The Signifier
Published by Raw Fury
Developed by Playmestudio
A deceased executive from a high technology company. A future in which it is possible to download the human mind and record memories. A death that seems more like murder than suicide. And there’s only one person for the job: You. Welcome to the start of The Signifier, a new psychological thriller game by Playmestudio. You are a scientist that has been working on a technology that allows you to dive into the recorded memories of people and investigate the mind. What appears to be a simple view into a suicide turns into a much deeper mystery.
The game works in three modes: the real world, the subject’s objective view and subjective view. The difference in what you experience and see are truly quite different at times. You have people and places that you can interview and interact with in the real world to get a perspective and clues as to the movements and actions of people. There are locations that come up throughout your journey as well as your lab and your home. Then there is the world of the mind which gets to be a more interesting situation.
When you delve into the mind, you see things from two definite, different perspectives. The first is the Objective State, which is the views of the real world through their eyes and memories. You see things that are there, what was there, and what may be present. The technology that you use isn’t perfected so some things, like glass, has a different texture. In the Subjective State, you see things that are much, much more intense. You see things from the mental perspective of the subject and see things much differently. The past can be seen permeating through different memories and affecting their visualization. Emotions, personality and psychology can also affect how the Subjective State is viewed as well. Parts of the mind will try to obscure, deflect or downright block your attempts at further intrusion. The ways that you get around those safeguards are what makes it challenging.
The overall state of the game is bizarre psychological noir. From the footsteps of the real world to the overwhelming reality of the subjective mind, The Signifier brings you into a world of intrigue and mystery. The visuals have a feel that is both alien and dizzying however the real draw into this world is the audio. Within every area there are little things that you may miss if you aren’t listening. Wearing my 7.1 surround sound headphones through the gameplay pulled me in further and deepened the suspense. The puzzles do have a complexity that can be maddening at times but overall the mystery is pushed forward via the gameplay. All in all, The Signifier was a pretty good title for a futuristic mystery and well worth the time.
Rating: 8.0 of 10