclical repetitions. We actually kinda have some information from the original cycle, by the hand of Adler. or the first cycle-ish. Ariane is always doomed to live that horrible life she did in Rotfront. She always takes to the Penrose. But in this first cycle, Elster-512 dies and Ariane is left alone as the ship continues to drift in the sea of nothingness beyond the Orb cloud. But before she could had died of her cancer as the ship continued to leak radiation. Something reached to her. Back in Rotfront, Isa got her hands on something, a text banned by AEON. She starts a ritual, the very same one we see at the start of the game when we see her kneeling on the floor, bloody hand and knife. Falke walks the threshold, something has been found in Leng's deepest levels and she goes to reach to it. At the same time Alina is working there and she has began a relationship with Elster S2301. She reminds her of her old past vinetan love Lilith. Something breaches reality, breaking it. Ariane with her all too powerful bioressonance contacts something (Let's call it the king in yellow). And so reality collapses. Penrose 512 crashes in a snowy planet. It's signal alerts the nation of a new planet. Leng is discovered for the first time. If we read the LSTR lore, we discovered that her original neural pattern was lost and from then on ever LSTR replika had be made from another LSTR model found dead on a Penrose ship. I feel this model is 512, Ariane's love, meaning that each and every LSTR up to this point is Ariane's Elster, more or less, even S2301. While they discovered that, Ariane, this Ariane that I would call from now own Red Eye. Sinks into Leng creating the red gate. So far we've gotten into a perfect repetion, but something happens now, Red Eye is in control of the play, not as powerfully as we would eventually see. We can deduce by Adler's diaries that the first attempts at this play might had been different. Even having a more helpful Adler. He won't get to have a full grasp of the cyclical element of the world until the world has degraded so much more. Eventually the world is so corrupted that the cycle begins even before S2301 even gets to Serpinski, but she always gets there somehow. She always begins her journey in that bathroom on the first floor. From there, all of the endings happens, all are canon, all are in a way Elster finding closure in some manner. But this is not enough for Red Eye. You see, Alina, through this entire story has clearly begin to change, alongside Elster. Creating a Replika of Ariane in the shell of the original mind of Elster's gestalt. Alina is to play Ariane, Lilith is to play Elster. Red Eye is not happy with any of the normal endings, this is not her promise to Elster, we might think it was to kill Ariane to end her suffering. But what if the promise was to have another dance?. And so reality cicles and infinite amount of time, timeless eons occur, Elster dies a million times, the world decays further. Until by some miracle it happens, the repetition breaks, Elster goes deeper than every other version of herself, reaching further. The artifact ending. And so Alina and Lilith dance once more, Ariane and Elster dance once more. All under the Red Eye of this reality's goddess. It might not be her anymore, she might not want to dance anymore, but she wants Elster to dance, to be happy even if she cannot have that happiness for herself.
I just finished the game yesterday and I'm still in my deep dive mode. This was such a good analysis. For me, I feel like Ariane is the antagonist. One of the things that bothered me is that at the end of the day, she treated Elster like a Replika unit. A tool to be used for its purpose. In trying to run away from the community she hated, she eventually turned into them...only seeing Replikas as an object of purpose and not an individual entity. Also SHE DIDN'T READ THE GODDAMN MANUALS
I watched the first half of the video then bought The King in Yellow to fully understand it... I still don't fully understand it 😭 but that's what art is supposed to be I guess, congratulations for the work btw 🙏🏼❤️
One of best games I played. Managed to get "The Promise" ending on first playthrough but admitedly I played on medium difficulty, so it was rather easy to play aggresively.
i've recently binged all your videos, since our interests coincide to an Uncanny level- you cant imagine my excitement when I heard you mention pathologic, which is easily my favourite game of all time. would love to hear your thoughts on it in a video, if you ever decide to make one!!!
Awesome video, thank you! Looking forward to seeing more in the future, but definitely take care to not burn out. I can't even imagine how much a video like this takes.
this was CRAZY good... i wish i had more to say but ill just leave it at that i guess haha... but either way, thank you for sharing your hard work with us!!
Gods, this is so fucking good! The best one I've found on CZcams fr fr?? The attention to detail, the personal touches, everythiiiing it's so good I love it!!!! Keep going on like this with games like Funger and Signalis, and you'll eventually reach Black Souls. Another depressing horror-like game centered on cosmic horror and people caught in endless cycles of despair, searching for release, for love, ect ect. keep doing things ur good at it
It's insane how great your videos are for how small your channel is. Thanks for doing this gut wrenching game so much justice, this was an absolute treat to watch ❤
Also I think the reason Signalis's multilayered references and homages "work" is because the little callbacks to our IRL memory are evocative of what Elster (and potentially all Replikas) experience when their Gestalt memories are awakened. Echoes and flickers of another time and place, like the one we're in but also definitely NOT the same as the one we're in. The recurrence of Isle of the Dead and Shore of Oblivion as visual motifs, the musical motif of the Zyklus; it's all about revisiting ideas we can't get away from but also never stay the same.
The game's combat is not significantly challenging at all on the lowest difficulty, and even someone who has trouble with the controls can trial and error their way through. The puzzles can be a little heady at times but enough clues are dotted around to make the solution come naturally and feel satisfying. As for your bf, it really depends what kind of games he likes and what kind of personality he has. If he mainly plays multiplayer shooters or other skill-based challenges that de-emphasize story, the sesbian game might not be his thing. However, if he's into story-driven games and things that are more cerebral/mental-focused in nature, he will probably enjoy it. You should definitely get the game though.
The community can be great but the bad minority is very vocal, I know its usuallu possible to just ignore people like that but some of them are too angry for that. i remember seeing a guy getting doxxed because he said something along the lines of "why didnt you guys warn me it wasnt just about space lesbians? that was so cool why dont we talk about any of the rest of this stuff too?" he deleted it quick after he got attacked but i feel like talking about the fandom as just a bunch of cute art is letting vitriolic assholes have a place to just get mad at people
Certain types of people getting pissy and uncomfortable around lgbt+ stuff in art is a known issue and people are right to get angry when those certain people rear their ugly heads. No one is forcing anyone to consume anything they're not interested in, so there should be no reason for complaint.
so crazy how you just appeared on the scene out of nowhere as if you've been one of the best for years
That's kind of you!
I can assure you that I have no idea what I'm doing. 8^)
like an industry plant but has actual talent and skill to sustain the new position
Couldn't have said it any better. This is crazy high production quality!
First Funger and now Signalis? Bro I love you
this is like the 8th signalis essay i'm watching. Lesgoooo
Only eight?
@@iamtenurial Yes. sorry
Anytime I see a fresh one, I click. I don't care what number my count is, I need MORE lesgoooo
The set is " lesbian depression" ..(wh...what!?) the setting is "sci fi east germany "....what the actual F ! ? This dude take on the game is out of touch. Many interesting video about signalis out there , this one is a waste of time
@@kaporal890 Tbf, those lines felt like they were half-joking.
Playing Signali before and after my fathers death is really something.
My dad was an important part of my life, and had been cancer twice.
We've been semi-estranged for a while, and only since 2022. We were talking more than we have since I was 13
Then one day. This past April, I got the call
He was on life support from a sudden cardiac event, and had been fighting for over a week.
They called and told me, that he was essentially. Vegetative and wouldn't likely wake up; the amount of work they were doing to keep his heart going. Was effectively liquidating the muscle and infection was almost guaranteed.
Within moments. I was suddenly asked; "would you allow a DNR?"
I could've said yes. I could have given into desperation and chose to try and keep him alive until he could get a donor.
But by then, he'd be at risk of losing limbs, hearing and eyesight.
I remembered this game in that moment. How long Arianes suffering was prolonged, and I told them to go ahead with the Do Not Rescesitate Order.
From that moment. I couldn't sleep. I haven't been sleeping well, even though I kept That Promise with him, and let him go
But the pain of separation.
I both understand and empathize with Alder and Elster. More than I did beforehand
You made the decision you thought was best, I hope you don't dwell negatively on it.
Thank you for sharing. Hope all is well
You sir have 100% done this game and its story justice.
I have watched countless analysis videos of this game, even though my own head canon and my first ending (the Promise ending) seemed like the perfect close to this beautiful experience. But while all of these videos have provided some new insight or education into the classical art that inspired this game, your video is the first one that finally satisfied everything I will ever need to know about this game.
*We will never dance with another Signalis analysis video ever again…*
I cannot stress enough, if you are the type of person to gravitate towards both Fear and Hunger and Signalis, you NEED to play 1000xResist. Signalis was my game of the year when it came out and 1000xResist is my favorite game of 2024.
Have heard great things about this- gotta dive in
@@saahwn1871 it's definitely not a straight up horror but it has some unsettling and existential elements. I hope it lands with you like it did for me.
Cheers, will look into it.
I love games like this. It’s like the developers saw all this cool media (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion, etc.) and said “Yeah, we can do that! And it’s gonna be with robots and fascism and gay! And it’s gonna be badass!” I recommended this game to my friend, just to follow her playthrough and see her reactions to all the crazy shit that happens. I hope more people make games in this way.
Signalis is a love letter to gut wrenching stories of love and life, loss and death. The Inspirations are on the nose but that's good. Not only does it hit you with the pain Alina/Elster go through, but you get hit with the feelings you had watching Shinji fight woth all his strength to find his place in the world. It was beautiful to play through and when I saw the "happy" ending I was totally overwhelmed.
How exhausting.
Binging signalis essays after finishing it 2 days ago im glad ppl are still making them
Say hello to the next year of your life, pal.
I already commented gushing about how much I like Signalis but i think one of the things I like about Signalis is how nonlinear its approach to storytelling. It has a great approach to lore: If you want it, it’s there for the taking, and if you don’t want it, it’s safely ignorable. None of it detracts or distracts from the human- er, gestalt and replika story at the center of it. It’s setting, the Nation, is also just the perfect blend of the kafkaesque bureaucratic Stalinism of East Germany (particularly in its early years) and the… there-aren’t-enough-words-to-describe-how-bad-this-was Fascism of Nazi Germany. It’s wonderfully dystopian in a way that tickles my brain. And while it may seem insurmountable, the horrors of dystopia and the suffering our characters faced ultimately at the hands of this Nation, there is a way to fight it. The Nazis, they would’ve found Signalis detestable, a piece of “degenerate art” because it makes people think. And thus, by playing it, it’s an ultimate victory over them and the dystopia that Signalis depicts. Keep making “degenerate art”, it’s the only way we’ll learn. If I wasn’t being clear, MAKE MORE SIGNALIS YURI IT’S SAVING THE WORLD
I like how this video doesn't take itself too seriously. Those edits and your humour is a chef's kiss! This is one of the best Signaslis video essays I've seen.
This is why I love SIGNALIS so much, every person has a different interpretation of the story. It makes the game unique to each person, it's beautiful piece of art that can be freshly experienced forever.
I just finished watching this video while washing the dishes. I stared at a red plate in the sink, applying soap to the pans filled with water, just in the exact moment of your narration through the ending, and I swear, I completely got lost into the moment. I fell into a trance, hypnotized by the meaning of your words, the Signalis ambience, and that red plate. I know a video is really good when, alongside other things, creates a moment like that. Plus, I haven't had a good night of sleep in a while. Great work, amigo!
I voraciously consume any video attempting to unpack the existential and expressionist components of the art that is signalis. I appreciate the long form content, and while I don't agree on everything said in this video per se, or everything the game expresses about reality or life, I love that it had something to say, and that you too, the creator of this video, had something to say...some piece to contribute to the conversation.
It's so rare anymore to get media (and rarer still, media unpacking that media) that actually has vision and real voice. And that's where the true beauty lies for this game. It makes you think and it makes you feel and it makes you long. It inspires something primal in you, and begs questions we often are scared to answer about ourselves.
Even now I'm just musing out loud as I write this, but to me, as a man of Christian faith, it makes me wonder what purpose I have and does my life accurately reflect what I believe? I believe everyone has a primal and even subconscious need and desire for God...that certain something beyond ourselves, something larger...something to define us.
Many turn to themselves or others for this meaning, and as you said there's true beauty in the search, (I believe finding God through Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that)...so many people, with so many different perspectives come to different conclusions on this matter...and the fear of the unknown...or worse still, knowing what that something is, but being at odds with it
People with religious trauma may relate somewhat to the game's concepts applying in some sense to God. Clearly it's woven in somewhat with the existential dread often inspired by the Book of Revelation (and the prominent cultural interpretation of it) and similar biblical allusions, and the nature of death and meaning of life.
I feel like that's a perspective no one else playing this will really consider or share because it's obviously not explicitly in the game itself and the existence of God is clearly not foundational in the developers own worldview (going off the game itself)...but, things like the king in yellow and the red eye repeatedly mentioned in the game could represent the idea of God in some cosmic horror sense.
It's so intriguing, and I just love the melancholy and gloom, yet strange hopefulness and perseverance in the face of futility that the game presents. In many ways this game forces me to consider and reconcile with my own worldview, and to ponder the views of others, relative to one another.
Anyway if anyone's read this far...I hope you take something away from my thoughts lol. I enjoyed this game thoroughly, and I love discussing it, and I hope it's inspired you and made you think as much as it has done that for me... perhaps even more so for you.
i was really worried this was just going to be a simple recap of the plot but i'm glad my fears were unfounded! thank you for all the knowledge you brought into this video. i could definitely feel your emotions throughout your narration. i'm gonna go cry a little bit now
This was a fantastic analysis of the game. I felt terrible for Elster and Ariane but I had no idea about any of this, I was very confused with the story by the time I finished the game. But watching this video I have huge appreciation for the two developers and for you, Dennis! Without this I would have never known how dense and glorious the story is. Can't believe I watched a movie-length essay about a game. Nicely done!
Glad you are covering this game!
Also I just wanna add that Rose-Engine did say that all of the endings are happy endings. That there is no BAD ending in this case. It's why I even consider the leave ending in a way a form of Elster reaching closure.
Thank you for this video. And if it helps at all, you absolutely did the game justice. And IMO, dont worry about a "video schedule", just make what you want whenever, as thats when great videos like yours are made. Subbed.
Literally the best signalis video essay on youtube
What a blast! I love this video, the amount of work you put into it is amazing!! Thank you sincerely for this, I've enjoyed it soooo much you can't even imagine!
one of the most beatiful Signalis videos i have ever seen.
Thank you creator!
I'd never considered that view of the Artifact scene re: the cycles being perpetuated by Elster, wow! This was a great video, thanks for sharing.
ANOTHER nearly 2 hour video on Signalis? Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I guess i'll watch it.
Seriously though I love that this game impacts people so heavily, myself included, and I'll never not enjoy sitting through people reconciling their experiences and thoughts and how they interpreted the events and themes. There's value in making an extremely interpretive game and that makes the fan content all the more thrilling to partake in. Will edit this comment after finishing video. if I have any further thoughts!
Edit: You did a fantastic job, and anyone that takes things too literally fundamentally misunderstands the concept of pareidolia and why it is a keystone of the game design. At any rate I am always amazed and enthralled to see someone's interpretation and how events played out for them and yours was just as fascinating. You added a lot of context I've never seen other creators add, such as the context for Heimat and an excellent breakdown of the naming of the planets and their real world historical inspirations. You also went a bit deeper than I've seen most people touch on when it comes to Chambers which I was very thankful to finally hear someone do. Everyone references him but so few have actually read his work and are able to articulate more than the generalized association.
Most importantly though you did a great job building up just how much Ariane was altering reality (and you could've done a touch more when you took a moment to highlight caulibri, as the corrupted kolibri have swollen heads directly resembling the drawing Ariane made). You're not alone in the emotions though. I cried at least as many times playing through the various endings myself, and even now the three note oddity sends shivers down my spine and Die Toteninsel never fails to immediately make my eyes misty. This game does things to you. It is one of those fundamental media which can leave a major impact on your psyche and makes you a better person. You made mention you haven't touched Evangelion but it is absolutely in that same camp. I watch it every year, the anime run and all the movies, and every year I still discover and feel new things about it.
Also if you're looking for another game that has some deeper philosophical meaning buried in its simplicity I would recommend you look into Rain World. It isn't your ordinary survival experience, it is like Animal Well in the depth of the complexity of the ecosystem you exist in and are a part of, but there's some real heavy lore to uncover, even in the base game without the Downpour DLC. But I respect if you don't vibe with it. It isn't a game that clicks with a lot of folks. Consider it next Steam sale perhaps. It's not going to consume you like Signalis did, but it will leave an impact on you.
@@remygallardo7364 Thats a wonderful point about Caulibri! Thank you for sharing and taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment
Peak fucking content. I cant decifer what exactly im feeling after hearing your video essays but its incredibly positive and im going to be a regular.
It's always interesting watching videos like this for games like this because they open the door for so many different interpretations with sometimes minute yet key differences.
Hi, sir. I'm packing up my house to move across the country and enjoy your writing quite a bit.
Makes the move feel a little better.
Much growth to your channel
🥃😎👍
goated, unironically goated. no other video documentary has properly captured the madness of Signalis lore
got here through the Fear & Hunger, started signalis on my own because I heard it was good, now I'll have to rush it so that i can also watch what i presume will be a master piece of a video!!!
FYI, it seems chapter 1 is "synchronicity", not "synchronization". one of the devs expressed frustration over that particular mistranslation since he seems to see it quite often.
I should add that I only know this because someone else mentioned this in a different analysis video. Yes, I'm also obsessed with this game, too lmao. Great video and looking forward to more from you!.
I love your analysis videos! I found your F&H video back then and subscribed. You have a great voice to listen to and (for me) the right balance between seriousness and some small jokes here and there 👍🏻
I am German and it makes me so happy such a great survival horror title was created here 😊
This was a fantastic and in-depth analysis, and definitely made me reconsider several parts of the game. Saw a few things I'd completely missed, like the King in Yellow at the beach memory. You managed to pack it all into an easily digestible video without making an opaque essay. Hope to see more from you!
I still haven't finished it. I was stuck at the tarot cards and didn't want to look for the answer online. Seeing how close to the end I was made me laugh. Well the ending didn't. "You promised.."
Also as a German I appreciate that they used proper german and no gibberish
an important but esoteric bit of trivia: synchronizitat isn't referring to synchronization, it's the jungian concept of synchronicity
This is great. One of the best Signalis video essays I've seen.
Yo I played through this game twice and trying to reply a third time (failing to not get jumpscared by things I already know are there) and I never realised you could turn back before the Falke fight. I just kept going with dread in my heart wondering if I would see the same ending again (I did).
Thanks!
Addendum: this game lodged itself in the backrooms of my brain; not quite rent free but leaving me telling people to play it while providing an incomplete list of content warnings
that was an absolutely gorgeous review!!! signalis has been one of my personal favorite works of art to date, and i love seeing all of the pieces of it that everyone's gone over and vigorously researched, and your video gave me yet another new perspective on this wonderful game. can't wait to see what else you make!!(also funger based hell yeah)
Love Signalis a bunch. If I may also give my interpretation.
I feel the story also has a sense of cyclical repetitions. We actually kinda have some information from the original cycle, by the hand of Adler. or the first cycle-ish.
Ariane is always doomed to live that horrible life she did in Rotfront. She always takes to the Penrose. But in this first cycle, Elster-512 dies and Ariane is left alone as the ship continues to drift in the sea of nothingness beyond the Orb cloud. But before she could had died of her cancer as the ship continued to leak radiation. Something reached to her.
Back in Rotfront, Isa got her hands on something, a text banned by AEON. She starts a ritual, the very same one we see at the start of the game when we see her kneeling on the floor, bloody hand and knife.
Falke walks the threshold, something has been found in Leng's deepest levels and she goes to reach to it. At the same time Alina is working there and she has began a relationship with Elster S2301. She reminds her of her old past vinetan love Lilith.
Something breaches reality, breaking it. Ariane with her all too powerful bioressonance contacts something (Let's call it the king in yellow). And so reality collapses.
Penrose 512 crashes in a snowy planet. It's signal alerts the nation of a new planet. Leng is discovered for the first time. If we read the LSTR lore, we discovered that her original neural pattern was lost and from then on ever LSTR replika had be made from another LSTR model found dead on a Penrose ship. I feel this model is 512, Ariane's love, meaning that each and every LSTR up to this point is Ariane's Elster, more or less, even S2301.
While they discovered that, Ariane, this Ariane that I would call from now own Red Eye. Sinks into Leng creating the red gate.
So far we've gotten into a perfect repetion, but something happens now, Red Eye is in control of the play, not as powerfully as we would eventually see. We can deduce by Adler's diaries that the first attempts at this play might had been different. Even having a more helpful Adler. He won't get to have a full grasp of the cyclical element of the world until the world has degraded so much more.
Eventually the world is so corrupted that the cycle begins even before S2301 even gets to Serpinski, but she always gets there somehow. She always begins her journey in that bathroom on the first floor.
From there, all of the endings happens, all are canon, all are in a way Elster finding closure in some manner. But this is not enough for Red Eye.
You see, Alina, through this entire story has clearly begin to change, alongside Elster. Creating a Replika of Ariane in the shell of the original mind of Elster's gestalt. Alina is to play Ariane, Lilith is to play Elster.
Red Eye is not happy with any of the normal endings, this is not her promise to Elster, we might think it was to kill Ariane to end her suffering. But what if the promise was to have another dance?.
And so reality cicles and infinite amount of time, timeless eons occur, Elster dies a million times, the world decays further. Until by some miracle it happens, the repetition breaks, Elster goes deeper than every other version of herself, reaching further. The artifact ending.
And so Alina and Lilith dance once more, Ariane and Elster dance once more. All under the Red Eye of this reality's goddess. It might not be her anymore, she might not want to dance anymore, but she wants Elster to dance, to be happy even if she cannot have that happiness for herself.
I just finished the game yesterday and I'm still in my deep dive mode. This was such a good analysis.
For me, I feel like Ariane is the antagonist.
One of the things that bothered me is that at the end of the day, she treated Elster like a Replika unit. A tool to be used for its purpose.
In trying to run away from the community she hated, she eventually turned into them...only seeing Replikas as an object of purpose and not an individual entity.
Also SHE DIDN'T READ THE GODDAMN MANUALS
finished playing signalis just a couple of days ago. absolutely excellent vid, best one so far. subbed.
Another banger, loved it dude!!!
I watched the first half of the video then bought The King in Yellow to fully understand it... I still don't fully understand it 😭 but that's what art is supposed to be I guess, congratulations for the work btw 🙏🏼❤️
One of best games I played. Managed to get "The Promise" ending on first playthrough but admitedly I played on medium difficulty, so it was rather easy to play aggresively.
i've recently binged all your videos, since our interests coincide to an Uncanny level- you cant imagine my excitement when I heard you mention pathologic, which is easily my favourite game of all time. would love to hear your thoughts on it in a video, if you ever decide to make one!!!
Awesome video, thank you! Looking forward to seeing more in the future, but definitely take care to not burn out. I can't even imagine how much a video like this takes.
banger after banger! Great videos!
this was CRAZY good... i wish i had more to say but ill just leave it at that i guess haha... but either way, thank you for sharing your hard work with us!!
The game was so sad that the entire fandom had a breakdown and decided that it's actually happy
I was like, okay time to wattch this. But the isntant I saw that Neil Breen clip, I instantly subscribed
Complete banger video. That was a very nice breakdown of the story and ideas
Subbed. Thanks for the thorough analysis and…. Cycles of work. But for real, amazing review.
Another fantastic video, can’t wait to see what you do next!
Very nice. Please do something on Darkwood, that game is immensely underrated!
Man, what an amazing video here. Love your style ❤
signalis is so awesome
Love your stuff! Hope you get the massive influx of subscribers you deserve!
Gold or metal is an element in some East Asian mythologies, so it fits well into Signalis' universe I think.
"The gaping pit's lip still slick with his blood."
Eww.
Signalis never fails to make me cry
Dude, This shit made me cry. Good job. Goddamn.
Amazing video! Keep up the good work dude!!
This shit real af, love the sad lesbian game
Inject Signalis video essays in my veins
"I wonder weither or not Ive done it justice"
You have
It's a fucking shame you didn't get more subscribers from your fire fear and hunger video, commenting to hopefully boost!
*Hits the like button like a jackhammer at the mention of the word clunge*
awesome
Reaaaaal nice
Gods, this is so fucking good! The best one I've found on CZcams fr fr?? The attention to detail, the personal touches, everythiiiing it's so good I love it!!!!
Keep going on like this with games like Funger and Signalis, and you'll eventually reach Black Souls. Another depressing horror-like game centered on cosmic horror and people caught in endless cycles of despair, searching for release, for love, ect ect.
keep doing things ur good at it
It's insane how great your videos are for how small your channel is. Thanks for doing this gut wrenching game so much justice, this was an absolute treat to watch ❤
Signalis AND Pathologic 2 mentioned in the same video? There goes my next two hours...
This was well done!
finally some good content on this website
31:07 I SURE DO REMEMBER THAT, DUDE. I think that messed me up as a kid.
Also I think the reason Signalis's multilayered references and homages "work" is because the little callbacks to our IRL memory are evocative of what Elster (and potentially all Replikas) experience when their Gestalt memories are awakened. Echoes and flickers of another time and place, like the one we're in but also definitely NOT the same as the one we're in. The recurrence of Isle of the Dead and Shore of Oblivion as visual motifs, the musical motif of the Zyklus; it's all about revisiting ideas we can't get away from but also never stay the same.
really great essay
Darkwood next please, i beg you good Sir.
NEED ADVICE PLEASE!!
The game's combat is not significantly challenging at all on the lowest difficulty, and even someone who has trouble with the controls can trial and error their way through. The puzzles can be a little heady at times but enough clues are dotted around to make the solution come naturally and feel satisfying. As for your bf, it really depends what kind of games he likes and what kind of personality he has. If he mainly plays multiplayer shooters or other skill-based challenges that de-emphasize story, the sesbian game might not be his thing. However, if he's into story-driven games and things that are more cerebral/mental-focused in nature, he will probably enjoy it. You should definitely get the game though.
words cannot describe how much i love this game, but good heavens, the fans are the worst people ive ever met
I'm sorry but at 6:20 the song only reminds me of the halo 3 trailer " believe"
Bro needs x100 subscribers
The Breen lmaooo
The community can be great but the bad minority is very vocal, I know its usuallu possible to just ignore people like that but some of them are too angry for that. i remember seeing a guy getting doxxed because he said something along the lines of "why didnt you guys warn me it wasnt just about space lesbians? that was so cool why dont we talk about any of the rest of this stuff too?" he deleted it quick after he got attacked but i feel like talking about the fandom as just a bunch of cute art is letting vitriolic assholes have a place to just get mad at people
Certain types of people getting pissy and uncomfortable around lgbt+ stuff in art is a known issue and people are right to get angry when those certain people rear their ugly heads. No one is forcing anyone to consume anything they're not interested in, so there should be no reason for complaint.
This game broke the lesbian in me
I loved this fucking game 🎮 ❤🥰
I'm gonna be honest here
You lost me at the 40 minute mark.
Why are you domming yourself
🍵🍰😶
The set is " lesbian depression" ..the setting is "sci fi east germany " ...Lmao , are you high on something ?
Have you PLAYED the game? Do you have basic media literacy?
Welp, you had to go and be political.
Trump 2024
Goodbye.