One little thing that I love is that there is an unopened note for Ariane that explicitly tells her not to befriend Elster because of how obsessive, possessive the base persona can become... Ariane never read that and immediately I understood why Elster, with a little boost from Ariane's Bio-resonance, could shatter reality over and over again. The people in the mine, if they ever truly existed, never stood a chance in the face of such love.

@kalmath_

10 ай бұрын

Really really really well observed sir !

@NoRegs30

7 ай бұрын

Elster’s obsession was so grand that her memories inside Falke all but destroyed Falke’s mind Ariane only placed the memories there by accident but Falke just couldn’t take it

@LIscariot

5 ай бұрын

The 1.2 update added a little note in Act 2 that reveals this to be not the case. It's a top secret doc that basically spells out that "Persona Degradation" means "Individuality", not that they're going crazy.

@captainwolfbane3707

4 ай бұрын

​@@LIscariot Can I ask where this document shows up? I don't remember reading anything like that and im worried i missed important information.

@LIscariot

4 ай бұрын

@@captainwolfbane3707 Floor B8 (during the segment where you get around the different floors with the dumbwaiter), in the STCR Dorm (lower right of the map), there is a hatch you can enter, which is a short hallway with an Ara unit hiding out, and the document is across from her.

I've been waiting for Jacob Geller to make a video about Signalis but Jeremy just went ahead and made it for him. Would love to see more video essays from y'all!

@jeremybjayne

Жыл бұрын

I'm too overwhelmed by all of these lovely comments to reply to all of them, but I just wanted to say thank you and that your comment cracked me up. I'd love to do more video essays in the future!

@diegojimenez8763

10 ай бұрын

You stole the words from my head!!!! I have been waiting for Geller to make a video essay on Signalis. Might have to make one myself

One of the most ominous lines from the original "The King in Yellow" story is this: "It's only a play." Of course, plays are stories, and stories carry one of the most dangerous weapons ever conceived. They carry Truth- not the kind that can be studied under a microscope or spied from afar by a telescope, but the kind of Truth that you feel in your heart. The kind that can burrow into your mind and force you to think things that can make the whole world fall apart. SIGNALIS, too, is a play. A play of people forced into roles they never asked for, repeating lines they never needed to rehearse, acting out scenes that may not even make sense to them, much less us. Both the characters and the audience seek answers, but the game is utterly stingy with facts that might make the whole thing make logical sense. That doesn't mean there isn't Truth there. But it's a Truth that we've always had all along, that we sometimes forget in our search for lore and secrets: that love is what unites us, ignorance is what destroys us, and just because we don't know everything doesn't mean we can't strive for something better, however fruitlessly. It's only a play. But ignore its Truth at your own peril.

@mdd4296

Жыл бұрын

In short, the game narrative wasnt a search for truth, but a search for the emotional core beneath it all.

@samuel-rw3xt

Жыл бұрын

The real signalis was the friends we made along the way

@maybemablemaples2144

Жыл бұрын

​@@samuel-rw3xt the real friends was the giant mass of flesh we met about 17 cycles ago

@bruxinth4660

7 ай бұрын

The unfortunate truth is that complete understanding of what is going on lies in another dimension, imperceivable yet it leaves detectable traces of its existence. While we are assured that Truth exists, how can we possibly ever come to know of it perfectly, to sate our hungry minds, if no power greater than our own comes to our aid to do so? All religion is about receiving revelation about the true nature of existence and becoming aligned with it, because without God or Gods, mortal beings are nothing, and in ignorance of their true nature, these beings are left with only the assumption of decay and oblivion.

@anthonykarnes6804

7 ай бұрын

Did you actually read the king in yellow?

The Ariane being bullied and ostracized leading into her bioresanence awakening angle is one I’ve leaned so hard on ever since I finished the game and hearing it spoken into words from someone else is so elevating. Thank you for the great video

@brayerkh

8 ай бұрын

*Ariane

I was in tears when I read the 3000 cycle mission update... They were so happy, and celebrating, right before they received it...

The emotional impact of Signalis is so strong. As much as I can appreciate all these threads to literature secondhand, simply piecing together Elster's past and her relationship both before and after the war makes the story hit so hard. It's a great work of art and makes perfect use of the medium and its genre to tell its tale. Watching the end of Isa's journey, seeing Alina's numerous corpses litter the beach, or dying at Arianne's bedside all feel burned into my memory of the game.

@Thelothuo

Жыл бұрын

Until those memories pass like every other memory, of course. I remember promising myself I'd remember other stories from other games, too, but I don't remember what they were anymore. Life's a whole bunch of ice swans, huh?

@JesseAnderson

Жыл бұрын

@@Thelothuo That's the nice thing about games. That happens all the time, but the games don't go anywhere. I'll just pick it up again when i feel like it

@campo4108

Жыл бұрын

Curious, did you mean to say "Elster's numerous corpses..." and just mistype or do you hold the theory that Elster's Gestalt was Alina?

I love how Signalis means different things to different people. When I met Adler, my first thought was Nathan Adler, David Bowie character that exists in a story about a mystery without a answer, told out of order. I related that together and I love that

@LikeZoinksGangWay

4 ай бұрын

Holy crap I never picked up on that

@Frille512

3 ай бұрын

Pattern recognition go brrrrr

Very nice analysis - Signalis is probably one of the only pieces of media I have experienced where I'm happier not knowing conclusively every facet of every detail, and instead savouring every emotion it instilled in me. Up there with Blade Runner (Original + 2049) and Evangelion, possibly surpassing both in this way. It's not a game I'll forget, not for a long, long time.

@misterscienceguy

Жыл бұрын

Definitely agree, this also matches with what could be argued as the artist's intent. Overanalysis almost does the game a disservice.

@yiqing743

Жыл бұрын

I had the same experience, right down to the other pieces of media that I'd favourably compare the game to. It's probably not a coincidence that the almost all the Replikas have bird nicknames - it strongly felt to me like a homage to the dove sequence in Bladerunner.

This video makes me feel as though I didn't play this game at all

@TheOneGreat

Жыл бұрын

I deleted it because I got bored after a couple of hours. I get scared easily and I love Silent Hill but it didn't click with me at all.

After watching far too many videos on this game after finishing it, I think your video and Eurothug4000's video on Signalis are my favorites! You really cut to the core of it all without getting too lost in trying to explain the surface details of the game or the minute to minute gameplay. It really is a tragic love story and about you, the player, helping Elster keep her promise. I'll throw out there that this game fits really well into lesbian fiction more broadly - A Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Disobedience and especially Mulholland Drive also hit similar notes to this game. Also the fact that one of the puzzles involves tarot cards and how much the moon and stars factor into puzzles is some of the most lesbian shit to put in this game, it's great!!

@jeremybjayne

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! And Mulholland Drive is one of my favorite movies ever made. I wrote an absurdly long paper in film school dissecting it, and was having flashbacks to those days while working on this video. Portrait of a Lady on Fire has been on my list for a while- your comment has spurred me to finally watch it this weekend. Thanks for the thoughtful comment, I really appreciate it.

@sammysamsamsammy

Жыл бұрын

@@jeremybjayne Mulholland Drive is definitely deserving of a long essay lol - hope you enjoy Portrait of a Lady on Fire!!

@boring_incarnate

Жыл бұрын

Are tarot cards like a lesbian thing? I just genuinely don't know much about it

@dubbsyubbsy9815

Жыл бұрын

Eyyy glad to see I'm not the only one that made a Bly Manor connection!

As someone who just completed Signalis and came to KZread specifically for analysis, this video is exactly what I wanted. Your central thesis is so well argued, and it almost makes me feel silly for wanting that analysis in the first place! At the same time I can feel those threads pulling at me, the literal and textual connections that seem so solid and so sure that they have to lead somewhere, that answers are possible to decipher if we only look close enough for long enough… I guess it all comes down to whether or not you think that those things can exist beside the central emotional register of the story without undercutting the message of what really matters. I’m honestly not sure! But much like Signalis, this video gave me a lot to think about, and it’ll stick with me for a long time!

@quasur57

2 ай бұрын

I like reading and listening to peoples theories of the lore of the game because each one brings with it a sometimes unique emotional interprotation of the story

Absolutely superb video, Jeremy, not just for the incredible Signalis analysis, but the philosophical exploration of trying to recapture a moment, a memory. I've always wanted to travel all over the world, but I'm not able to due to health reasons, so video games mean a lot to me to scratch that itch: through them, I get to travel to so many places, meet new people, experience incredible things. In turn, the one thing I do collect is physical copies of games. I've always thought it was an equivalent of having holidays photos: proof that I experienced and achieved something. In this video, you beautifully verbalized the thought in-depth, and I realize I also collect them for the rush that comes when I look at them, where all those memories of playing the game coming back: the game itself, where I was, and the point in my life when I played it. Just for a moment, attempting to recapture that feeling again. I didn't intend to personally tangent in the comment section after watching the video, but I wasn't expecting a psychological breakthrough! (And yes, those FFVII figurines are indeed amazing.) Regarding Signalis itself, I loved your in-depth exploration into 'The King in Yellow'. I had no idea there was a play within the book itself, and the insight was fascinating. Your honesty regarding the essay's purpose in initially intending to try to crack Signalis' story code but ultimately still finding yourself back where you began was wonderful, too. Again, absolutely superb video, and I would love seeing similar video essays on the Noclip Crew channel in the future.

@jeremybjayne

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the lovely, thoughtful reply! It means a lot to me that people are connecting with this video on a personal level. And I'd absolutely love to do more video essays in the future.

Maybe the real Lovecraftian horrors are the friends we made along the way...

I played this game several times through, got all the endings, spoke to every NPC to get all the dialogue and read every file…but I keep replaying this game and I’m not tired of it at all. I love living in this game and I love how purposefully obscure but meaningful all the little details are. Great video. I’m gonna keep playing the game for the dozenth time now.

I didn't play the game. Even though the whole video was very interesting, the final bit about how our look for meaning (and other activities) is our attempt to keep connected and try to relive our experience a piece of art gave us was very beautiful. Thanks Jeremy, you have become a great writer.

@jeremybjayne

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

@M1ndblast

Жыл бұрын

I'd recommend giving this game a shot even if you watched this video. One of the things I don't see many places mention is how Signalis carries itself. In a sea of titles that want to ensure that you think and feel what they set out to do(read: loud and insecurely), Signalis is quiet and confident. It wants to do a thing, it will do this thing, and you are allowed to watch as it does this thing. It doesn't concern itself with how you feel at the end. It won't try to pursuade you one way or the other. Its a type and level of confidence that is very rare.

I started this video, but wasn't far in before I decided I need to play this game first. So I just picked up a copy and I'll be back to watch ASAP.

@beecoughs

Жыл бұрын

Oh god I was like a quarter into this wondering how I missed so much of the story, then you mention the fake out ending and... yeah I fell for it completely. Let me know where I should turn in my gamer card. In all seriousness, this essay was wonderful and captures the emotional spirit of the game so well. While the conclusion after lore hunting may lead back to the start, I think there's a richness and depth that the metatextual side brings which makes Signalis feel complete and whole in the world (our world) the game exists in. That is to say: a hunt for meaning can be meaningful in of itself. This video is a wonderful way to share that sort of experience. Bravo - I'd love to see more of these on the channel.

"it doesn't matter" is a phrase that's significance transcends Signalis and is ultimately my answer to the question of what is happening, to attempt to draw understanding from Signalis is akin to drawing blood from a stone. The explanation is that a stone does not bleed and Signalis is a tragic love story, nothing else matters.

Thank you so much for this video. I'm writing an art analysis on Signalis for my high school class (specifially Bioresonance and the themse of loss), and so many creators like yourself have been a big help. I'm really proud of how fast and passionate the Signalis community grew, and people like you keep bringing me back to the game day after day.

"Devastatingly beautiful" feels like the only appropriate way to describe this game.

*Loved* this video. The passage in the Searching and Meaning chapter was exquisite. Our obsession with lore and how it drives us into a frenzy to the point where the thing we're obsessing over almost becomes a parody of itself is what I feel Lynch was pointing to with Twin Peaks. Everyone is so dominated by achieving a definitive conclusion that they lose sight of the notion that the mystery itself should be the most important piece of the puzzle; not the answer to said mystery. Bravo, this was an incredible watch.

@GreatBeardofWisdom

Жыл бұрын

^^^^^^ Says the guy who is currently wearing a Silent Hill shirt, thereby attempting to immortalise a vibe that only seems to grow the more we become removed from it. Ignore me. I'll be over here, staring at a wall while drinking my coffee.

Yep, it kinda felt like that. And the bit about attempts to manifest our experiences into a physical object... So true

A beautifully fitting tribute to one of the best games of the year. Shoutout to Rose-Engine for trusting their instincts against all reason.

Just wanted to say I really like Jeremy’s video style. Super introspective and thoughtful. Danny’s great, but these crew videos show a new side of the team unseen in the documentary videos!

God what a banger of a vid, such a treat. This game has lived with me ever since I played it, and this video perfectly depicts why it endures. Disarming the cynical impulse, offering space for many interpretations to flourish (and rejecting the notion that there's one true conclusion to reach), centering what you felt as it happened over what you think happened...damn both this game and this vid are sick

Thank you, Jeremy :)

People have brought up H.P Lovecraft, Evangelion, Silent Hill 2, and Resident Evil, but never have i seen anyone make the Jungian connection. There are several symbols associated with Ariane, not just the lily. There is also the butterfly. The box you has to open leading to the radio station features a butterfly and later there are four butterflies spelling out the word "Aeon." The final puzzle of the game is revealed by collecting six tarot cards. Let's do this one step at a time. The formal word for butterfly in Greek is psyche. I don't know the etymological reason for this, but in the myth of how the titan Prometheus created man, in place of the claws and teeth and the natures given by his brother Epimethus to other animals, Prometheus place a butterfly inside man, symbolizing his capacity for self transformation. The specific connotation of the myth is that Prometheus gave man a soul. Aeon is a notable example of Jung's later works on the phenomenology of the Self. To explain what the Self is I'd have to go into all kinds of Jungian terms that are apt to be misunderstood if I don't explain them so I'll just say that the Self is what Signalis could be said to depict. Everything about the game that makes it feel insoluble; the way it unites opposites; the way sense blurs with nonsense, insides with outsides, time and space, real and unreal, the singular with the universal -- that is all like the Self. The Self is where man's psychology merges with the ontology of the universe. It explains, at least thematically, how all this surreal dreamlike stuff can happen; how unit 512 can hop all over the solar system and beyond seemingly at random. The book itself goes into a lot of astrology and offers an explanation for why people have looked to the stars and expected a sign. The Self is initially encountered as a personification, the gradually broadens to encompass all opposites and the divine. The inclusion of this word and butterflies at the same time, as well as being in a set of four, is more of a smoking gun than anything of the game having a Jungian influence. The tarot is something Jung explored as well as an expression of unconscious archetypes. They are a set of symbols telling the story of the fool on his journey to acquire the world and reach fulfillment. It is the story of the individuation process, also a key Jungian concept.

I always thought that in the end, when the dreams become reality (As is the case of Signalis) getting caught in the details of of the story and the physics of the world matter less than the emotional impact they're trying to provide. Nietzsche (who not so coincidentally was also obsessed with cycles) spoke of true understanding as being inherently intuitive and experienced. He admired the Greeks and their tragedies for conveying their ideas through an abstracted emotional appeal to the chaos of nature, bolstered through a rational facade of story telling that took hold of the inquisitive impulse of the mind, resulting in that all important feeling of release at conclusion. In my sense this is what makes Signalis a true tragedy as well, it's a process of suffering, where one comes to understand intuitively the unfairness in the life and love of their main characters and reconcile it through an interactive experience of sight and sound. In this way I think a lot of people "correctly" interpreted the Artifact ending as the "best," (most fulfilling) as not only does reaching it require a delving into some pretty esoteric lore and engaging with the game to its limits, it also fully reconciles the story. Each ending makes you feel a little unfulfilled, like there's more, but it's only with the artifact ending do you feel a bit of emotional closure and that important release. The story is finished, whether what is happening is real or if the cycle continues no longer matters, for the sake of the audience (the watchful eye) and the characters their closure has been achieved, and they are allowed to affirm their love and die when your playtime ends and you turn off the game once and for all.

Games like Pathologic give you Legos and you can build different things with them. The Void gives you Legos and you can build abstract sculptures with them. Signalis gives you Legos and no matter what you build with them, there will always be half of the Legos unusued, waiting for you to step on them.

@mdd4296

Жыл бұрын

i'm not crying, it's raining legos

In terms of comprehending the abstract, the value isn't in being able sift through it and find an objectively "correct" interpretation no one can deny -- it's in the interpretation itself. Absorbing a creative work multiple times, exploring the secondary and tertiary references within it, and sharing theories and questions with others who were affected by it is the proof of the work's richness and its value. Multiple interpretations and highly individualized views of its meaning is a marker of a work's artistic depth, not a sign of its absence.

This was one of those games i played with a notebook. I loved trying to figure it out 😩

Signalis definitely made me feel when I played it in november last year. Your video helped me to sort those feelings, especially how you phrased things while offering possible explanations of what is (or is not) happening in Signalis. And also let me relive those feelings while watching. Thanks Jeremy!

This was an absolutely beautiful video exploring and absolutely beautiful game. You know, I do think that a part of the point of Signalis is that there IS no clear answer, but you're also right in that part of the joy of it is in uncovering its mysteries, too. In a world that's harsh and uncaring, a lot of people are finding each other and connecting over this genuine piece of art, this expression of emotion, and bringing to the table what they think and feel about it, the references that they got from it--regardless of the original intent. Like Elster says, it doesn't matter. But it's an amazing experience I'm sure not quite ready to leave behind yet, and you brought up some wonderful new thoughts for me to add to my magpie collection of shiny theories about this game. Thank you so, so much for this!

Loved the thought-provoking last portion of your video. As Wordsworth once said, we murder to dissect, and I think it's pretty fitting that a horror game should remind us of that. Like the Replikas populating its narrative, Signalis steadfastly refuses a thorough dissection; no matter how much we turn over things and prod through its remains, the story retains a spirit that lives beyond its component parts. One discovery can quickly lend itself to multiple different interpretations (be it psychological, emotional, ethical or political), and just as we think we've solved the puzzle that is the game, its pareidolic nature bleeds into yet another narrative we can spin around it, and away we go again. rose-engine have created something deeply beautiful with this game and I'm really grateful to have experienced it. A true reminder of why we love stories and how important they are to us as people.

This games story is so ever-changing and open to interpretation, 2/3 through I was expecting it to suddenly turn into a different game

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I tried to find a way to justify an explanation, stitch it together from the clues, but you've managed to finally give me and probably many the confirmation of the, well, "true" ending, that we tried to push away with every step and with every theory we conjured up. It's all a play. It's a painting. It does not have to make absolute sense, it never tried to and it never will, because like in every art piece, it's never real in that it perfectly reflects the picture of reality, but it is real in that it shows the beholder a core aspect of reality. Here being one one hand the story directly of two people, cast out by society and their government for just not fitting the tight groups that were set, beautifully illustrated by the replika models, all with their set purpose and set amount and kind of amenities and recreation to be a working object, a cog in the machine, cast out into the uncaring void of space on a journey destined to end in tragedy, all for a power demonstration for a society and government that sees them for nothing more than numbers. And yet they manage to have an end where both are happy by, and god I hate myself for saying this but in this context it fits, the power of love. By truly becoming one. And then the core, more subtle message, that in a world where nothing seems to make sense, the truth always being just out of reach, there are three things, three truths, three keys like those leading to the secret ending representing the restless and pointless search players like me had for a happy ending: Eternity, Love, and Sacrifice. Again, thank you. I do not know how much longer I would've stayed restless, trying to find that happy and true ending before accepting what was right infront of us the entire time. Also "is our universe a roguelike?" got me, as well as the "going into a restaurant and eating the menu", the part at 22:00, all absolutely amazing analysis and I'm looking forward to more of your content! :]

If nothing else, your description of games, gaming, memorabilia and the meaning they provide us all was one of the best i've ever heard.

Thank you for this video, I couldn't agree more. After being blown away by Signalis, I felt I owed it to myself to try to untangle the plot threads and come up with some kind of definitive explanation. After 2 weeks of repeat playthroughs and lore video binges, I admit defeat. The plot of Signalis is a Penrose triangle, an image with the appearance of solid, sturdy 3D object, but one that on closer examination cannot exist in Euclidian space. After watching your video, I feel that I can finally relax and just appreciate the amazing gift that Rose-Engine gave us.

My current interpretation is that the whole game takes place in Ariane's mind, but not exclusively her memories, her bioresonance allowed her to copy the memories of people she's been close to into her own mind and now all those memories and persona's are becoming totally jumbled and fused. The Elster we play is dead, we're playing a copy of her that exist in Ariane's mind, but also a copy of Lilith too since her memories existed in Elster. The S-23, Falke and Adler, Alina Seo, those are all Elsters memories since we know an Elster unit was secretly deployed under Adler's command right around the same time Falke got sick, Rotfront being Ariane's memories, Isa being such a significant character because she was both a friend of Ariane and the sister of Lilith. Effectively a version of them all live inside Ariane's mind because she could read and in a way absorb their minds thanks to her powers, and now slowly warping and twisting together until the lines between persona's become blurred. Elster is effectively just Ariane trying to use her powers to commit suicide.

Ever since first playing the game, I've been trying to understand it, to tie it up into a package that I can finally appreciate in its entirety, a Gestalt. Most other pieces of media are easy to comprehend in their literal whole, but in the case of Signalis, it has been futile. It has stumped me like no other piece of media could. Watching countless video essays on the game to the point their collective runtime rival my own playtime, just trying to absorb as much about it so I can prolong the feelings this game made me feel. And feel I did, real feelings I couldn't easily process. It truly is a fractal of feelings and concepts that cannot be contained and digested in its entirety, never being able to perfectly incapsulate everything it has to offer. Constantly I fear that someday I will just forget about this experience if I cannot fully process and internalize it, and that saddens me greatly. I yearn to be able to experience this sensation forever, to look back on it and be able to call back my feelings and thoughts. Though, I have realized that this process simply trivializes the message and themes of the source material. I fear replaying the game more than I already have, watching more essays repeating the same themes, lest I devalue the experience that I want to preserve. You have managed to put into words the exact feelings I have regarding the game, trying to contain it within the bounds of my mind. Out of every essay I've watched, you were the only one to point this out. I have to admit that the 5 minute section in which you've explained this very concept we're... cathartic. And with Nocturne creeping in the background too... touché, you've made a man tear up for the first time in years. I know it might not mean much, but there are few things I consider Like-worthy on KZread. And your video earned my Like solely on the basis of this observation alone. Bravo!

Excellent video Jeremy! Really hoping for more video essays by you in the future! I resonated very much with the topic of prolonging the feeling good art gives a person and trying to capture it in many forms post playing.

The delivery of your thesis statement towards the end of the video honestly gave me chills. I'm going to have to check this out.

There’s yours answer. How did she get well enough to dance? The artifact. She’s manipulating her own body with her new more powerful psychic abilities. She’s controlling herself like a puppet now. Hell the body might even have died by now, and the psychic being is now outside the body and using the body as a medium almost like possession to stay with Elster.

Awesome video ! Jeremy's passion during GOTY got me to play through the game. I got a bit frustrated with the puzzles and ended up consulting a guide, but I deeply enjoyed being confused by the game's narrative. I waited to watch the video, in order to finish the game first and I don't regret it. I just love any piece of art that accepts the fact that the strongest thing you'll get out of it is your own interpretation. It must take a lot of maturity to create such a piece, when you spend so much time creating a piece, it must be hard to let go of the fact that the creator can let people make what they make of it. This channel and this crew is awesome, from the dumb to the deep, you have it all

I had no clue about what was giong on after I finished Signalis... I'm at ease, knowing this might be intended. 😁

SIDENOTE: I use truths to describe the unchanging facts and inescapable fate of all people and things in the universe- suffering/death and that we are not sure of anything(mostly just meaning there could just be a lack of meaning in everything we do). Sorry for commenting back so late AND JESUS SORRY FOR MY WHOLE SYNOPSIS BUT I STARTED TYPING AND COULDNT STOP but I Just finished the game recently and god damn. The sheer feeling this game gives me IMO is from how you can apply it to the IRL human experience. I feel like unfathomable sadness felt in this story is just a universal truth in and of itself- we are conscious beings looking for direction in a place that offers nothing so kind- and we have no choice in the matter either. Existentialism if you will. The human mind is not supposed to exist in a world that lets people relive moments endlessly. We can try and make meaning for things but what will they matter if everything is going to loop again according to the rules in Signalis' world? I think its an interesting question to ask really because how are we supposed to know? I believe the endings give us the possible answers to these questions from the truths of the cruel, cruel universe. In the leave ending you can't fulfill your promise and give up on your purpose hoping to change something. In another you die next to your lover after she forgets who you are. In one, you completely give up, in another, you keep pushing no matter the hardships however, you still fail at your goal. In the "best ending" it shows the two of you, (Ariane and LSTR) dying together again, not failing in your goal, but tragic nonetheless. No matter what ending you get there is no stopping the sad fate that LSTR or Ariane are in for and I think that is Signalis' impactful yet seemingly unstoppable message. No matter what, the search for meaning in an indefinite universe is a futile one and unfathomable sadness is what waits at the end of every story. An incredibly somber and upsetting (not in an ugh this shit sucks but like ow that hurt my feelings kind of way) story, yet I feel no-one can truly deny the truth which makes it all the more personal. A story about the unchanging cruelty behind truths that we find around us- yet pushing on through nonetheless even if suffering is inevitable because as conscious organisms, meaning is engraved into what we are. Its better to suffer with a purpose than without, wouldn't you say? I feel as though the message behind the message this game tries to convey is one of how your own reality and your own thoughts shape your personal "meaning" and that this "meaning" is the very thing that can destroy you as a person. This game ending is an option with only two outcomes, suffer while reaching your meaning, or suffer and never truly feel as you completed everything you needed to do. An interesting juxtaposition, the meaning which keeps you going being the very thing that destroys you and everything you love and therefore ending the cycle. I think that this is how the story conveys such a familiar yet sinister and evil feeling throughout it. You don't need to understand everything that happens in the story to come to this because the conclusion of the story is what you make of it. This is how Signalis portrays the feelings that it does into the player. As far as I'm concerned, your own unique conclusions are what this game wanted to tease out in the first place. Getting to see how the story resonated with other people and what they got out of it in the comments of videos such as this one really motivated me to find something of my own within this game. This is how Signalis really shows just how it can affect the player and how much the differences in the player can effect it and the messages that are conveyed through it. I know this is only my take and there are so many out there with their own interpretations of what the story could mean but I feel confident in putting mine out there and others should too! It would be sick hearing people's interpretations now that there is so much information about the story and other opinions in forms of videos like these. Keep pushing to find meaning in a place that might only hold suffering for us either way, we can do all we can to keep trying even if everything is against us!

I leaned back in my chair after finishing this video and actually said, out loud, to nobody in particular: "What a fantastic fucking essay." What a fantastic fucking essay! I'm spiraling down the post-traumatic video essay funnel, having finished my playthrough of SIGNALIS only two days ago, so I'll admit I was primed to love this video. But still... this was a really wonderful analysis, and I especially appreciate your point that our little human connections, our moments of love and joy, are kind of... cavities in the interstellar sea, little pockets of human meaning and beauty that will die, that are doomed, and that are therefore beautiful and meaningful. Thanks for making this. You caught a new fan.

To paraphrase Ursula K. Le Guin, on the purpose of fiction: It is the role of the artist to communicate what cannot be said in words. It is the role of the novelist to do this, in words. To paraphrase Zdzisław Beksiński, on leaving his works unnamed: If I had something to *say*, I would have written it down, and would not have needed so much paint.

I didn't expect such an incredible, poignant video essay on signalis from Noclip Crew! Fantastic work. This and Eurothug's videos are aboslutely incredible and have really helped me arrange my own thoughts on this awesome awesome game.

Significant, true platitudes are something I'm hopeful will last in my mind but often will not.

Great video! I also scoured the internet looking for answers for this game. I eventually gave up after hearing one of the developers talk about the "true ending". I don't have the exact quote, it was from a tweet at some point, but they said something like "There isn't really a true answer to Signalis, the story is deliberately open-ended so fans can come to their own conclusions". I usually see this as a storytelling cop-out to avoid finishing a script, but Signalis pulls it off very well since it's entire theme and message revolves around that philosophy. Amazing game.

jeremy, this is beautiful. i can hear the passion dripping out of every line. thank you so much for making this 😻😿

perfect. this video hits what Signalis is truly about, while expertly slipping in specifics of all the best easter eggs and symbolism too. you did what other hour-long videos have failed to do!

Maybe Signalis was the real The King In Yellow play all along. It clearly did make an impact on your sanity.

It's been a while since I played Signalis, but this video brought back so much of what was special about it. At a time when so many horror games traffic in very surface level homage to the same references, it was so amazing to see something so distinctive and so thoughtful with its own referencing.

oh boy, a new way for signalis to get me all emotional

"Like going to a restaurant and trying to eat the menu." I'll never forget that phrase - so profound.

Thanks for bringing this to my wishlist’s attention

17:46 me unironically saying "yas queen" throughout as I listened. This is what I truly believe.

This is probably the best "lore analysis" video I've ever seen. Very good work.

Still--what a fantastic video you made for Signalus! ... Wow, this video made me go back and think upon the frustration and outright righteous indignation I so felt and exclaimed against the computer screen at the disaster that is me going into IXION expecting to play a suspenseful survival City Builder where I gotta make tough choices in order to pull everyone out of the potentially ongoing Humanitarian Disaster that is surviving on a Spaceship, only to be given the most frustrating experience I have ever gone through by a cryptic plot that severely restricts my choices to [How did this happen?!?!?!??!?!], [Are we not professionals!?!??!?!], [I feel like this should be an option for me!], [Is me asking for a second opinion not allowed?!??!?!], [Is--is there a spy?!??!], and so much more from the complete and udder nonsense that was transpiring in that game's supposedly super serious plot--so much so I felt the need to spend 18 hours going through the science tree and transcribing the lore bits into a easily readable and filterable computer document, just so I can join the conversation in Figuring out what shenanigary ended up suffering through. ...And after reflection, whether or not my emotions decay into indifference, may my indignation for how Ixion's story played out for me remain intense. "I did not, JUST, go through all that."

Just finished this game yesterday and have been so hungry for more lore and analysis, this has been one of the best by far! Great stuff man!

Oh hell yes, been waiting for this.

@gunstar420

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Same, but I was gonna say oh fuck yes

@TheCrawl

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@@gunstar420 in hindsight, yours is a more appropriate exclamation of my excitement

the game combines existential horror, oppression of regime dread, cosmic horror, consciousness simulation horror, isolation and hopelessness into a love story. k.....

Thanks for the deep dive Jeremy. I have a feeling you'd like Returnal as well.

Dude been waiting for this since you mentioned it on the podcast, so stoked for the insurmountable task you have put upon yourself Jeremy :)

I'm surprised you didn't notice The Shining's floor carpet pattern in (almost) every save room.

While I was playing the game the past two days the feeling I got the most was that I didn't do enough drugs when I was young to even begin to understand what was happening.

Has anyone seen a step ladder? A STAR took our step ladder from the library and i can't reach the books on the top shelves.

This video is like a lovecraftian journal of a man falling into madness. *chefs kiss*

13:07 imo that could also be a parallel to the Replika program, creating imitations once living humans and all

I think that this video is what I needed too see it perfectly captured the journey i went on especially while trying too understand the artifact ending the key of eternity say “it allways ends in heartbreak” yet when I saw the ending of them dancing I felt happy as if I allowed them too be together again then when I saw the key I tryed to figure out what was wrong with the ending, what was the cause of the heartbreak. Then I found contradictions like how the flower is a representation of their love being used…. Blah blah blah it finally clicked “why are you still searching for awnsers where there are only questions this always ends In heartbreak” it’s not talking about the story of Elster and Arian it’s talking about me trying too find meaning and explanations too what’s happening even when every time I try it ends in heartbreak, with me only having more questions signal is is not about what litteraly happens it’s about what you feel the emotional truth

Playing this game felt like trying to find something that doesn't exist. ( in a good way )

Signalis is a ring. I'll be satisfied when I learn what opened that loop and enfolded subject and object, atom and world, into a singularity. You can see Signalis and an externalization of the mind, like Silent Hill 2, but it could just as well serve as an internalization of the external world. The term _seele_ is thrown about Jungian psychology and psychoanalysis in general, but you only get an ideal of the totality of what it really means when you consider the juxtaposition of materialism and idealism. Materialism is the philosophical stance that the world is made of matter, and yet we only ever encounter this substance as a shadow; a representation as in Schopenhauer's _World as Will and Representation.- So the world could be an ideal and we would be too close to it, to much involved and a part of the stream of event, to ever know. So the _seele_ (German pronounces it the way we would say zay-le similar to how v is pronounced as f) which Jung used to mean psyche, is as much the stuff of the world as the mind. Spirit and matter are one. This is how these events across vast gulfs of space can seem so person, so synchronous, with who unit-512 is. This enfolding loop seems to be the gate that Falke gazed into; a calamity of bio-resonance brought about by the sixth and final generation of replikas. What is not clear is how she and unit 512 became one, what the gate is, whether or not it was really found under Sirpenski, etc.

Beautiful video, thank you for covering Signalis. I'd love to read/watch/listen to your thoughts on SOMA if you're wanting to continue along this theme of existential dread.

I enjoy the interprotation of the red eye being analogous to the players, the act of playing the game over multiple playthroughs by mulitple people forcing all the characters to repeat the tragic cycle and endure more suffering.

"Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice[,] And things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl." - Lovecraft’s The Festival (short story; w. 1923 p. 1925 [Weird Tales, January 1925]). That is tale about worms that eat witches corpses and started to animate those corpses and relive lives and rituals of those witches. Take that as you will.

I really liked digging deep in the world of Signalis. Struggling through enemies and puzzles, finally reaching a loved one to keep your promise. Part of wanting to analyze and understand a game like Signalis probably comes from lasting impressions. Every now and then stories and gameplay just don't leave you alone. You want more, you don't want it do end but the game is over. You don't get more out of the game and that's when many people search for ways to juice it even more. Both over-analyzing stories/art and creating special challenges (e.g. no-hit) fall in this scheme. Good video.

I've been putting off watching this since it dropped. Thanks for your time and effort. I'm really surprised at the turn this video took, as I don't really think this game could be "got." I ran down many of the same alley's that you described herein, such as the other medias that this game references-- And different ideas and symbols that it conveys, and they all just lead to a lapse in memory. I almost get my finger on it, and it slips away-- Much like a figurative yet also the literal concept of "Gestaltzerfall," (that one of the chapters is so-named) I could try to explain it here, but I yield to anyone who is curious: research online. (Edit: I just finished the part where you sorta touched on that.) It's like it is packed with as much meaning as possible. And it's all important. But you can't hold it all in your head. You just have to feel it. It's really an incredible thing.

another fantastic signalis video! I will consume it all you cant stop me!

ever since I heard this game from a reviewer (i think it was shillup) it's been on my short list. looks awesome and seems awesome. I'll try to move it up the list and not let it fall on the pile of shame

a truly affecting love story, interwoven perfectly with an intertextual ouroboros of postmodern dream-logic. what an incredible balancing act. what an unbelievable piece of art.

Oh man, knowing tiniest bit about German history and art makes this hit so much harder. Not that it needed to. What a game. RE: Red eye - literally the color of Ariane's eyes. No real need to invent a demon god to explain it, just her presence in her own dream...

Brilliant video. Well done!

More of these, please Jeremy!

this is exactly the signalis video I needed, thank you

Thank you. This spoke to me.

That was beautiful. I love how art begets art.

the game's emotional transmission vibe strongly reminds me of some Skinny Puppy songs with their stream of consciousness type of lyrics which seem unrelated but translate a strong emotion or concept like the cruelty of society and deterioration of nature because of industry,

This is honestly the exact conclusion I came to after two playthroughs of signalis and extensive theory crafting on discord. There is some differences, my reading was "the game is more a commentary on people trying to get meaning out of something where there is nothing, it isn't supposed to make sense, there is no perfect answer, the only answer there is is the one that you deem to be correct" I didn't think about the whole idea of the game being a literal manifestation of The King in Yellow as a play until about a third of the way through this video and before you posed the question but both of these things are very much cut from the same cloth, just slightly different interpretations. Still, really cool to see I wasn't the only one who eventually settled on the idea of "The point of the mystery of signalis is that there is no answer"

to be honest. i do think there is a pin point to it all. but everyone is just so stretched out and have their own interpretations and little tad bits of info, thats its basically caused an info overload. It would take a wile to pull everything out and around to place infront in basic words of what is going on. every clue, synonym between english and german, reference, play on words, and the ONE thing iv yet anyone to really bring up... that as part of the game, youre watching everything on a monitor.

I would love more videos like this, great watch

I’m here for this!!!

Sheesh this game was good. Such a steal at $20. I hope the devs go on to make even more masterpieces!

The pondering between literal and metaphorical truths mirrors much of my own experience with spirituality, meditation, mental illness, researching maths, quantum physics and cosmology, neurodivergence, and more... You know in the Hindu traditions they tend to say something along the lines that we indeed live in the "Dream of the Brahma." And there are a lot of people nowadays who theorize we are all in a simulation or at least perhaps some sort of holographic or subjective universe. All that said... Thank you for acknowleding the importance of cutting through the logical machinery... and embracing the feelings and experience mattering so much.

Best Signalis analysis video ive seen.

It's hard to express just how much I appreciate this video; Signalis means a *lot* to me but moreover I think it's unbelievably important that this message about our approach to art is shared and repeated in especially the games and anime space - a consumptive approach to art robs us of the feelings and connection it evokes in us in the first place. The need to itemise and understand every facet of a fictional world at the expense of an emotional, non-literal approach to something that *isn't real* can be so limiting. Signalis is a perfect demonstration of what matters most in art.

I don't know how else to put it. The thing about the fear of the unknown is that you're not supposed to understand it but sometimes I feel as though leaning into it too heavily can invoke apathy, nihilism. Grounding those unknown elements down with the more human moments, ones that I can understand is how I was kept engaged, on top of the mystery. And I'm glad I watched this video cause I missed a lot apparently.

@mdd4296

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The problem with so many supernatural/cosmic horror works are they are more concerned with the genre's convention than creating a based human connection. Something signalis done with flying colour. And it didnt just do it by simply telling you like a low budget rpg. It did it by abusing you first, made you remember with a fake ending leading into the only happy part of the game before taking that away, making you really understand the emotional weight behind elster's action.

Thank you for making another great video about indie games!

I've not played this game but having spent many hours pouring over lore etc of other games/media I really related to your bit about figurines and wanting to hold onto moments. 🤗

the Japanese word for "lily" is sometimes used as slang for "lesbian". just another layer to the connection and why it was locked away in the safe