The Signifier Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: The Signifier
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
The Signifier key art

There’s a black space in a house that I can’t explore. There’s a dog in the same house that I can inhabit as an avatar. The black space becomes a monstrous hand with an eye embedded in it in a different version of that house. It’s in someone’s memories. Rooms change as they are explored. A spoon is watching television.

Developer Playmestudio knows how to create striking images and set-pieces in The Signifier, their title that mixes puzzle solving, adventure mechanics, and walking sim concepts. It’s a solid effort that relies on impressive moments to hide issues related to the genres it mixes and the concepts it works with.

Frederick Russell, the protagonist, has invented something called the Dreamwalker. It can scan the brain of a person and then re-create both memories and dreams as interactive experiences. This means gamers, as the brilliant scientist, will be able to walk through them, interact with characters and objects, and solve puzzles.

The Signifier
The Signifier
The Signifier
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Frederick is a genius that can handle both A.I. development and Lacanian psychoanalysis. But his research becomes a tool of the state when the Technological Safeguard Bureau gets him to investigate the death of an executive at a tech firm, Johanna Kast. Helped by digital assistant Evee he must dream walk to solve the mystery of her demise. The story quickly becomes more complex, with the corporation and the STB both trying to influence our protagonist, who also needs to deal with a rocky relationship with his daughter.

The gradual revelations of the story are engaging, as it comments on the way advanced tech can change society and the relationship between objective and subjective reality. There’s also a lot of supplementary material in the game, including audio tracks and articles, that flesh out the world and the connections between memories, brains, dreams, symbols, and personalities.

The actual gameplay asks the player to move between three layers of meaning to solve light puzzles and make connections. There are physical world locations that offer clues and limited conversations with other real characters. And then there’s Kast’s brain space. Here the player can switch between objective mode, which relies on images and sounds, and subjective, which brings in feelings and moods. The puzzles rely on finding raw data and then delivering it to the place where it can unlock new avenues of exploration and on moving avatars into new areas. The complexity is limited but it can still be frustrating to work out exactly how to remove a particular obstacle or get some info.

The Signifier excels at showing how weird it is to go into someone’s experiences. Levels are filled with weird moments and emotionally charged situations. It is often hard to understand what they mean. The move between objective and subjective modes also creates some beautiful contrast and offer cool revelations.

The biggest problem with the game is that Playmestudios did not have the resources to deliver on their vision. As the narrative evolves in interesting ways the ending arrives and feels rushed. There’s no satisfaction there and little in the way of answers about a lot of raised questions. There’s little variability while solving puzzles. The world soon feels limited.

The Signifier
The Signifier
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The Good

  • Intriguing world-building
  • Switches between layers of meaning
  • Impressive sights

The Bad

  • Narrative ends abruptly
  • Limited gameplay
  • Puzzles can become frustrating

Conclusion

The Signifier has all the conceptual elements required to deliver a great experience. The world intrigues and engages, the personal relationships have potential, the brain scanning idea opens up a lot of gameplay possibilities. The game never quite reaches that potential but it’s still great to see such solid foundations for an indie title.

Gamers who love immersion and emotional experiences should dive deep into the memories and dreams The Signifier offers, even if the gameplay is a little limited and the ending fails to live up to the initial excitement. And I truly hope that a sequel or a spin-off is in development to take advantage of all the solid groundwork that the developers created.

story 7
gameplay 7
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 6
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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The Signifier screenshots (21 Images)

The Signifier key art
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