During its creation, the developers atCapcomgave the originalResident Evilfixed camera angles. This was actually a workaround at the time. Creator Shinji Mikami said later that he didn’t want fixed camera angles; it was just a fix to get the game out. Yet, this workaround gave birth to one of the defining features of classic survival horror. Nowadays, fixed camera angles and tank controls are an intentionally stylized choice, implemented to bring audiences back to the golden days of survival horror.
One of the greatest examples of this style of horror game today is the recently released indie title,Signalis.Signaliswears its love for classicResident EvilandSilent Hillproudly on its sleeve, and fans of classic survival horror will definitely want to give it a try. The developers at Rose-Engine have perfectly captured the feelings created in the classicResident EvilandSilent Hillgames in more ways than just similar camera angles.
10Optional Tank Controls
If fixed camera angles are one hand of the mechanicalfeel of retro survival horror, then tank controls are the other. Many players are turned away by tank controls thanks to their clunky, hard-to-learn feel. Those raised on classicResident Evilwill feel right at home with tank controls though. Luckily,Signalishandles tank controls perfectly for every type of player.
As soon as the game is booted up, players are brought to the settings menu. Here, players will see an option to turn tank controls on or off. By default, they’re turned off, but diehard classic survival horror purists will be glad to see that they can switch the tank controls on before even playing the game.
9Limited Inventory Space
Signalistakes place into a frightening dystopian future, where people are controlled by oppressive governments. Using this logic, the writers gave lore-friendly reasoning to limited inventory space in the game.
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People in the world ofSignalisare only allowed to carry six items on their person at any time when working. They could be subjected to random searches and possibly punished for carrying more. So naturally, even when the world is ending around them, the player’s character still follows this government-imposed rule.
8Resource Management
One thing thatincentivized multiple playthroughsof oldResident Evilgames was finding optimal routes. How could the player go through the Arklay Mansion using the least amount of ammo in the least amount of time? First playthroughs often had players hoarding ammo for potential boss fights while keeping many enemies in between alive. Some players liked toget rid of every monster, then figure out ways to beat the harder enemies without resources.
Signalishandles this resource management perfectly. The first playthrough of the game feels just like an original playthrough ofResident Evil,as players never know what’s going to be around the next corner. One huge improvement the development team made withSignalisis heavily hinting to players when boss fights were about to happen, instead of throwing the player into a boss unexpectedly like classicResident Evilsometimes would.
7Weapon Variety
For older games, classicResident Eviltitles hadimpressive weapon variety. Players could often choose between using standard handguns, close-ranged shotguns, powerful magnums, and devastating grenade launchers with multiple ammo types. Likewise,Signalisgives players a big arsenal to choose from.
Whether it’s a burst-fire machine gun or a flare gun, there are plenty of ways for players to fight the horrors that are presented to them. Not every weapon is easily obtained either. Some weapons can only be found through completing puzzles or exploring, which feels just like classicResident Evil.
6Item Inspection/Combination
Resident Evildidn’t always give the player clear hints on how to progress or use items. When players were stuck, it paid off to open their inventory and hit the inspect button on key items. Sometimes, items could be interacted with in the menu to reveal new items orhints at solving a puzzle.
InSignalis,players can inspect items more closely in their inventory screens, and can combine certain items to complete puzzles or make better versions of items. Fans of classicResident Evilwill feel right at home when they open the menu inSignalisand may often default to item inspection when they’re stuck.
5Corpse Burning
The concept of burning zombie bodies was introduced in the 2002 remake ofResident Evil. In that game, players had limited resources for burning the corpses of defeated zombies. Zombies left unburned would randomly resurrect upon reentering the room into the powerful Crimson Head enemy. Crimson Heads were faster, stronger, and more dangerous than regular zombies. To avoid spawning them, players could burn the corpses of defeated regular zombies.
RELATED:How Resident Evil Remake Perfected Survival Horror
Signalisgives players the option to use thermite flares on the corpses of downed foes. UnlikeResident Evil Remakethough, these enemies don’t return as stronger foes. They simply come back to life over and over. This means that players will either have to dodge the foes they don’t burn, orcontinually waste ammoon them as they backtrack through sections of the map. This feature harkens back toResident Evil Remakeand never feels cumbersome in its implementation.
4Files
Much of the story ofSignalisis told through files that the player finds in-game. Files range from lore to puzzle-solving material in the game, and their use and prevalence in the game feel just like classicResident Evil.
It will be important for players to remember their files and explore the world for more files should they desire to learn more about the story of the game. Once a file has been found, players can access it in their menu at any time to review it.
3Classic Save Rooms
Save rooms have become a fundamentalpart ofResident Evil’sidentity. Fans are often eager to see how a new game’s save room music compares to older titles, and so on.Signalisprovides players with classic save rooms, complete with a unique save room theme and item boxes, just likeResident Evil.
Instead of saving on a typewriter though, players will save using a red-screened computer. The save animation turns the entire screen bright red before showing the save files, likeSilent Hill 2.Signalisdoes a great job making these save rooms feel traditional. Whether it’sSignalis, Resident Evil,orSilent Hill, there’s no better feeling in the game than stumbling upon a save room after being chased by monsters at low health.
2On-The-Nose Writing
ThoughSignalisis a lot more serious in tone than many classicResident Eviltitles, the game still throws in some cheesy lines here and there. The writing is fantastic, and the story is somber and thought-provoking, but it wouldn’t be a love letter to classic survival horror without a few cheesy lines here and there.
RELATED:Beginner Tips For Signalis
Amidst all the horror and death ofSignalis, players will still run across characters stating things like, “Something doesn’t feel right about this place” after surviving the attacks of countless undead cyborgs. This on-the-nose writing helps cement the game’s retro feel, and will be heavily appreciated by fans of classicResident Evil.
1Puzzles, Lots of Puzzles
If there was one feature that glued the scattered traits and ideas of survival horror games together, it was puzzles. BothResident EvilandSilent Hillwere filled with puzzlesand riddles. Often, the puzzles inResident Evilhad absolutely no reason to exist in the lore of the world, but players didn’t care because these puzzles helped define survival horror in the late 90s and early 2000s. Though newResident Eviltitles have distanced themselves from puzzles, classicResident Evilused them liberally.
Signalishas plenty of puzzles and riddles for players to parse through. Some are quite difficult and require players to carefully analyze their files. Nothing makes the game feel like a classic survival horror title more than the rampant puzzles. The development team did a great job capturing the balance of retro survival horror between action and puzzle-solving, and any fan of classicResident Evilwill love the puzzles in the game.
Signaliswas released on October 27th, and is available for Switch, Playstation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X & S, Xbox One, and PC.
