Signalis and the Subversion/Celebration of Analysis

Literary Theory is far-reaching, and can be overwhelming. Signalis, and all of its themes, is also far-reaching and can be overwhelming. But together, maybe they're not as overwhelming.
Or maybe I'm wrong. Let's find out together.
Patreon: / archivistshepard
0:00 Intro/”Overwhelming”
0:51 The Quest for Meaning
3:33 Same Stage, Different Spotlights
7:53 Everything and Nothing
10:05 Surface Answers
12:04 Right, Wrong, and How We Feel

[@arkroyalslegalteam4911]

COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SIGNALIS: PROCEED WITH CAUTION First, this is unironically the best essay on the game I've seen alongside Zuldims, "Love at the end of everything". It really struck a chord with me over something I've been thinking over a lot now Im on my third playthrough. Thats to say I think the discussions about whats 'actually' happening/the actual plot kind of miss the point of the game. It sounds like a cop-out answer I know, but while digging into the lore is good, I think it misses the overall message of Signalis. Its beautiful because it can simultaneously be interpreted in over ten different ways; but also at the same time be simply a surface level story about spooky goings on in space involving time: Is it an even more tragic retelling of Romeo and Juliet where the authoritarian dystopia that forces two star-crossed lovers 'apart' in life is ripped apart by the consequences of their death? Is it a performance of The King in Yellow and the consequences that leads to? Is it simply a fever-dream concocted in Arianne's slowly shutting down mind as she dies alone, slowly, and in agony aboard the Penrose-512 from radiation poisoning? Is it meant to be a confusing mess that raises more questions than answers? It feels like every interpretation of Signalis' events and themes approach it from wildly different angles, with wildly different conclusions, yet all feel equally valid. I guess what Im trying to say is that its greatly refreshing to see a take that similarly emphasises this idea that Signalis is a deeply personal game. Its about what YOU want it to be; and thats fine. The fact that Yuri Stern, one of the developers, has gone out of his way on Twitter to highlight that there is no 'good' or 'bad' ending, simply interpretation, I think speaks volumes. Either way, Im subbing and I'll be checking out your other content over the next week or so.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm genuinely honored by your praise, and I've got Zuldim's take queued up in my list! It is SO much, all at once, and I'm glad my take resonated with you! I don't think yours is a cop-out answer at all, just as (like you said) digging into the lore has its own merits! But also, I'm about a retelling of the large-scale ramifications of Romeo & Juliet's decisions as it pertains to their families, and really love that take for Signalis! Your comment (coupled with Sucker for Love Chapter 2) is my impetus to learn more about the King in Yellow; cosmic horror in written literature has been a blind spot of mine for a while, as much as I've loved it in video games. Looking forward to talking more down the line, and hope some of the other videos resonate with you!

[@battledroid6172]

Honestly, you told things in a more coherent way as anyone could do. And not only about the game, but about the art itself. It was truly a pleasure to watch something so similar to my own thoughts, for which I thank you greatly. Truly, an extremely clever and remarkable summary and discussion.

[@surreptitiousbox6903]

I've thought about signalis almost non-stop since I played it last year, and this analysis touched on the precise thing that enraptured me with the game that so many videos on the game have not managed to do. The game is an abyss of depth, there's so much symbolism and purposeful references to other works it's almost overwhelming and I can't think of a better genre but horror for a game to feel that way

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm glad it struck a chord with you same as it did with me as I went through. It's a lot, but it's still so beautiful. The horror genre in games constantly finds ways to surprise me.

[@danielj.nickolas17]

One thing I thought Signalis explored effectively was the fear of expendability. Nobody wants to feel like they can be replaced or be forgotten, nobody wants to feel like their individuality isn’t actually unique. In Signalis, we learn the Replikas’ personalities once belonged to human individuals from the pastl; the Replikas are, literally, unoriginal. However, despite Replikas being classed together by their model, they express variations of personality within their model class; they are simultaneously individuals, and yet copies of both each other and the original human they were designed from. And Elster units are, as one document clarifies, a copy of the copies as the original Gestalt personality profile was lost. I feel very lucky to know German, as a great moment for this theme is right before you fight the first MNHR unit (the one’s with the hulking bodies). The screen goes red and reads “Wir sind alle Fleisch” (“we are all flesh” a phrase the game lets you interpret MANY different ways) followed by, “und niemand wird uns vermissen” (and nobody will miss us). A chilling statement, and an interesting contrast to Elster, who misses the one she’s seeking to find.

[@ArchivistShepard]

A solid (and troubling) observation, as it seems most observations tend to be with Signalis! I think I started to pick up on that the more I learned about the collective model notes, but, in true fashion, got overwhelmed with something completely different before I could sink too deep into it. Those flashes of German are absolutely haunting, too. Good find, and, again, troubling connotations! 💜 Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@icelaenl]

i also loved and was overwhelmed by SIGNALIS, i also studied critical theory in college, and i just have to commend you on a FANTASTIC analysis and video. i could listen to you for hours... you've really spoken to the exact part of my spirit that needed consolation after playing this wildly haunting and powerful game.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm glad it resonated with you and that you found it at the right time! It does beg the question, though: do you think you'll go back for a second time, or leave it at the one?

[@carlh0352]

This is by far one of the best videos on Signalis I’ve seen and it mirrors my own thoughts perfectly. You can try to decipher the game in a thousand different ways, but in the end the only thing that really ever mattered was how it made you feel, because that’s the one thing that will stay with you. Again, truly a fantastic video!

[@ArchivistShepard]

Glad it resonated with you! 💜 It remains a great privilege to know so many other people consider Signalis the same way, even though they may feel so many different things from each other.

[@carlh0352]

@@ArchivistShepard Wow your video is months old and you still read and respond to every comment? That is incredibly commendable! I tip my hat to you!

[@ArchivistShepard]

​@@carlh0352 🎩

[@jessicalindo7977]

I've actually played Signalis many, many, many times, and each one I notice new things about it, and every time I cry a lot, I'm overcome with overwhelming, brutal, raw emotion, every time. The promise, the dreams, the cyberpunk aesthetic, it all speaks to me deeply and in ways no other game ever had before. I think because it is so overwhelming all at once, my ADHD mind grasped it and I just can't let go. Thank you for shedding a light to it, truly a masterpiece that will live on for the rest of my life in my mind, and I hope in many others'.

[@ArchivistShepard]

Such a unique experience, to hyperfixate on something with so many handles upon which to hold onto it.

[@shanahaneuropa]

As a fellow English major, I deeply appreciate the framing you set up to analyze ANALYZING this complex, wonderful game! One of my favorite videos about Signalis and video game analysis hands down

[@ArchivistShepard]

We English majors gotta stick together. Help each other make sense of these wild, wild experiences. 😄 Glad you enjoyed it so much, and hope the rest of the channel hits, too!🎉

[@kylebrekke6540]

Great essay! Very concise and well arranged. In particular, I think your discussion of surface-level readings as legitimate means of approaching a text is a good reminder for me to be kinder toward those perspectives. It does, however, also remind me of my frustrations with a number of fandoms I've encountered in the past due to a seemingly singular fixation on lore hunting. I think lore is fun. When you find a story that you love, it can be cathartic and wonderful to get to explore it further by learning about the places, things, people, and events within and surrounding it. It seems to me that some analysis of stories can be fixated on the concept of lore though--notably the idea of piecing together, "what *really* happened," in the narrative--and I believe that Signalis serves as a perfect example of how that kind of approach can fail people when it is the exclusive tool on one's proverbial belt. When Signalis had first released, I recall a lot of people who had just played through it trying to piece together the lore: who are the Eusan Nation and the Empire? How are the "Great Revolutionary" and her daughter connected to bio-resonance? Do the events of Signalis *actually* happen, or is it some kind of psychic dying dream? Is the Elster we play as LSTR-512 or is she a separate person drawn in by Arianne? While those questions aren't wrong to ask, I think there were a lot of people who were asking them because they didn't think they understood the story, and that in order to get the whole picture, they needed to piece together a traditional narrative, with lore and events to explain it all. It seems then that when this approach was taken, quite a few people decided that they didn't "get it." The problem though is that ultimately--as Noclip Crew put it--Signalis doesn't "want" to be understood that way; not in some sense of authorial intent, but rather that Signalis does not provide the necessary textual information to piece these things together, so of course purely approaching it in that way will leave many wanting. In my mind, that is also what makes Signalis overwhelming in the way you describe. Signalis has the aesthetic of a single line of narrative action. Elster and captain crash on planet -> Elster leaves ship to search for captain -> Elster discovers an apocalyptic mining facility -> Elster continues into the facility, slowly diving deeper into the depths of cosmic horror. But those events as Signalis presents them are not necessarily springing from each other. Rather, Signalis is a collection of moments that can be viewed to form a narrative, but are also frequently emotionally and thematically distinct, such that closer evaluation of the explicit moments of the story creates confusion. In its entirety, I think that Signalis highlights the value of having the means to pick apart a story in different ways. As you quoted of Thomas Martin, these different pieces of analysis can come together to infuse us with a greater sense of meaning in a work than any single interpretation. For it's part, Signalis is a piece of art with many, *many* interpretations; I think it's more beautiful for it.

[@ArchivistShepard]

Thank you for saying so and for your thoughts! 💜 And I do appreciate lore aspects in game, but my take is if you need to dig that deep in order for something to "make sense," then you're trying to climb a sheer face without gear. As much as there can still be beauty in a thing not making sense, there is also effectiveness in using the tool. Dark Souls and the FromSoft library are probably the most prevalent examples of this, tucking their lore away in item descriptions, but still making an absolute banger of a game (and surface-level narrative). But with so many other tools and methods to use to tell a story (or present an experience), like how you mentioned with the bait-and-switch of narrative action, lore almost seems like a crutch. Feels like I see it more and more in jumpscare/mascot horror games these days, that shallow (albeit, extremely entertaining) gameplay can be propped up with "something more" lurking in the background, if you have the gumption to uncover it or an internet connection to look it up. But day's end, I really think you found the crux of it: everyone's gonna have their own take on art, and however close to surface it may be, it's still legitimate. And how beautiful, that so many of us can look at a thing, Signalis or otherwise, so many ways, and still find something new. I'm genuinely glad this one spoke to you, and hope you like the other videos on the channel, too!

[@ceodaacetilcisteina5631]

Man, i'm amazed by the quality of this analysis, Signalis is my favorite game of all time, and watch such a well made and thoughtfully put together video like this warms my heart Keep it on!

[@ArchivistShepard]

I was NOT expecting to love it as much, or to have as many feelings of it, but I'm so grateful for what it is and brings to the table now. Easy a top play of this calendar year.

[@Sinistra359]

How this video has less than 1k views baffles me! You deserve so much more! Great video!

[@ArchivistShepard]

Because I haven't started yelling at people to share and like and subscribe yet. Algorithm doesn't like me enough yet! 🥲 All in good time!

[@hx0ad5]

The exact cocktail of emotions that Signalis makes me feel will likely never be described accurately by any words. It certainly makes me feel strongly enough that just the last part of this video was enough to make me tear up. I think the most concise way I can think to describe how I feel playing the game is that it kept making me say "I'm sorry" out loud to the screen.

[@ArchivistShepard]

The highest praise I could ask for is that it would drive you to that response, and I thank you for sharing it. 💜 And what a visceral reaction, that it transcends past our gameplay and into us in whatever form. Hard to tell if you enjoyed any part of Signalis from what you're saying, but it sounds like it made you feel as much as it could. 💙

[@aeo-gard]

This was a quite fantastic video, and one I was very happy to watch and come across as I was looking for Signalis content. Sometimes, I guess it really is okay to just sit there and embrace how something makes you feel without looking deeper, even as much as I love to do so especially as a creator. Thank you for making it.

[@milkithard]

Wow. What a video. As more videos have been made to analyze Signalis, and the context drawn from its literary references, I couldn't help but notice the differences in interpretation when divulging the endings to the game. Obviously the difference in perspective isn't strange, but with most analyses covering the same literary themes i.e. The King in Yellow, Silent Hill, nationalist propaganda, Isle of the Dead, pareidolia, etc. It was always interesting to see creators leaning further into one than the other when theorizing the literary significance in Signalis. And while I feel like each interpretation has equal merit, to see your video tackle that madness directly through literary theory is honestly so refreshing to me. Great video. 10/10.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I could see others definitely going that route; instead of the overwhelming feeling I get, zeroing in their perspective on one item, one lens, can be just as much a "survival mechanism" for them. All the same, I'm glad my take resonated with you, and hope more conversation can come up in future videos!

[@simelstre]

adding this to my mental list of the best signalis content i’ve been able to find

[@ArchivistShepard]

I appreciate you saying so, and am glad you found it to begin with! Hope some of the other videos vibe with you, too!

[@youtubestopmakingthenameof280]

I knew this was going to be my kind of video when the quoted texts were done in the style of notes from Signalis.

[@micheallantler5068]

Truly an experience to see your review of this game! :)

[@LIscariot]

This is a very good video and I greatly enjoyed it. While you touched on it a lot in your video, the reason that "surface" readings are discouraged in academia is that what is evident on the "surface" is going to be highly personalized for each viewer, what elements and themes and emotions float to the top of the primordial soup of thought is individualized. You see what you bring to it. A surface level reading of a work is in many ways a mirror. It says as much about yourself as it does about the art itself. This is the great thing about art, that it is able to be "enjoyed", whatever form that takes, regardless of what you bring with you. This highly personalized experience is valuable, but not usually a good fit for an academic setting, where the goal is to teach one to be able to read a work from outside their own experience, and seek greater understanding not only of the work itself, but of their fellow humans, and the lived experiences of people different than them.

[@ArchivistShepard]

It feels like Signals was tailor-made for the individualized read, as evidence by all that rambling of mine. And it may be that most of my professors when I was learning English (save the few outliers) were more keen on students understanding THEIR take, rather than trying to form our own, in or out of life experience, tangential or married to author's intent. All to say, I'm sure no small amount of this stems from my frustration with academia and my own personal experience (there it is again!). But most importantly, hey, glad you enjoyed the video! 🥰 Hope some of the other ones stick the landing, too!

[@evidencedestroy9743]

literally the best review of the best game a legend is born and imma proud to say i was here man, signalis analysis becomes genre of its own the game brought me back to life

[@mdd4296]

As someone who is more interested in how creators come up with and execute concepts than picking and choosing what support a truth and/or personal meaning, I really like this commentary. I also try my hands at creating narratives sometimes and realise how much influences unintentionally seeped in beyond my initial plan. How they show myself and at the same time not. How one thing can be read and dissected in millions way (even with outright dismissal of authorial intention). How a turn of phrase, a change in symbolism can turn something on its head.... Artistic creation indeed comes to life on its own. Strange how, Signalis share my top spot with kotor 2 yet thematically diametrically opposed to it. Despite their very similarity in plot (protagonist had to come full circle to face regret/loss caused by their love and defiance of what expected from them.) Both game even started with the protagonist in a pod, woken up by some disembodied voice. Yet one affirm life, the other death. One is about universal love, the other a "selfish" (to borrow a character's own words) one. One is very blatant yet very easily misunderstood and the other never give easy answer but the emotional core and sentiments cant be mistaken. The rpg genre and the survival horror genre, one (mostly) about empowerment and the other (mostly) disempowerment were stretched to their ludonarrative extremes with those two. Guess the strong feeling they left behind is all that personally matters.

[@ArchivistShepard]

"Perfectly balanced, as all things should be." Also, you raise on of my favorite points: so fascinating how our own inherent biases and influences subtly dictate the path of our stories, even as we think we're being objective and removed from those foundations. I've had KOTOR2 sitting on a shelf staring at me for a very long time; might have to kick that back on soon. I'm glad the video resonated with you!

[@mdd4296]

@@ArchivistShepard Objectivity in man made things is pretty much a delusion, yeah. Even if we remove whatever motives, emotion, allegiances... we are still dealing with our incomplete knowledge and limited perspective.

[@madeleine7323]

my god, you conveyed a perspective on the game and /meaning/ itself that absolutely resonates with how i think and feel! you expressed things i couldn’t make sense even to myself (and so, felt overwhelmed, but in a positive way/sensation). to /feel/ while you’re trying to understand is for sure overwhelming (especially to someone who’s motivated by knowledge itself, connections/bonds, the mind, and all that.. metaphysical and philosophical concepts/way of thinking, should i say?), aside from -and at the same time including- being a highly sensitive person (like me). i have a tendency to reflect too much on things (which allows me to notice perspectives i’ve possibly missed, like your video!), and i surely feel overwhelmed (either in a positive or negative way), but, at the same time, i let me certainly feel what the motive makes me feel, because then i can truly experience one of the things that makes us human so unique: emotion. we are pushed/stimulated by them, and because of them (along with a bit of reasoning) /we can know better/ (either about ourselves, about our friends, or about the world we are in). i loooved “SIGNALIS” and out of many video analysis or reviews i watched on the game, your’s truly one of my favourites. thank you for creating and sharing this video 🌹 (you made me spent time doing one of the things that i enjoy: to ponder!) i'll definitely check other of your videos! p. d.: i don’t know if i made sense as english is not my first language, so sorry in advance if i mixed concepts or made any mistakes!

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm so glad it resonates with you and has given even a small amount of clarity to your feelings! It certainly is a practice to turn off reflection and reason for a little while, and just allowing a thing to make us feel. But, as you said, that may be one of the truer windows into ourselves: how a thing makes us feel at first pass. I appreciate your kind words, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel, too! 💚 And your English is perfectly fine! Especially it not being your native language, you've shared your thoughts and feelings wonderfully! 👍

[@arekishi6364]

I love Signalis, I love video games, I love narratology, I love litterature. Idk what else to say, please, have my like, subscription, comment and soul, your channel deserve them.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I will take it all, save your soul. Hold onto that a while longer. 💚 I'm glad you found your way here, and hope some of the other videos resonate with you, too!

[@the7observer]

This is perfect for the Signalis analysis of the story and psychological aspects I wanted to do.

[@ArchivistShepard]

Post links when you finish your analysis! 💚

[@kalythgaming]

Great analysis. I just completed the game and managed to keep myself from watching videos like this one… love how you managed to use Signalis as a mean to talk about art in general. You have a new follower for sure!

[@ArchivistShepard]

Honestly, that period of time afterwards is CRUCIAL to just let your feelings settle in and truly make them your own. Whether you broke your streak with this one or this was just the latest in a line, I'm glad it found you and glad to have you along for the ride! 💜

[@WhyBeUgly]

An absolutely incredible video. I'm as far from an academic as a person could be, but you made me yearn for that

[@ArchivistShepard]

That's the idea! 💜

[@ThePrimordialChronicles]

Pretty damn good video mate, much more interesting than a simple dry recounting of what happens in the game - which is what most people go for when covering this thing.

[@ArchivistShepard]

Perks of Signalis at I experienced it: couldn't make hide nor hair out of what happened, so I couldn't do the usual play-by-play! Glad you enjoyed it! 💜

[@meeorp3269]

Excellent video! I really liked the editing and your approach to examining signalis. Much like the game itself, this video also evokes a special kind of feeling. Looking forward to checking out your other videos!

[@ArchivistShepard]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it, special kinds of feelings and all. 💜 And hope you enjoy the others!

[@ravenhart8361]

Signalis is ultimately about not wanting to pass from this existence alone

[@ArchivistShepard]

A valid read, amongst many. 💙

[@Gamenivore]

I'm a game content creator from Thailand. I've struggled to make a content for Thai gamers about Signalis for a while to show how great and unexpected this game is. I would say your video speaks what I feel but I cannot convey through my words. It makes my thought clearer and somehow inspires me a message to tell my audience. Many thanks for your light shedding, artistic, and incredible work. Now I'm subbing and would love to recommend your video content for sure!

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm so glad the message is resonated all the way to you, and moreso glad I could give words to lay a foundation for your thoughts, for as confounding and multifaceted as Signalis can be. Best of luck in your ongoing projects, and let me know when your Signalis one goes live! I may not understand Thai without English subtitles, but there has to be a decent real-time translator somewhere I can use. Thanks again for watching!

[@NoEndingInSight]

Amazing job. Really love some of the editing choices made. Great video all around.

[@lolagagginw812lol7]

This is one of the best video essays I've seen since Codex Entry's essay on SIGNALIS. Well done! :)

[@ArchivistShepard]

You honor me, and I thank you! I'll be sure to check out CE's take soon; have it on the Watch Later list now!

[@sarper1700]

Damn. At the start I thought this video might devolve into surface level analysis or musings on critical analysis but you really reinforced your ideas by using the game as a frame point and using it to your advantage. Also great use of the medium with the double narration in the middle which totally tripped me up while i was listening yo it at work haha. As a cultural studies major im used to analysis etc and have been spending hours at this point reading and listening to analyses of this game and this was a great breath of fresh air after hours of plot and symbolysm deep dives.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm glad it resonated with you and provided a (by the sounds of it) much-needed break from the deeper dives into Signalis! And sorry to wig you out during work like that, but also thrilled it caught you off-guard! 😁

[@noclue4108]

This is actually brilliant

[@vtruggers1094]

Despite taking Literature classes and years more of text and language analysis, I feel like this video has provided me new insight and value on how to think and feel about media with both deep narratives and not. Tying this together with a story that has been on my mind nearly every day since first experiencing it, this video was a pleasure to watch through every second of it.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm glad it resonated, and I hope the new perspective has a positive impact on your future experiences (or even flavors old ones a little differently for you)! 💚

[@Zarathinius]

I am impressed that managed to keep this succinct, really just saying exactly what you had to say without padding or getting lost. Signalis is a subject matter that is so, so easy to get lost in. I have watched and read a ton of analysis of the game and I think your commentary stands out for focusing on how overwhelming Signalis is with theme and meanings right at its surface level. Lots of media is deep or complex with meanings upon examination, the famous "iceberg" analysis you referred to. It's one of those texts that has its complexity and depth completely exposed, unfiltered. If someone asks "what is Signalis trying to say," the only answer I can really think of is whatever you saw, heard, and felt while playing it... that's exactly what is saying.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I know I'm not the only one who gets intimidated by multi-hour behemoths, so for everyone's sake, I try to keep things to the point. That and my pinballing focus makes it hard to create videos longer than half an hour, but it seems to work out for folks! Glad it resonated with you, and I hope your meaning with Signalis was a positive one. Maybe not happy, but positive. 💜

[@yossipossi]

Absolutely fantastic video!

[@operatorjuno5348]

Yo holy crap. You got my sub man. Signalis broke me, in many ways. It was a story that was so powerful and yet simple. But the way it was told was amazing. I want to make another video on it and I might be able to with your inspiration. Keep up the work man

[@ArchivistShepard]

What high praise for a game, to make us feel so much that it breaks us, and yet have so many of us go back to experience it again. And do it! Make the video (time permitting)! It's wild how many things come into focus and shift and refine throughout the creative process.

[@moragumagamedev]

Wasn't expecting such a good video from such a small channel. Keep at it :o

[@ArchivistShepard]

Glad you found your way here for it! Hope some of the other videos vibe with you, too!

[@taffeylewis1176]

Thanks for your video! 👍🏼 Love the game. Looking to get the most thoughts on it as possible. It’s so fun to see others impressions on it.

[@ArchivistShepard]

I actually did everything I could to avoid watching other people's analyses before I got this one published and in the queue, just because I didn't want someone else's thoughts painting my take somehow! Every take that I've seen so far has had such wildly different takes on it, and I think that's the underlying beauty in it. All depends on how you're looking at it, where you're at in your own life, and a thousand other factors to make what sense you will out of Signalis. Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you found something else you vibed with on the channel!

[@taffeylewis1176]

@@ArchivistShepardHey, yes I liked the way of your presentation of your video 👍🏼. I also will check out your cyberpunk video. 😊 I did a small EDIT / Video of Signalis myself. Maybe you like it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXbJfqd9iKhpqck

[@nightsofcandy]

Incredible. I love the art of your analysis of analysis. My fiance has never played a game, or seen me play signalis, but as an English teacher she Loved it, too . Can't wait to check out all your other work 😁

[@ArchivistShepard]

I'm glad it resonated with you! The crossover that Signalis is capable of (between gamers and not-gamers, in this case) is fantastic, and so full of potential, especially when it comes to people who aren't as accustomed to the narrative function of video games as we might be. Shout out to your fiance; I was in a secondary ed program for a hot minute Way Back When, and I know teaching English has to be a wild ride, no matter the grade level, and especially these days!

[@JinxShivers]

This was an amazing analysis!

[@sirmister1827]

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

[@ArchivistShepard]

I don't remember that! That's beautiful, and also heart-rending, and that's another W for rose-engine. I think one of my endgame saves is primed for the Memory ending; I'll have to go again for that. Awesome find!

[@jeanclaudethedarklord6205]

Bussin video man, this is my take as well

[@rylands4289]

Wonderful❤

[@Cami-cn7do]

this is it. the only interpretation of signalis ive ever come away from satisfied. when i first played this game, i was completely and utterly lost as a person. i still am to some extent but with more acceptance now and part of that is because of this game. but signalis did something beautiful- it stripped away coherence, so that youre left with experience. when you cant follow the plot threads, or expect whats coming next, or have even the slightest coherence in your deeper readings, you (as your thesis says) fall back on how it makes you feel. in a sense, signalis is a refutation of analysis or lore or the growing problems i have with games at the moment, where it seems to just be stripped and bare and focused on “depth” and analysis over emotion or experience. signalis is a demonstration that depth and impact doesnt come from a fully realised world or lore clues or anything like that, but instead from the way a work provokes your emotional state, and asks of you to feel. in a sense, SIGNALIS is a thesis on anti-intellectualisation. its very fabric is woven around the fact you CANT intellectualise your emotions. its not possible because theres nothing tangible to sink your teeth into. i dont like video essays on signalis as a rule because a lot of the times people fall into this intellectualising trap, of trying to “piece together the puzzle” of signalis. but that isnt possible. the pieces intentionally are manufactured by rose engine to never fit together, never provide satisfaction. and i cant help but, when seeing “lore analysis” or video essays about “what does it really mean”, feel a sense that the creator has missed the whole damn point of the work. they have delved into the depths and instead of realising its a cacophonous abyss with no end point, have thought there Must be method in the madness. but there cannot be. there is none. it strips away the real power of this piece of art to subject it to that. so whenever i get the urge to “consume media” around the game i just play the game again. it will give me different emotions this time, it will prod at myself and the interpretations will be unique because ive changed since the last time i played. i dont love signalis for the plot, or characters, or setting (though those are compelling), i truly love it because its a piece of art that slaps you in the face, tells you to stop analysing, and just feel things.

[@ArchivistShepard]

Glad that you found this and that it resonated with where you're at! Your ending comment also reminds me how much relearning I've had to do, to change my perspective from "consuming" media to "experiencing" it. The intentionality makes a world of different, whether in first-runs, subsequent playthroughs, or having essays and other projects refocus your perspective on a piece, rather than just playing to complete a thing (a pitfall I still fall in plenty). It's been such a joy to have people from all across the board comment on what Signalis means to them and what they've taken from it. Truly comforting that my thoughts aren't isolated, and that others see Signalis as multifaceted and charged as I saw it. Hope your journey has been ever-upward in the meantime. 💜

[@Cami-cn7do]

@@ArchivistShepard im guilty of this intellectualising too, its tough to eliminate. its what makes this game so special... thank you once again for the wonderful video!

[@riverk5156]

i guess i don't get as overwhelmed as most people by depth. and that in itself may be what feels isolating. perhaps that also may be why i connect to this story so hard. like i corrupt everyone that ends up inside the ship, like a metaphor for relationships or life.

[@nicolaspastor9451]

What a great video man, very deep, just llike my uncle likes it. insta sub.

[@AG-en5y]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@FantasyYeet]

I still preferred Nier Automata. Automata just hit much harder. Never have I cried so much to amything, book or film or show. Nier left me asking the questions that matter. It also made me question what it is to be human. It truly is a gift and a curse.

[@juggernut1418]

signalis the drrug game....whats right whats wrong we will never know

[@anthonylevi]

So your saying its sort of like Minecraft?

[@ArchivistShepard]

Hey, real talk, never played a second of Minecraft, all I know is pickaxes and diamonds and exploding zombies, so you'll have to elaborate on that one a bit. 😆

[@cia4u401]

thats a lotta words to say "woah man idk it's so big it can be whatever it can make you feel" mr youtuber man like if i were to say that elster and arianne were just good platonic coworkers and this is all just arianne's dream cope nightmare as she drifts among the stars would you REALLY say that's a correct interpretation of the story? c'mon now. -i know i sound like an ass i'm just half memeing, this is a well put video even if i found it a bit meandering-