If each version of Elster (Lilith, LSTR-2301, LSTR-512) is associated with one of each of the three main endings, I think you can further associate them with the keys used to access the Artifact ending, which further supports your theory that the Artifact ending is the culmination of every Elster working together. SACRIFICE: Lilith Itou is related to Isa Itou, who is shown dripping blood onto the Artifact symbol paired with the word "Sacrifice". The key is found in the Itous' bookstore. The description of the Key of Sacrifice is Lilith's memory of a bomb dropping on Vineta, and the Leave ending shows Elster collapsing in Vinetan waters. ETERNITY: LSTR-2301 is trapped in the dream loop, repeating her journey countless times, each time ending in the "heartbreak" as described by the Key of Eternity. The Memory ending shows that LSTR-2301 loves Ariane, but Ariane doesn't love her back. LOVE: LSTR-512 is the version of Elster that Ariane loves. The Key of Love gives us Ariane's memories of LSTR-512. The Promise ending shows the two lovers reuniting. This also seems to solidify whether or not Promise ends the loop. (I had previously thought it to be intentionally ambiguous.) LSTR-2301 has fully become LSTR-512, escaping Eternity. The 5 keycard door also associates the symbol of Love with the Bagua trigram of Heaven, possibly indicating that Ariane and Elster have escaped Hell. The three different people contained within Elster also corresponds with the three nesting dolls from Nowhere. The puzzle with the nesting dolls also gives you the Plate of Balance, which has a triangle symbol. Not sure if this tells us anything new - might just be Bioresonance creating coincidences. Now I'm going to start seeing threes everywhere instead of sixes! (I did not re-watch the first video, so I apologize if I am treading old ground. It's been a hot minute.)
WOW these are amazing observations! I was trying to figure out the deeper significance of the 3 keys, and this is absolutely it. Also the detail of the three nesting dolls leading to Balance is 🤯These details add a lot more weight to the theories I discuss in this video, Imma pin this comment so everyone else can see it!
I was very disappointed to read the description of nesting dolls after assembling them. I was so sure that the doll is a metaphor of Elster going through Serpinsky, Nowhere and Rotfront and becoming whole in the process, because the middle doll was blood red like flesh and because of triangle patterns on the bottom, like Serpinski's emblem. It also looked kinda like an astronaut, and I thought - oh, this is a 512 unit! Then I inspect the doll and it says that this is a model of a Mynah unit T___T I was like - so it is a MNHR simple because it is HEAVY?! That's why it helps you to get the Balance tile?! However, I think this can be a little joke, like a message - looking for hidden signs, player? I think you can feel the same when finding a Kohlibri drawing :D And I still think that the doll has a meaning despite this joke; and I very much love your interpretation, @RevCosmosisV2, it's beautiful!
@@indiexplorergames TBH I think artifact ending is just "what Elster wants" and the other 3 are "what Ariane guilds Elster to do" so artifact ending is just that some of the Elsters during the cycle decided to do and achieve. As you can see when they dance, Ariane is a ghost but Elster is using her original "dead body", still inside the broken ship, Elster knows what is happening, but at the same time she still just wants that moment to last forever. The 3 keys descriptions, like @RevCosmosisV2 said, is the combined personalities within Elster working together to find another way for Elster's own desire. Killing Ariane is the last thing Elster wants to do because the Lilith within already suffered losing her lover once. The 2301 within her knows theres "only heartbreak in the end". Part of them, very understandably, doesnt want that. They never face off with Falke and just find another way to do fulfill their desires. Thats why the eye is still watching, thats why it still shows "remember our promise" because it doesnt end the cycles. But for those Elsters, they get what they want. Elster becomes the "god" in those cycles, she breaks out of her chains but she is only able to do just that. The eye is still watching. The mystery of this god is complete, as she announced it to her servants, the prophets. "She" is still announcing her signal to her prophets. Leave ending is Lilith dominating, Memory is 2301 dominating, and Promise is 512 dominating. Artifact ending is all 3 of them present within Elster.
For me the matryoshka doll that you use to gain the balance key looked like a mynah replika (black outer im not smart enough to figure out for what reason thats a thing, simply an observation. :D
I love how the very end of your analysis is also a good description for the game's fandom: We are just coping so hard that our space lesbians can be happy.
Also a fun fact a friend told me on Discord: Both Itou sisters perished, probably during military service. We're shown this through their military portraits in the book shop, which each feature a black ribbon in the corner. This mirrors a real-world Japanese funerary tradition which likely originated during the devastating wars of the Meiji era. Soldiers would prepare a portrait (‘iei’) before deployment. If they died, mourners would wear a black or white ribbon (‘moshou’) until the funeral, at which point it was draped over the portrait as a farewell gesture. The ribbon could then remain on the portrait, serving as both a memorial and reminder to others to be tactful when discussing the deceased. With her only real friends in the world gone forever, this is probably the last straw that finally push her to join the Penrose programme, having nothing to lose anymore. Pretty heartbreaking stuffs.
I mean shit, she still got her mum. I think that she joined the program with the promise of finding/achieving greatness to support her mum and to get away from the bullshit. But unbeknownst to her, that program was nothing more than a glorified suicide parade, which funnily enough, punished the Nation with the fall of S-23.
i'd love to watch more analysis videos on signalis from different people but every time i put something on i go "this isn't as well researched as the double dream theory, why am i wasting time on this" and turn it off. you analysed so hard you analysed it out of the park. the signalysis of all time
BRO WAKE UP PART 2 OF THE SIGNALIS LORE JUST DROPPED I watched the first video a hundred times and loved the way you broke down the story. Pls keep making great content!
Not many peoples do what you did, coming back to older video to update/correct them, it show that you are true to yourself and that you respect the game and the fans. May the YT Algorithm be with you
Its weird to think that a video that popped up in the corner of my recommended would have such an impact on my way of thinking about stories; its themes, meanings, connections and what truly makes a great story worthy of being called a masterpiece. I am so glad to see the final conclusion of this breakdown. As you stated, this story is an experience and should be played by as many people as possible. And to say that this video and your previous one are an experience is an understatement. I am so glad to have witness your video when it had around 20k views to then blow up to were it is today. Amazing video as always and I can't wait for more videos from you indie! Know that in my eyes, you created something as unique and engaging as the work that is it based on!
It is inspiring to see the effort you put into signalis, your first video was already peak, I loved it, and now, one year later, you decided to revisit this videogame, only to refine your (and my) understanding of it.
Bro you dropped this just in time for me to finish the game twice and I want to believe that the artifact ending is a happy ending because goddammit there has to be at least one
You really managed to explain one of the most convoluted and confusing stories ever told in video games in less than 5 minutes at the end... Cheers and thank you! This is the closure I needed after finishing the game
I don't regularly comment on videos; however I wanted to extend gratitude for your insight into the tragic triad of Elster, Ariane and Falke. This is a piece of media that really demands a lot more of your attention and willingness to dig into it; even if the narrative, symbolic implication of gestaltzerfall advises otherwise. For a game that wears its influence proudly on its sleeve, Signalis is able to forge its own story by platforming its inspirations to create something altogether new. Something beautiful, yet melancholic. I had written a personal review of the game omitting my thoughts on the story as my understanding of it was somewhat hazy at best, though I would say with confidence that, in no small part thanks to your presentation of the information at-hand, it has catalyzed a metamorphosis of my appreciation of Signalis. I can't imagine how long you spent working on these breakdowns, but it was well worth your time. As a personal note or question, as you mentioned that the narrative influence from Robert Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft, do you think the Silent Hill influence should be factored into the understanding of Signalis [particularly Isa's connection to Lisa from SH,] as well as the existence of Nowhere? Or are they simply references and nothing more?
Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that 😊 Regarding Silent Hill, I would say there probably is another layer of understanding to be had in analyzing its many influences on Signalis. The reason I didn't cover them here is that, well, I've never actually played a Silent Hill game, and didn't want to just relay superficial secondhand information about them - similar situation with the Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, and other contemporary references. Especially when plenty of other creators have already made analyses that go deeper into those inspirations, it felt like my time was better spent digging into elements more explicitly shown/used in the game.
@@indiexplorergames I'd say it's best you hadn't been familiar with those other influences beforehand as it allowed you to view Signalis on its own and without those other perspectives to cloud or shift your interpretation. That said, I highly suggest you play through Silent Hill 1 & 2. First, for that expanded perspective on Signalis (without that tainted preempt), second, to experience two other games that can give you a similar experience as you had with this, and third, they're just damned good games. I also suggest you check out Max Derrat. He's got some great analyses on a variety of games but mostly touches on the profundity one can find games. I'd even say you two kind of have some things in common. One thing I'll say (just 'cause I'm already here writing a comment), I noticed a lot of people say there aren't any "good" endings in this game but I always thought the Promise ending WAS the good ending. Elster succeeds in keeping the promise, they die together, the cycle stops, they were doomed from the beginning, there was no going back and they still had their happy moment together. It's like a couple growing old together. Just 'cause dying was inevitable doesn't mean the life was meaningless.
When i first played the game fully I felt really sad with the promise ending but i realized it was the best one. Not only does the promise get fulfilled but ariane and elster lie together achieving what they both wanted their promise.
unsure if you’re still reading the comments for this, but my entire view on the game and it’s endings completely changed after stumbling across a steam guide for the game called “Significance of the Empress’ hand” It’s a massive post that goes in depth about the Empress hand puzzle found in ‘NOWHERE’ and how the 4 fingers all reference the 4 different endings. the theory also supports that “all endings actually do happen” and uses the Empress’ puzzle to lay out the order of each ending. The author then proposes both possibilities of either the point where the cycle would finally break, or if it would even break at all. it’s genuinely a very interesting view that i strongly suggest you or anyone else seeing this go check out.
Just finished reading the post, thanks for the recommendation! An interesting theory for sure. I had a feeling the empress's inclusion was more important than I gave it credit for, and linking each finger/ring to an ending makes a whole lot of sense to me! Many of the finer details here run pretty speculative, but then again, so do my videos lol, so I'd say it's as good an interpretation as any 😃
@@indiexplorergames hahah tbf though, i think that’s what makes this game so interesting, how there’s a million explanations and perspectives and they’re all equally as valid. just figured i’d share that post here since the Empress is never really talked about by anyone outside the post.
@@smuggen Yeah absolutely! Crazy how something overlooked by nearly everyone could actually be so fundamental to understanding the story. Signalis is really something special, and I love seeing all these different approaches to it!
I think you hit the nail on the head with each "normal" ending being related to the three distinct at yet connected characters of Lilith Itou, LSTR-S2301, and LSTR-512. I do however continue to think that Promise is not an ending that results in the loop breaking, and I'll try to explain my reasoning for believing as such. The game sets a precedence that some pairs of people are connected to each other, who are then separated due to circumstances, and when reunion of the two becomes impossible, it is foreshadowed by the member of the pair who is seeking the other out losing their right eye. IIRC your first analysis pointed out the connection between Alina and Lilith's regiment and the snapshot of Lilith leaving a pot of white lilies on (most likely) Alina's gravestone. The last picture we see of them together, Lilith has already lost her right eye. The same is true for Adler and Falke. While the LSTR we play as does eventually see Falke wake up from her dream, from the moment Adler loses his right eye to Isolde, he never sees Falke wake ever again. Isolde herself loses her right eye shortly before realising the truth and disintegrating. Lastly, we're left with LSTR and Ariane. In all three of the normal endings, right before LSTR can cross the gate, Adler stabs LSTR in the right eye, marking her with the same symbol as him, meaning Elster can never be truly reunited with Ariane again. You may have noticed that I have avoided using "Elster" until just now, and that is because I used to believe that the reason Promise does not break the loop is because, whether you believe the promise is simply a vow to end Ariane's suffering or if it has a more abstract meaning like not leaving each other behind, is still not fulfilled. We are told that the process used in replika neural blueprint transfer is imperfect, and even if Ariane's bioresonance is incredibly potent, this principle still applies. Even if LSTR-S2301 gains Falke's share of Elster's memories, she is still not the LSTR Ariane fell in love with. Ariane made a promise with Elster, and only Elster can fulfill the promise. Artifact is the only ending in which LSTR does not lose her eye, and most importantly, doesn't even fight Falke for her share of Elster's thoughts and memories, because she knows how to break from the cycle thanks to Elsters guidance (the fsk ID (AKA caller ID) for the SSTV signals are all labeled LSTR-512), and it is not through trying to become what she cannot be. There is a lot I'm leaving out for the sake of brevity, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this take, since your original video and the double dream theory is what got me into Signalis lore analysis in the first place, though the need for cope so that these two could at least be happy in some way didn't hurt either!
I think that's an equally valid interpretation, for sure! The detail of each SSTV signal being marked with 512's signature is certainly notable; I like the idea of 512 "guiding" S2301 to achieve the Artifact Ending as the best outcome.
I discovered Signalis recently and loved it. I played through it twice, and even though I got the same ending both times (Memory), it still got stuck in my head. With the very little I managed to piece together with my playthroughs, I still found an extremely beautiful, devastating, and human story. I needed to know more though, and your breakdowns were exactly what I needed. They corrected some of my assumptions, connected things I had missed, and filled in the rest. Both videos have given me a profound appreciation for this game and the story. Absolutely incredible work. Both the game and your videos. Thank you so much
I was actually super happy to realize that you put out a part two to your first video! I love to put the first part in the background as I do other things as your voice and explanation of the wild maelstrom of stuff that is Signalis is soothing and interesting at the same time. While there were mistakes, I still am grateful for these videos as they give a good timeline to follow to make the timeline of events and meanings a solid foundation. Thank you for your contributions!
There's an extremely important detail I didn't saw on both of your videos. One of the notes from Ariane's diary while on the Perose ship has a date about 700 years after the Penrose left Rotfront. This is absolutely impossible under normal circumstances but not for the Bio-Resonant nature of Ariane I've seen she may be able to distort space-time itself making possible all the events in the game. After Elster stopped functioning (or died whatever) Ariane was on the cryogenic chamber, she woke up to find the ship on a terrible shape, Elster was dead and for some reason she just couldn't do anything (this is stated on one of her notes), After that she returns to the cryogenic chamber to mitigate her pain or so she thought... 700 years has lasted her dream in that cryogenic chamber but how? the Penrose should be absolutely non functional if only 15 years later the reactor was failing critically. Well her Bio-resonance kept it working for 700 hundred years, or she distorted space-time causing her to be trapped in a non time passing state, a never ending suffering state... and here is where everything has more sense. Every Replica can be matched with some of the characters depicted on the pictures, 700 years Ariane Yeong time is absolutely possible. Ariane met this people when they were human but now 700 years after these people were used to create the replicas and have been in service for hundreds of years... As you said Adler was the most unlikely but remember the picture was taken after the events that oblitareted their unit, the "Falling Star Event", the unit which Alina Seo and Lilith were a part of. Most interesting possibility here is: Falke was based on a resonant pattern, and the individual used as the source to create this replica pattern is "vanished". Ariane Yeong was Bio-resonant a very special person and a target after she was tested by the spy Doctor (he didn't escaped as we know). Ariane Yeong was in a manner of speaking vanished sent on the suicidal mission on the Penrose Project but before that she was tested to be accepted on the Penrose program, during those tests her pattern was taken. My guess is that Ariane Yeong was used to create FALKE and that's why she resonates that much with her. FALKE experiences persona degradation when she entered in contact with Ariane's Signal, this signal brought her Gestalt memories and that made her realize "I am her, she is me", the dreamer and the god are one and the same, FALKE is the dreamer and Ariane the god but it makes no difference. It's just like Lilith and LSTR. Colibris are also probably based on Ariane Yeong pattern
I did not to say it under 1st video, but I have to do it here. Your production quality is outstanding! Sound of part transitions (that mix of boot sequence and elevator sounds), despite me hearing it for dozens of times, still gives me chills. Thank you for your hard work and research! You deserve much, much more subs.
Your part 1 video is one of my favorites, I watched it several times. So this part 2 is a welcome addition. I didnt even know about the patches and their changes.
Thank you! Thank you so much for this and the previous video. It is often said that media "explainers" or similar are hampering creativity. But your video is the opposite. It ignites and incites discussion. Heartfelt discussion and makes you think. Signalis is like an eternally deep sea of ungraspable meaning. One that has parts you try to hold, and parts that will always slip away, that appear on the edge of your vision and won't allow you to fully look at them. The game has given us so much. A horror both psychological, and most important to me, emotional. Moving past Silent Hill 3 as the game that is the most special to me. Your video aided so much in this, and makes me and a friend continue to lose ourselves in this sea. This sea of emotion and meaning. I understand the Subreddit's desire to escape the bleakness of it all, the existential fear at its core. But in the end we cannot let go of the game. And so often the desire to return to its pain and meaning returns. Thank you. Your video does the same, allows us to dive back in, take some meaning from it, some clarity, and experience so much of it again, sometimes differently. And in the end, I am left with a feeling of deep tranquillity that makes me feel so alive. Thank you so much
Just a one minor issue I found with your first video that otherwise holds up very well. The “red eye outline” you use to state that the Penrose at the end of the game is real (witch admittedly is not that far fetched of an idea) is a very common visual technique in game graphics that combines film grain and a vignette the “red eye” can even be toggled on and off in the menu via the film grain setting
Yeah, I did notice that! However, considering the fact that the base background layer is dark red (not black), and how well this "red eye" layer fits the game thematically, I'm inclined to think the effect was still very much intentional by the developers. I'd certainly be interested to know if they ever confirm or deny this though.
I've also seen speculation that it's an outline used for the red effect when Elster has low HP. That said the Chinese community did some pretty deep digging some time ago and they seem to agree with the eye theory, altho it appears and vanishes are seemingly random points in the game.
@@indiexplorergamesI initially followed this logic especially with the apparent “red eye” disappearing on the original Penrose at the end of the game. But the little detail of it only being partially removed from the screen made me think it was a glitch with promted me to go to the final penrose “trip” and test it by turning up the brightness to max now in full honesty my results may have been off but I did see the “red eye “ outline on the final Penrose
I watched the first part of this analysis almost a month after it came out, and I remember I felt like my brain kinda vomited ice and snow. I just loved it. Now, after all the corrections made to the game, this second part is but a second love letter to one of my favorite horror games. Yours is the most complete line of study within Signalis. Thanks a lot.
I was just watching your first video again for the 9,000 time, completely huffed up on the copium reserves we all collectively pass around within this community, yet I failed to notice this video until now. And yet again you hit it right in the feels, I can't get over your interpretations and explanations. Thank you, for everything.
Thank you so much for these two videos. I feel like after playing the game 2/3 times and reading everything I had an 80% understanding, but the last 20% seemed so difficult to wrap my head around. With these videos I think I pretty much understand what's happening in the game now.. Sort of?
Just wanted to say thanks for putting these videos up. I just finished Signalis the other day and I could tell that a lot of the nuance went way over my head.
You are a Signalis legend my friend, incredible breakdown and analysis (especially for catching new stuff/changes added and of course correcting your mistakes is another gigachad move) After watching your first video, everything made connections for me except for the 2 LSTRs part. I was confused with where this second LSTR has come from. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to that topic or was overthinking it, even though I've watched that vid more than once throughout some decent chunk of time, every time it was the same confusing thing with the two of them for me. Now seeing the clear distinction between the two of them, knowing that the LSTR-2301 was actually planned and ordered on the station, it all now makes absolute sense.
Hey this was a wonderful 2 parter on one of the best story games I've played! I did want to point out one thing you said though, which is a horror implication that didn't seem to integrate with your theory: You state in the first video that Ariane./ Kolibris/ etc are sending memories of people. Logically, that means not a single one of the Elsters is actually Elster-512, because this isn't Elster we're talking about. It's just an idealized version of Elster based on Ariane's perception of her, not Elster the fully-fleshed consciousness or 'soul' if you will. That means we are literally playing as someone's fan fiction of their girlfriend sent into a horrible murder den over and over until we kill the author.
I just want to say thank you. I only beat SIGNALIS today and I admittedly didn't fully understand the narrative and meanings of the game. Your first video, as well as this update has made it much clearer for me. SIGNALIS is a masterpiece and something that'll stick with me for many years. I'm blown away that it was only developed by 2 devs.
Thank you for making these two videos. I finished Signalis last night and by coincidence I found your first video. Those 2 hours breezed by. I couldn't make up or down of the story myself, and was only able to feel the emotional aspects of the story. Love, sacrifice, death, tragedy and a journey through Hell but I really wanted to understand what was actually going on. Your videos put the game's story in a very concise and understandable way and I can appreciate Signalis in a much deeper way. What a wonderful experience Signalis is.
Great video, the overview basically summarized everything nicely. I just finished my first playthrough and watched these to see what details and connections I missed, funnily enough I mistook Lilith at Isa's twin because I wasnt paying close enough attention to the pictures and names lol, that one was on me. I also didnt realize the dates and I knew there was a connection between Lillith and Elster (especially due to the misssing eye at the end) I couldnt really figure it out (more accurately I didnt feel like rereading every single note I picked up/replaying the game). I also interpreted the Signal being produced from the death of Ariane and trapping her soul/mind and her suffering, grief, and sorrow as well as her powerful Bioresonant abilities bringing reality itself into this horrible nightmare. Sorta like in Bloodborne how all the Nightmare's Host Micolash is deadare Dead the Nightmare persists, though the nightmare also persist even after he wakes up (dies). Though now I see that it was also the dream of Falke who intercepted this signal and brought the Facility into the dream. Either way if Ariane's death produced the signal and is still dreaming in death or whether she's still physically alive dreaming doesnt really matter. And you have convinced me completely on the Double Dream Theory, it just makes so much sense. And I choose to believe the game ends with the Promise ending, wjth both Ariane and Elster finally finding peace, as well as Adler, Falke, and everyone else who was dragged in this Terrible Dream. Man now that I realize it, this game and Bloodborne are easily the best Lovecraftian horror adaptions and Dreams are a huge part of them. Overall, I really loved this game, and I loved these videos which gave me context, connections, and information that I missed and went completely over my head. This game is fantastic, glad I randomly decided to play it.
Thank you very much for both parts!! When I watched the first, I felt that the itch of trying to understand and learn more about Signalis sibsided (maybe not to the full extent, but still, I could at least sleep at night! :) ). So - thank you for your contribution to the peace of mind - mine and many other people's (I'm sure)! I played the game for the first time after both patches, and I am very glad that it happenned so; looking back, I attached great importance to the documents/words that were missing in the first version and I used them in the basis of my speculations. During my first run I did not discover Adler's "second" study, because when the game hinted it with Adler's note "go back, this is the last warning" I said "f*ck you, you can't tell me what to do" and rushed forward 🤣 Also - I am very thankful for the thoughts about Prometheus - I was very puzzled when I found the book in the game. Every piece of information is very carefully selected and quite important, so I was constantly asking myself - why is it here? What does it add to the story? (on a side note, I was very amused when Elster commented on bookshelves that she doesn't have time to read; well, the girl has her priorities and reads mostly censored and confidential documents with occasional cryptic and creepy poems :D ) Anyways... thank you so much! 🙇♀
Thank you! It's the 20th track on the official OST, Eulenlieder. The ambient first half plays in the EULE dorm in-game, but I used the second half that sounds quite a bit different (and doesn't appear in the game).
Only one thing keeps me confused 😭 When exactly do the loops start / the reality becomes distorted / the weird things begin, when Falke comes in contact with the signal?
I feel like im going crazy. I just finished watching your first video, as a friend recommended it to me yesterday. I look to the recommended tab, this one appears. Uploaded six hours ago (not as of writing this) . Is this some sort of sign? Whatever the case, im excited to make my way trough this video as well
Great stuff. Just a small correction tho, the death screens alter between S2301 and 512 during Sierpisnki levels and in nowhere it's only S2301. There is a reddit post from like 10 months ago that details where it actually switches.
Yup, I know the exact post! In my latest playthrough I actually died on purpose repeatedly in the spots that they mentioned, but (to my surprise) had very different results - the ones I spoke about in this video. It would appear that the developers changed them again within the past 10 months, or perhaps just changed the trigger spots to other specific places I didn't test.
After completing this game I was at a loss of what I had just played. Not even in a good way either. I was frustrated at every level about how this story was told. I'm glad I found these videos to at least explain to me the plot so I did not feel like I wasted my time with the game. The amount of cultural knowledge and artistic history being referenced in place of explaining presenting the concepts in a more immersive way is really frustrating to me. It means that everything else is effectively required reading to even begin to enjoy it. I got the promise ending on my first and only play through, so at least I got a bit of closure. 10/10 video, it's doing a service.
I have a question: if LSTR-2301 is part of excavation team C, why does nobody at the base remember her? Or why does ADLR specify that there has never been a replica of the LSTR model in Sierpinski? Perhaps the cycle we are playing through is the one commissioned by the replica, or it's about everyone having their memories altered each cycle. I really don't know. Does anyone have an explanation for this?
9:55 i thought for sure Nikolai (originally assumed all patients in DB were used for replicas) was the basis for ADLR units, I brute forced my way through ADLRs little "astral calendar", and later at rotfront i used Nikolais PKZ# as the code to unlock library, notably I think it was different that what is shown here
Thanks for the great videos! I was wondering if you could explain more on how you got the red eye to show up over the game screen? I tried increasing the brightness all the way up in the menu, but it didn't work. Any tips / advice appreciated!
For sure! So as it turns out, the eye is caused by the game's Film Grain setting in the menu, so you'll want to have that switched on. But even then I'm not sure that the in-game brightness setting will show it, at least not very well - I had to push the levels pretty far in editing software to get what you see in the video, especially in the midtone range since that's where a lot of the grain lives.
One thing I'm still unclear on: when the second half of the game begins Elster wakes up still in the signal right? How come she has to then leave it, go through Arianna's dream, then through Falke just to get back to where she already was?
So Alina died in the war? (as per part 1) How could she have been at S23 then? I understand that she is a self insert of Ariane, but whose were all those diary entries then if she never was there? She got sick and her hair turned white (she slowly turned into Ariane) and also knew an LSTR unit. But still, I don't understand how she ended up at S23, we also saw a photo of her looking sick etc. Maybe if she didnt die, she was put there for reeducation purposes after they used Lilith for a replika?
So three Elsters, Lilith, 512, and 2301. Could you say theres also three Ariannes? Arianne, Alina, and Falke? Rule of 6, maybe ties into the secret ending where we see the 6 graves.
If not falke it could be the Grand Empress, who is said to look like falke. And guess what, falke looks like Ariane so that means ariane looks like the empress as well who also had insane bioresonance powers
I know its not really in your genres of metroidanias, but have you heard of the game called 1000xResist? After its release it had a big overlap with the Signalis fanbase (it was recommended by signalis devs) since they both have something in common (what exactly is hard to pinpoint its both in aesthetics or worldbuildind or overall feel). Since you masterfuly exolore themes and storytelling in games I feel like you could really dig into 1000xResist, because its packed with layers and themes, its a purely narrative sci fi game so all the attention went into writing, its a really surprising and deep game, highly recommend.
Yes! I actually played it a few months ago, incredible game. It is on my shortlist for potential upcoming content, but my schedule is pretty busy atm, so I can't guarantee anything just yet...we'll see!
Yes, but I would argue that LSTR-S2301's degradation is more extreme because her identity is being forcibly merged with that of another unit; it isn't happening naturally or organically.
What troubles me after watching this is the starting tutorial. I mean, if Penrose-512 is still somewhere in space with Ariane in cryosleep and dead LSTR, what's with the crashed ship at Rotfront?
I sort of touched on this in Part 1, but I think that whole sequence is "fabricated" by Ariane, and represents the memories of LSTR-512 leaving her body (the Penrose) and being transmitted by Ariane's signal (the radio room). Though I'm sure you could interpret it in other ways as well.
I read it as the Penrose being super imposed onto various realities including the emptiness between worlds, by arianes signal. It's a memory or imagining of the Penrose placed there by the dream. Ariane dreamt of leng/rotfront. And so the Penrose was super imposed onto that superimposition.
I can't say part 2 helped my over all feelings about the explanation of the story in it's complete form, but those updates that I haven't played and you went over do help a bit and add more understanding to the over all complex picture. I still look back at the story in a mostly depressing way because the explanation of why the story keeps looping upends my initial false understanding and the ending meaning I had come up with, and it makes me feel sad because of that. I do value facts however. And the fact is this story is largely and likely what you've come to explain. An attempt by someone who is asking for release. Normally I don't say a story makes me feel depressed, just sad. I've played many games that actively made me sad or were painful to watch certain things happen in them, games that could also be called a "story of tragedy" as it were. This one with a better understanding of what all it's moving parts are trying to say and do, just hurts to think about. What it is at the end of it all. I'm not saying that to say I find it unworthy though. It just becomes less enjoyable to think about over a game that makes me sad of tragedy. As a person who also doesn't believe in the concept of souls and an afterlife either, I don't attribute much to that either unless the fantasy/sci-fi world sets up for it existing in the first place. As such, it makes THE ending even more difficult. I suppose Artifact, if I'm remembering the right one, has some degree of positive nature to it, but all of them have something about them that with the explanation just doesn't feel "good" anymore. That may very well have been the point, and I've played games in the past that have done something similar to that, but it's rare a game deals effective psychic damage to me like the general explanation of this game gave. Part of me wishes the game's story had been done differently, one where I had my original understanding as flawed as it was and an ending the felt right to me. Instead of an explanation of what appear to be facts/truths of this world upending that. The game is a story of tragedy that can't be undone largely. I guess I just wish my thought of a small sliver of something that wasn't tragedy could remain, but with the explanation it really can't. That's fine. I've accepted that, as much as I wish I could rewind it. Not every story we engage with will ultimately be what we hoped in the beginning, such is life. Thank you for the follow up video. As I said before I appreciate understanding and knowing, even if knowing doesn't give me the results I had hoped for. I prefer to live in the actuality and not a subjective fever dream. That one thing, Signalis does expertly in my opinion. The reality of life is not always what we wish it to be or feel. It sometimes just is. And we need to understand and accept it, and learn how we can do what we need to do and continue moving forward for as long as we can. Thank you Sir.
Even though Xplorer’s two-dream theory is the best I’ve seen, it’s still not correct - because there IS no unified theory that explains everything. There are too many nonsensical / unconnected elements which don’t mesh. For example, why are is there an elevator shaft full of ELSTR bodies if the timeline resets each time? Why is the Penrose adrift in deep space, crash-landed on a snow field AND crash-landed on a snow world? It would only make sense if ALL of it was just one bizarre dream with no connection to reality.
@@indiexplorergames ou/ō is a lengthen o in Japanese (I’ve put both of ways of representing it in the romanization/Rōmaji for it) Also here is Itou’s name in Katakana いとう.
If each version of Elster (Lilith, LSTR-2301, LSTR-512) is associated with one of each of the three main endings, I think you can further associate them with the keys used to access the Artifact ending, which further supports your theory that the Artifact ending is the culmination of every Elster working together.
SACRIFICE: Lilith Itou is related to Isa Itou, who is shown dripping blood onto the Artifact symbol paired with the word "Sacrifice". The key is found in the Itous' bookstore. The description of the Key of Sacrifice is Lilith's memory of a bomb dropping on Vineta, and the Leave ending shows Elster collapsing in Vinetan waters.
ETERNITY: LSTR-2301 is trapped in the dream loop, repeating her journey countless times, each time ending in the "heartbreak" as described by the Key of Eternity. The Memory ending shows that LSTR-2301 loves Ariane, but Ariane doesn't love her back.
LOVE: LSTR-512 is the version of Elster that Ariane loves. The Key of Love gives us Ariane's memories of LSTR-512. The Promise ending shows the two lovers reuniting.
This also seems to solidify whether or not Promise ends the loop. (I had previously thought it to be intentionally ambiguous.) LSTR-2301 has fully become LSTR-512, escaping Eternity. The 5 keycard door also associates the symbol of Love with the Bagua trigram of Heaven, possibly indicating that Ariane and Elster have escaped Hell.
The three different people contained within Elster also corresponds with the three nesting dolls from Nowhere. The puzzle with the nesting dolls also gives you the Plate of Balance, which has a triangle symbol. Not sure if this tells us anything new - might just be Bioresonance creating coincidences. Now I'm going to start seeing threes everywhere instead of sixes!
(I did not re-watch the first video, so I apologize if I am treading old ground. It's been a hot minute.)
WOW these are amazing observations! I was trying to figure out the deeper significance of the 3 keys, and this is absolutely it. Also the detail of the three nesting dolls leading to Balance is 🤯These details add a lot more weight to the theories I discuss in this video, Imma pin this comment so everyone else can see it!
I was very disappointed to read the description of nesting dolls after assembling them. I was so sure that the doll is a metaphor of Elster going through Serpinsky, Nowhere and Rotfront and becoming whole in the process, because the middle doll was blood red like flesh and because of triangle patterns on the bottom, like Serpinski's emblem. It also looked kinda like an astronaut, and I thought - oh, this is a 512 unit!
Then I inspect the doll and it says that this is a model of a Mynah unit T___T I was like - so it is a MNHR simple because it is HEAVY?! That's why it helps you to get the Balance tile?!
However, I think this can be a little joke, like a message - looking for hidden signs, player? I think you can feel the same when finding a Kohlibri drawing :D
And I still think that the doll has a meaning despite this joke; and I very much love your interpretation, @RevCosmosisV2, it's beautiful!
@@indiexplorergames TBH I think artifact ending is just "what Elster wants" and the other 3 are "what Ariane guilds Elster to do" so artifact ending is just that some of the Elsters during the cycle decided to do and achieve. As you can see when they dance, Ariane is a ghost but Elster is using her original "dead body", still inside the broken ship, Elster knows what is happening, but at the same time she still just wants that moment to last forever.
The 3 keys descriptions, like @RevCosmosisV2 said, is the combined personalities within Elster working together to find another way for Elster's own desire. Killing Ariane is the last thing Elster wants to do because the Lilith within already suffered losing her lover once. The 2301 within her knows theres "only heartbreak in the end". Part of them, very understandably, doesnt want that.
They never face off with Falke and just find another way to do fulfill their desires. Thats why the eye is still watching, thats why it still shows "remember our promise" because it doesnt end the cycles. But for those Elsters, they get what they want. Elster becomes the "god" in those cycles, she breaks out of her chains but she is only able to do just that. The eye is still watching. The mystery of this god is complete, as she announced it to her servants, the prophets. "She" is still announcing her signal to her prophets.
Leave ending is Lilith dominating, Memory is 2301 dominating, and Promise is 512 dominating. Artifact ending is all 3 of them present within Elster.
For me the matryoshka doll that you use to gain the balance key looked like a mynah replika (black outer
im not smart enough to figure out for what reason thats a thing, simply an observation. :D
@@MagicalBreeze Yeah, the matryoshka doll just stuck out to me as a nice coincidence. No idea if it really means anything.
"At its core, Signalis is very simple:"
Starts explaining the most convoluted plot ever
I love how the very end of your analysis is also a good description for the game's fandom: We are just coping so hard that our space lesbians can be happy.
Also a fun fact a friend told me on Discord: Both Itou sisters perished, probably during military service. We're shown this through their military portraits in the book shop, which each feature a black ribbon in the corner. This mirrors a real-world Japanese funerary tradition which likely originated during the devastating wars of the Meiji era. Soldiers would prepare a portrait (‘iei’) before deployment. If they died, mourners would wear a black or white ribbon (‘moshou’) until the funeral, at which point it was draped over the portrait as a farewell gesture. The ribbon could then remain on the portrait, serving as both a memorial and reminder to others to be tactful when discussing the deceased.
With her only real friends in the world gone forever, this is probably the last straw that finally push her to join the Penrose programme, having nothing to lose anymore. Pretty heartbreaking stuffs.
I mean shit, she still got her mum. I think that she joined the program with the promise of finding/achieving greatness to support her mum and to get away from the bullshit. But unbeknownst to her, that program was nothing more than a glorified suicide parade, which funnily enough, punished the Nation with the fall of S-23.
i'd love to watch more analysis videos on signalis from different people but every time i put something on i go "this isn't as well researched as the double dream theory, why am i wasting time on this" and turn it off.
you analysed so hard you analysed it out of the park. the signalysis of all time
BRO WAKE UP PART 2 OF THE SIGNALIS LORE JUST DROPPED
I watched the first video a hundred times and loved the way you broke down the story. Pls keep making great content!
Not many peoples do what you did, coming back to older video to update/correct them, it show that you are true to yourself and that you respect the game and the fans. May the YT Algorithm be with you
babe wake up achtung achtung part 2 just dropped
Its weird to think that a video that popped up in the corner of my recommended would have such an impact on my way of thinking about stories; its themes, meanings, connections and what truly makes a great story worthy of being called a masterpiece. I am so glad to see the final conclusion of this breakdown. As you stated, this story is an experience and should be played by as many people as possible. And to say that this video and your previous one are an experience is an understatement. I am so glad to have witness your video when it had around 20k views to then blow up to were it is today. Amazing video as always and I can't wait for more videos from you indie! Know that in my eyes, you created something as unique and engaging as the work that is it based on!
It is inspiring to see the effort you put into signalis, your first video was already peak, I loved it, and now, one year later, you decided to revisit this videogame, only to refine your (and my) understanding of it.
Bro you dropped this just in time for me to finish the game twice and I want to believe that the artifact ending is a happy ending because goddammit there has to be at least one
“And just when all hope was lost.. he returned”
You really managed to explain one of the most convoluted and confusing stories ever told in video games in less than 5 minutes at the end...
Cheers and thank you! This is the closure I needed after finishing the game
I don't regularly comment on videos; however I wanted to extend gratitude for your insight into the tragic triad of Elster, Ariane and Falke. This is a piece of media that really demands a lot more of your attention and willingness to dig into it; even if the narrative, symbolic implication of gestaltzerfall advises otherwise. For a game that wears its influence proudly on its sleeve, Signalis is able to forge its own story by platforming its inspirations to create something altogether new. Something beautiful, yet melancholic.
I had written a personal review of the game omitting my thoughts on the story as my understanding of it was somewhat hazy at best, though I would say with confidence that, in no small part thanks to your presentation of the information at-hand, it has catalyzed a metamorphosis of my appreciation of Signalis. I can't imagine how long you spent working on these breakdowns, but it was well worth your time.
As a personal note or question, as you mentioned that the narrative influence from Robert Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft, do you think the Silent Hill influence should be factored into the understanding of Signalis [particularly Isa's connection to Lisa from SH,] as well as the existence of Nowhere? Or are they simply references and nothing more?
Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that 😊 Regarding Silent Hill, I would say there probably is another layer of understanding to be had in analyzing its many influences on Signalis. The reason I didn't cover them here is that, well, I've never actually played a Silent Hill game, and didn't want to just relay superficial secondhand information about them - similar situation with the Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, and other contemporary references. Especially when plenty of other creators have already made analyses that go deeper into those inspirations, it felt like my time was better spent digging into elements more explicitly shown/used in the game.
@@indiexplorergames I'd say it's best you hadn't been familiar with those other influences beforehand as it allowed you to view Signalis on its own and without those other perspectives to cloud or shift your interpretation. That said, I highly suggest you play through Silent Hill 1 & 2. First, for that expanded perspective on Signalis (without that tainted preempt), second, to experience two other games that can give you a similar experience as you had with this, and third, they're just damned good games.
I also suggest you check out Max Derrat. He's got some great analyses on a variety of games but mostly touches on the profundity one can find games. I'd even say you two kind of have some things in common.
One thing I'll say (just 'cause I'm already here writing a comment), I noticed a lot of people say there aren't any "good" endings in this game but I always thought the Promise ending WAS the good ending. Elster succeeds in keeping the promise, they die together, the cycle stops, they were doomed from the beginning, there was no going back and they still had their happy moment together. It's like a couple growing old together. Just 'cause dying was inevitable doesn't mean the life was meaningless.
Im so fucking happy that you did this video. This is so important to me, you have no idea
When i first played the game fully I felt really sad with the promise ending but i realized it was the best one. Not only does the promise get fulfilled but ariane and elster lie together achieving what they both wanted their promise.
unsure if you’re still reading the comments for this, but my entire view on the game and it’s endings completely changed after stumbling across a steam guide for the game called “Significance of the Empress’ hand”
It’s a massive post that goes in depth about the Empress hand puzzle found in ‘NOWHERE’ and how the 4 fingers all reference the 4 different endings.
the theory also supports that “all endings actually do happen” and uses the Empress’ puzzle to lay out the order of each ending. The author then proposes both possibilities of either the point where the cycle would finally break, or if it would even break at all.
it’s genuinely a very interesting view that i strongly suggest you or anyone else seeing this go check out.
Just finished reading the post, thanks for the recommendation! An interesting theory for sure. I had a feeling the empress's inclusion was more important than I gave it credit for, and linking each finger/ring to an ending makes a whole lot of sense to me!
Many of the finer details here run pretty speculative, but then again, so do my videos lol, so I'd say it's as good an interpretation as any 😃
@@indiexplorergames hahah tbf though, i think that’s what makes this game so interesting, how there’s a million explanations and perspectives and they’re all equally as valid.
just figured i’d share that post here since the Empress is never really talked about by anyone outside the post.
@@smuggen Yeah absolutely! Crazy how something overlooked by nearly everyone could actually be so fundamental to understanding the story. Signalis is really something special, and I love seeing all these different approaches to it!
I think you deserve a hundred million subscribers immediately
I think you hit the nail on the head with each "normal" ending being related to the three distinct at yet connected characters of Lilith Itou, LSTR-S2301, and LSTR-512. I do however continue to think that Promise is not an ending that results in the loop breaking, and I'll try to explain my reasoning for believing as such.
The game sets a precedence that some pairs of people are connected to each other, who are then separated due to circumstances, and when reunion of the two becomes impossible, it is foreshadowed by the member of the pair who is seeking the other out losing their right eye. IIRC your first analysis pointed out the connection between Alina and Lilith's regiment and the snapshot of Lilith leaving a pot of white lilies on (most likely) Alina's gravestone. The last picture we see of them together, Lilith has already lost her right eye.
The same is true for Adler and Falke. While the LSTR we play as does eventually see Falke wake up from her dream, from the moment Adler loses his right eye to Isolde, he never sees Falke wake ever again. Isolde herself loses her right eye shortly before realising the truth and disintegrating. Lastly, we're left with LSTR and Ariane.
In all three of the normal endings, right before LSTR can cross the gate, Adler stabs LSTR in the right eye, marking her with the same symbol as him, meaning Elster can never be truly reunited with Ariane again. You may have noticed that I have avoided using "Elster" until just now, and that is because I used to believe that the reason Promise does not break the loop is because, whether you believe the promise is simply a vow to end Ariane's suffering or if it has a more abstract meaning like not leaving each other behind, is still not fulfilled.
We are told that the process used in replika neural blueprint transfer is imperfect, and even if Ariane's bioresonance is incredibly potent, this principle still applies. Even if LSTR-S2301 gains Falke's share of Elster's memories, she is still not the LSTR Ariane fell in love with. Ariane made a promise with Elster, and only Elster can fulfill the promise.
Artifact is the only ending in which LSTR does not lose her eye, and most importantly, doesn't even fight Falke for her share of Elster's thoughts and memories, because she knows how to break from the cycle thanks to Elsters guidance (the fsk ID (AKA caller ID) for the SSTV signals are all labeled LSTR-512), and it is not through trying to become what she cannot be.
There is a lot I'm leaving out for the sake of brevity, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this take, since your original video and the double dream theory is what got me into Signalis lore analysis in the first place, though the need for cope so that these two could at least be happy in some way didn't hurt either!
I think that's an equally valid interpretation, for sure! The detail of each SSTV signal being marked with 512's signature is certainly notable; I like the idea of 512 "guiding" S2301 to achieve the Artifact Ending as the best outcome.
I discovered Signalis recently and loved it. I played through it twice, and even though I got the same ending both times (Memory), it still got stuck in my head. With the very little I managed to piece together with my playthroughs, I still found an extremely beautiful, devastating, and human story.
I needed to know more though, and your breakdowns were exactly what I needed. They corrected some of my assumptions, connected things I had missed, and filled in the rest. Both videos have given me a profound appreciation for this game and the story.
Absolutely incredible work. Both the game and your videos.
Thank you so much
I was actually super happy to realize that you put out a part two to your first video! I love to put the first part in the background as I do other things as your voice and explanation of the wild maelstrom of stuff that is Signalis is soothing and interesting at the same time. While there were mistakes, I still am grateful for these videos as they give a good timeline to follow to make the timeline of events and meanings a solid foundation. Thank you for your contributions!
Signalis lore part 2 just dropped!!!!!! here 23 minutes after release!!!! hype!
There's an extremely important detail I didn't saw on both of your videos. One of the notes from Ariane's diary while on the Perose ship has a date about 700 years after the Penrose left Rotfront. This is absolutely impossible under normal circumstances but not for the Bio-Resonant nature of Ariane I've seen she may be able to distort space-time itself making possible all the events in the game.
After Elster stopped functioning (or died whatever) Ariane was on the cryogenic chamber, she woke up to find the ship on a terrible shape, Elster was dead and for some reason she just couldn't do anything (this is stated on one of her notes), After that she returns to the cryogenic chamber to mitigate her pain or so she thought... 700 years has lasted her dream in that cryogenic chamber but how? the Penrose should be absolutely non functional if only 15 years later the reactor was failing critically. Well her Bio-resonance kept it working for 700 hundred years, or she distorted space-time causing her to be trapped in a non time passing state, a never ending suffering state... and here is where everything has more sense. Every Replica can be matched with some of the characters depicted on the pictures, 700 years Ariane Yeong time is absolutely possible. Ariane met this people when they were human but now 700 years after these people were used to create the replicas and have been in service for hundreds of years... As you said Adler was the most unlikely but remember the picture was taken after the events that oblitareted their unit, the "Falling Star Event", the unit which Alina Seo and Lilith were a part of.
Most interesting possibility here is: Falke was based on a resonant pattern, and the individual used as the source to create this replica pattern is "vanished". Ariane Yeong was Bio-resonant a very special person and a target after she was tested by the spy Doctor (he didn't escaped as we know). Ariane Yeong was in a manner of speaking vanished sent on the suicidal mission on the Penrose Project but before that she was tested to be accepted on the Penrose program, during those tests her pattern was taken. My guess is that Ariane Yeong was used to create FALKE and that's why she resonates that much with her. FALKE experiences persona degradation when she entered in contact with Ariane's Signal, this signal brought her Gestalt memories and that made her realize "I am her, she is me", the dreamer and the god are one and the same, FALKE is the dreamer and Ariane the god but it makes no difference. It's just like Lilith and LSTR.
Colibris are also probably based on Ariane Yeong pattern
i almost feel like the changes added in the patch directly addressed your points in the first video to either confirm or reject them… crazy!!
I did not to say it under 1st video, but I have to do it here. Your production quality is outstanding!
Sound of part transitions (that mix of boot sequence and elevator sounds), despite me hearing it for dozens of times, still gives me chills.
Thank you for your hard work and research! You deserve much, much more subs.
Your part 1 video is one of my favorites, I watched it several times. So this part 2 is a welcome addition. I didnt even know about the patches and their changes.
Thank you! Thank you so much for this and the previous video. It is often said that media "explainers" or similar are hampering creativity. But your video is the opposite. It ignites and incites discussion. Heartfelt discussion and makes you think. Signalis is like an eternally deep sea of ungraspable meaning. One that has parts you try to hold, and parts that will always slip away, that appear on the edge of your vision and won't allow you to fully look at them. The game has given us so much. A horror both psychological, and most important to me, emotional. Moving past Silent Hill 3 as the game that is the most special to me.
Your video aided so much in this, and makes me and a friend continue to lose ourselves in this sea. This sea of emotion and meaning.
I understand the Subreddit's desire to escape the bleakness of it all, the existential fear at its core. But in the end we cannot let go of the game. And so often the desire to return to its pain and meaning returns. Thank you. Your video does the same, allows us to dive back in, take some meaning from it, some clarity, and experience so much of it again, sometimes differently. And in the end, I am left with a feeling of deep tranquillity that makes me feel so alive.
Thank you so much
I just finished part one 2 hours ago 😭
Just a one minor issue I found with your first video that otherwise holds up very well. The “red eye outline” you use to state that the Penrose at the end of the game is real (witch admittedly is not that far fetched of an idea) is a very common visual technique in game graphics that combines film grain and a vignette the “red eye” can even be toggled on and off in the menu via the film grain setting
Yeah, I did notice that! However, considering the fact that the base background layer is dark red (not black), and how well this "red eye" layer fits the game thematically, I'm inclined to think the effect was still very much intentional by the developers. I'd certainly be interested to know if they ever confirm or deny this though.
I've also seen speculation that it's an outline used for the red effect when Elster has low HP. That said the Chinese community did some pretty deep digging some time ago and they seem to agree with the eye theory, altho it appears and vanishes are seemingly random points in the game.
@@indiexplorergamesI initially followed this logic especially with the apparent “red eye” disappearing on the original Penrose at the end of the game. But the little detail of it only being partially removed from the screen made me think it was a glitch with promted me to go to the final penrose “trip” and test it by turning up the brightness to max now in full honesty my results may have been off but I did see the “red eye “ outline on the final Penrose
@@lorkieborkie2537I’d love to see what they found
Then why is it not there at a key part of the game at the end where it would make sense for it to no longer be there?
Great video! I played the game a long time ago, so cool to hear about all the things they changed without needing to replay it.
I watched the first part of this analysis almost a month after it came out, and I remember I felt like my brain kinda vomited ice and snow. I just loved it. Now, after all the corrections made to the game, this second part is but a second love letter to one of my favorite horror games. Yours is the most complete line of study within Signalis. Thanks a lot.
I was just watching your first video again for the 9,000 time, completely huffed up on the copium reserves we all collectively pass around within this community, yet I failed to notice this video until now. And yet again you hit it right in the feels, I can't get over your interpretations and explanations. Thank you, for everything.
Oh right guys, we have two videos to rewatch and a game to replay.
Thank for the video.
Thank you. I had no clue what was going on.
Thank you so much for these two videos. I feel like after playing the game 2/3 times and reading everything I had an 80% understanding, but the last 20% seemed so difficult to wrap my head around. With these videos I think I pretty much understand what's happening in the game now.. Sort of?
NO WAY THERES A PART TWO NOW IM SOOO GLAD YOU DROPPED ANOTHER ONE!!!
Just wanted to say thanks for putting these videos up. I just finished Signalis the other day and I could tell that a lot of the nuance went way over my head.
You are a Signalis legend my friend, incredible breakdown and analysis
(especially for catching new stuff/changes added and of course correcting your mistakes is another gigachad move)
After watching your first video, everything made connections for me except for the 2 LSTRs part.
I was confused with where this second LSTR has come from. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to that topic or was overthinking it, even though I've watched that vid more than once throughout some decent chunk of time, every time it was the same confusing thing with the two of them for me.
Now seeing the clear distinction between the two of them, knowing that the LSTR-2301 was actually planned and ordered on the station, it all now makes absolute sense.
I'm so glad I came back to the first video, I didn't know the second came out. (especially since I'm replaying Signalis now)
Hey this was a wonderful 2 parter on one of the best story games I've played!
I did want to point out one thing you said though, which is a horror implication that didn't seem to integrate with your theory:
You state in the first video that Ariane./ Kolibris/ etc are sending memories of people. Logically, that means not a single one of the Elsters is actually Elster-512, because this isn't Elster we're talking about. It's just an idealized version of Elster based on Ariane's perception of her, not Elster the fully-fleshed consciousness or 'soul' if you will.
That means we are literally playing as someone's fan fiction of their girlfriend sent into a horrible murder den over and over until we kill the author.
I just finished the game and watched both your videos.
Well done!
A part 2 for one of my favorite videos in recent memory? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one :D
I just want to say thank you. I only beat SIGNALIS today and I admittedly didn't fully understand the narrative and meanings of the game. Your first video, as well as this update has made it much clearer for me.
SIGNALIS is a masterpiece and something that'll stick with me for many years. I'm blown away that it was only developed by 2 devs.
PART TWO IS HERE!! THANK YOU FOR THE DEDICATION!!
leaving a comment for the algorithm. i hope as many people as possible watch the two videos
Bro I was JUST thinking of this game and you uploaded part 2.
Thank you for making these two videos. I finished Signalis last night and by coincidence I found your first video. Those 2 hours breezed by. I couldn't make up or down of the story myself, and was only able to feel the emotional aspects of the story. Love, sacrifice, death, tragedy and a journey through Hell but I really wanted to understand what was actually going on. Your videos put the game's story in a very concise and understandable way and I can appreciate Signalis in a much deeper way. What a wonderful experience Signalis is.
NO WAY YOU DID A PART TWO MY GUY HOW MUCH MORE DEEP IS THIS GAME
Dang... just finished the Signalis for the first time, so sad I didn't find both new rooms
Thank you very much for another great explainer
Loved the use of Eulenlieder at the end
more peak gaming explained great work as always, now I'm more hyped for the vinyls to come.
Great video, the overview basically summarized everything nicely. I just finished my first playthrough and watched these to see what details and connections I missed, funnily enough I mistook Lilith at Isa's twin because I wasnt paying close enough attention to the pictures and names lol, that one was on me. I also didnt realize the dates and I knew there was a connection between Lillith and Elster (especially due to the misssing eye at the end) I couldnt really figure it out (more accurately I didnt feel like rereading every single note I picked up/replaying the game). I also interpreted the Signal being produced from the death of Ariane and trapping her soul/mind and her suffering, grief, and sorrow as well as her powerful Bioresonant abilities bringing reality itself into this horrible nightmare. Sorta like in Bloodborne how all the Nightmare's Host Micolash is deadare Dead the Nightmare persists, though the nightmare also persist even after he wakes up (dies). Though now I see that it was also the dream of Falke who intercepted this signal and brought the Facility into the dream. Either way if Ariane's death produced the signal and is still dreaming in death or whether she's still physically alive dreaming doesnt really matter. And you have convinced me completely on the Double Dream Theory, it just makes so much sense. And I choose to believe the game ends with the Promise ending, wjth both Ariane and Elster finally finding peace, as well as Adler, Falke, and everyone else who was dragged in this Terrible Dream. Man now that I realize it, this game and Bloodborne are easily the best Lovecraftian horror adaptions and Dreams are a huge part of them. Overall, I really loved this game, and I loved these videos which gave me context, connections, and information that I missed and went completely over my head. This game is fantastic, glad I randomly decided to play it.
Thank you very much for both parts!!
When I watched the first, I felt that the itch of trying to understand and learn more about Signalis sibsided (maybe not to the full extent, but still, I could at least sleep at night! :) ). So - thank you for your contribution to the peace of mind - mine and many other people's (I'm sure)!
I played the game for the first time after both patches, and I am very glad that it happenned so; looking back, I attached great importance to the documents/words that were missing in the first version and I used them in the basis of my speculations.
During my first run I did not discover Adler's "second" study, because when the game hinted it with Adler's note "go back, this is the last warning" I said "f*ck you, you can't tell me what to do" and rushed forward 🤣
Also - I am very thankful for the thoughts about Prometheus - I was very puzzled when I found the book in the game. Every piece of information is very carefully selected and quite important, so I was constantly asking myself - why is it here? What does it add to the story? (on a side note, I was very amused when Elster commented on bookshelves that she doesn't have time to read; well, the girl has her priorities and reads mostly censored and confidential documents with occasional cryptic and creepy poems :D )
Anyways... thank you so much! 🙇♀
You know, I found myself thinking about Signalis again despite not playing it for a while. Yet there's your video. Perhaps synchronicity is at play.
thank you so much for this. what an intelligent, thoughtful, and beautiful interpretation of a phenomenal experience.
I literally watched part 1 a day ago holy shi-
Damn I didn't expect a continuation to the last video but I am very glad.
Part 2 NICE! Love your vids man
I watched the previous video yesterday so this was quite the surprise
The timing of this video couldn’t be more perfect as I am finishing my second (hidden ending) play though of the game
Amazingly well done, both part 1 and 2 explanations! On a side note, what's the name of the music used in the outro?
Thank you! It's the 20th track on the official OST, Eulenlieder. The ambient first half plays in the EULE dorm in-game, but I used the second half that sounds quite a bit different (and doesn't appear in the game).
sweet, there's a part two
gamers are happy
not people who watched streams tho
Well I'm gonna try finishing my second playthrough and go for a third, aiming for different endings. Good luck me, thanks for the video o7
*starts crying*
I love your breakdown a Signalis. Sub right away
AMAZING WORK AS ALWAYS! Love the lore of this game but man does it turn my brain to mush Q-Q
OMG OMG PART 2!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK!
Only one thing keeps me confused 😭
When exactly do the loops start / the reality becomes distorted / the weird things begin, when Falke comes in contact with the signal?
I feel like im going crazy. I just finished watching your first video, as a friend recommended it to me yesterday. I look to the recommended tab, this one appears. Uploaded six hours ago (not as of writing this) . Is this some sort of sign?
Whatever the case, im excited to make my way trough this video as well
synchronicity
@@tedhaidydei8261 might as well be hahhaha
Great stuff. Just a small correction tho, the death screens alter between S2301 and 512 during Sierpisnki levels and in nowhere it's only S2301. There is a reddit post from like 10 months ago that details where it actually switches.
Yup, I know the exact post! In my latest playthrough I actually died on purpose repeatedly in the spots that they mentioned, but (to my surprise) had very different results - the ones I spoke about in this video. It would appear that the developers changed them again within the past 10 months, or perhaps just changed the trigger spots to other specific places I didn't test.
After completing this game I was at a loss of what I had just played. Not even in a good way either. I was frustrated at every level about how this story was told. I'm glad I found these videos to at least explain to me the plot so I did not feel like I wasted my time with the game. The amount of cultural knowledge and artistic history being referenced in place of explaining presenting the concepts in a more immersive way is really frustrating to me. It means that everything else is effectively required reading to even begin to enjoy it. I got the promise ending on my first and only play through, so at least I got a bit of closure.
10/10 video, it's doing a service.
Great montage at the end
HOLY SHIT SURPRISE PART 2 LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO
I have a question: if LSTR-2301 is part of excavation team C, why does nobody at the base remember her? Or why does ADLR specify that there has never been a replica of the LSTR model in Sierpinski?
Perhaps the cycle we are playing through is the one commissioned by the replica, or it's about everyone having their memories altered each cycle. I really don't know. Does anyone have an explanation for this?
9:55 i thought for sure Nikolai (originally assumed all patients in DB were used for replicas) was the basis for ADLR units, I brute forced my way through ADLRs little "astral calendar", and later at rotfront i used Nikolais PKZ# as the code to unlock library, notably I think it was different that what is shown here
The thing I always find myself wondering about is the lstr template. It came from a “decommissioned” Penrose ship? How does that work?
Thanks for the great videos! I was wondering if you could explain more on how you got the red eye to show up over the game screen? I tried increasing the brightness all the way up in the menu, but it didn't work. Any tips / advice appreciated!
For sure! So as it turns out, the eye is caused by the game's Film Grain setting in the menu, so you'll want to have that switched on. But even then I'm not sure that the in-game brightness setting will show it, at least not very well - I had to push the levels pretty far in editing software to get what you see in the video, especially in the midtone range since that's where a lot of the grain lives.
@@indiexplorergames Thanks, I appreciate the help! I just finished the game and have been diving into videos like yours for all the neat details!
One thing I'm still unclear on: when the second half of the game begins Elster wakes up still in the signal right? How come she has to then leave it, go through Arianna's dream, then through Falke just to get back to where she already was?
But otherwise great work on the video very well done and researched I apologize for my otherwise negative tone with my critique
Oh not at all! Your point is totally valid, just figured I'd explain my reasoning for not bringing it up as a correction here 😁
So Alina died in the war? (as per part 1) How could she have been at S23 then? I understand that she is a self insert of Ariane, but whose were all those diary entries then if she never was there? She got sick and her hair turned white (she slowly turned into Ariane) and also knew an LSTR unit. But still, I don't understand how she ended up at S23, we also saw a photo of her looking sick etc. Maybe if she didnt die, she was put there for reeducation purposes after they used Lilith for a replika?
So three Elsters, Lilith, 512, and 2301. Could you say theres also three Ariannes? Arianne, Alina, and Falke?
Rule of 6, maybe ties into the secret ending where we see the 6 graves.
If not falke it could be the Grand Empress, who is said to look like falke. And guess what, falke looks like Ariane so that means ariane looks like the empress as well who also had insane bioresonance powers
Isn't there an orange chestplated ELSTER unit at one of the pillers in the Artifact ending?
One of them is Falke, it might be her you're referring to
I know its not really in your genres of metroidanias, but have you heard of the game called 1000xResist? After its release it had a big overlap with the Signalis fanbase (it was recommended by signalis devs) since they both have something in common (what exactly is hard to pinpoint its both in aesthetics or worldbuildind or overall feel). Since you masterfuly exolore themes and storytelling in games I feel like you could really dig into 1000xResist, because its packed with layers and themes, its a purely narrative sci fi game so all the attention went into writing, its a really surprising and deep game, highly recommend.
Yes! I actually played it a few months ago, incredible game. It is on my shortlist for potential upcoming content, but my schedule is pretty busy atm, so I can't guarantee anything just yet...we'll see!
@@indiexplorergames wonderful. I am glad you played it!
7:58 error: persona degradation is confirmed to be when replikas gain their own personality, so not a bad thing, it just effects work productivity.
Yes, but I would argue that LSTR-S2301's degradation is more extreme because her identity is being forcibly merged with that of another unit; it isn't happening naturally or organically.
It's official: I need you to do one of these on 1000x Resist
Playing it now! We shall see...
Oh so that's why Falke says they're whole again. Falke had 512 memories but was missing lilith and vice versa?
Never clicked on a video so fast
What troubles me after watching this is the starting tutorial. I mean, if Penrose-512 is still somewhere in space with Ariane in cryosleep and dead LSTR, what's with the crashed ship at Rotfront?
I sort of touched on this in Part 1, but I think that whole sequence is "fabricated" by Ariane, and represents the memories of LSTR-512 leaving her body (the Penrose) and being transmitted by Ariane's signal (the radio room). Though I'm sure you could interpret it in other ways as well.
I read it as the Penrose being super imposed onto various realities including the emptiness between worlds, by arianes signal. It's a memory or imagining of the Penrose placed there by the dream. Ariane dreamt of leng/rotfront. And so the Penrose was super imposed onto that superimposition.
🗣🗣the signalis brainrot is back!!!
Have we figured out what the banned word is in the first part of the game?
Yes! It is "re-education," which was discovered by decrypting the blocky characters on redacted words.
@@indiexplorergames thank you!!
That makes that part of the story so much darker. Absolutely fascinating!
Unfair, I played this on Switch and there's no patch 1.2. =[
I can't say part 2 helped my over all feelings about the explanation of the story in it's complete form, but those updates that I haven't played and you went over do help a bit and add more understanding to the over all complex picture. I still look back at the story in a mostly depressing way because the explanation of why the story keeps looping upends my initial false understanding and the ending meaning I had come up with, and it makes me feel sad because of that.
I do value facts however. And the fact is this story is largely and likely what you've come to explain. An attempt by someone who is asking for release. Normally I don't say a story makes me feel depressed, just sad. I've played many games that actively made me sad or were painful to watch certain things happen in them, games that could also be called a "story of tragedy" as it were. This one with a better understanding of what all it's moving parts are trying to say and do, just hurts to think about. What it is at the end of it all. I'm not saying that to say I find it unworthy though. It just becomes less enjoyable to think about over a game that makes me sad of tragedy.
As a person who also doesn't believe in the concept of souls and an afterlife either, I don't attribute much to that either unless the fantasy/sci-fi world sets up for it existing in the first place. As such, it makes THE ending even more difficult. I suppose Artifact, if I'm remembering the right one, has some degree of positive nature to it, but all of them have something about them that with the explanation just doesn't feel "good" anymore. That may very well have been the point, and I've played games in the past that have done something similar to that, but it's rare a game deals effective psychic damage to me like the general explanation of this game gave.
Part of me wishes the game's story had been done differently, one where I had my original understanding as flawed as it was and an ending the felt right to me. Instead of an explanation of what appear to be facts/truths of this world upending that. The game is a story of tragedy that can't be undone largely. I guess I just wish my thought of a small sliver of something that wasn't tragedy could remain, but with the explanation it really can't.
That's fine. I've accepted that, as much as I wish I could rewind it. Not every story we engage with will ultimately be what we hoped in the beginning, such is life. Thank you for the follow up video. As I said before I appreciate understanding and knowing, even if knowing doesn't give me the results I had hoped for. I prefer to live in the actuality and not a subjective fever dream.
That one thing, Signalis does expertly in my opinion. The reality of life is not always what we wish it to be or feel. It sometimes just is. And we need to understand and accept it, and learn how we can do what we need to do and continue moving forward for as long as we can.
Thank you Sir.
Wait there's more? 😅
yeah it sure is a breakdown all right T_T
kek, you know the first vid was a big hit when the developer itself comes out just to correct you lol.
Even though Xplorer’s two-dream theory is the best I’ve seen, it’s still not correct - because there IS no unified theory that explains everything. There are too many nonsensical / unconnected elements which don’t mesh. For example, why are is there an elevator shaft full of ELSTR bodies if the timeline resets each time? Why is the Penrose adrift in deep space, crash-landed on a snow field AND crash-landed on a snow world? It would only make sense if ALL of it was just one bizarre dream with no connection to reality.
No fucking way part 2 and it just came out a few mins ago
Yay :)
You saying Itou as “Itu” is cursed
My apologies! What is the name's correct pronunciation?
@@indiexplorergames ou/ō is a lengthen o in Japanese (I’ve put both of ways of representing it in the romanization/Rōmaji for it)
Also here is Itou’s name in Katakana いとう.
Part 2 🤣👍