Dead Signal
- October 20, 2023
- Reflect Studios
"Dead Signal" is a first-person shooter horror game where players must navigate through a mysterious research facility filled with deadly creatures. Using various weapons and stealth, players must solve puzzles and uncover the facility's dark secrets while avoiding being detected. The game features a "reflect" mechanic, allowing players to record their actions and replay them to manipulate the environment and outsmart enemies.
Reviews
- The game combines elements from 'Welcome to the Game' and 'I'm On Observation Duty', creating a unique and engaging experience.
- Great atmosphere and sound design that keeps players on edge, with effective jump scares and a sense of paranoia.
- The game is accessible for newcomers while still providing a challenge for veterans, making it enjoyable for a wide range of players.
- The game suffers from performance issues and bugs, making it frustrating at times, especially with random deaths and unresponsive mechanics.
- Some players find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, with long waiting periods and a lack of engaging content after initial playthroughs.
- The tutorial and instructions are lacking, leading to confusion about mechanics and controls, which can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of horror and observation mechanics, offering a more accessible experience compared to previous entries in the series. Players appreciate the variety and smoothness of the mechanics, which include jump scares and time management elements, though some find the abundance of enemies can lead to repetitive gameplay. Overall, it strikes a balance between challenge and fun, making it suitable for both newcomers and seasoned players, while maintaining a tense atmosphere.
“Great replayability, fun gameplay with the reports, great horror aspects, the new noir mechanics is a massive upgrade, challenging.”
“Incredible atmosphere, fairly easy to understand mechanics (with some trial and error), awesome visuals, nice variety of gameplay, not as many 'hidden/obscure' mechanics as previous entries.”
“The time management mechanic alongside the many antagonists you'll face will fill you with a constant sense of having to hurry, ultimately blending into a great experience overall.”
“The game is a little too dry, with the only mechanic being repetitive watching of cameras and delivering packages, while there are enemies randomly spawning.”
“Despite being set in the same universe as 'Welcome to the Game', core gameplay elements from the previous entries are completely absent.”
“It seems as though gameplay variety has been prioritized over the system complexity from previous games such as 'Scrutinized', for example.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and immersive atmosphere, particularly when played on high settings with DLSS support, achieving impressive frame rates. However, some players report performance issues, even on lower settings, with complaints about unplayable frame rates and graphical glitches. Overall, while the game showcases beautiful graphics, it suffers from optimization problems that detract from the experience.
“Incredible atmosphere, fairly easy to understand mechanics (with some trial and error), awesome visuals, nice variety of gameplay, runs at 4k/60 max settings (DLSS balanced) on a 4070s.”
“Don't get me wrong, Dead Signal is like playing a top thriller or horror movie with its outstanding visuals and graphics.”
“This game was clearly made in Unreal Engine 5 and is beautiful; the graphic settings scale well, though I would like to see a way to remove motion blur without needing to turn post-processing down to the lowest.”
“I would definitely recommend this game, but do be warned that you'll likely have to play it on lower graphic settings.”
“I put the graphics on the lowest setting with no shadows and no detail to the point where it looks like a GMod map and still the game only runs around 30 fps, completely unplayable.”
“Put it back in the oven until it has completely standard options like ultra-widescreen resolution support or, bare minimum, resolutions that make sense and fill empty space with black bars to preserve screen ratio instead of squishing and stretching the visuals like a PC game out of the 1990s.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance on high settings, while others report significant performance issues and poor optimization, even on high-end hardware. Many users express frustration over the lack of proper fixes and the game's demanding specifications, which can lead to visual issues at lower settings. Overall, optimization appears to be a major concern, with calls for improvements from the developers.
“Some substantial performance problems, but maybe those can be worked around?”
“There's really only one big issue that I have that honestly really drags the game down for me, and that's the extreme performance issues.”
“As a side note, this game is not particularly well optimized, and does not work well on weird screen resolutions such as my own (2560x1080).”
“It's cool and all, but I wish these developers would pull their heads out of their ass when it comes to optimization and proper fixes; they never have so.”
“Horribly optimized game; I have way above the minimum required specs, got 16GB of RAM, an RTX 3060 Ti, and a Ryzen 7 CPU.”
“I don't know if this was just a case of poor optimization or somehow the game is just that demanding of specs, but it is a big issue, especially when lower settings mess with textures of things, making it sometimes really hard to tell what you're looking at.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its incredible immersion and creepiness, making it particularly effective for horror fans. Reviewers highlight the combination of stunning visuals, engaging sound design, and a variety of gameplay elements that enhance the overall experience. Many recommend playing at night to fully appreciate the unsettling ambiance and memorable scares.
“Very creepy atmosphere and the RNG factors always keep the inevitable replaying fresh.”
“The scares are good, and the atmosphere is incredible.”
“The atmosphere is, as usual, really immersive.”
“Very creepy atmosphere, and the RNG factors always keep the inevitable replaying fresh.”
“As always, the atmosphere will make you feel so uneasy, especially when you get lost checking the cameras.”
- music5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its impressive quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with standout tracks that elevate the overall experience. Users particularly noted the energetic main menu music and the effective use of ambient sounds, contributing to a captivating auditory environment.
“Amazing atmosphere & music!”
“Main menu music had no reason to go that hard!!!”
“I live for the safety of elevator music.”
“Music/sound.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes and bugs that hinder gameplay, making it frustrating and often unplayable. Players report experiences of being killed by glitches and overall describe the game as a buggy and unfair disaster.
“Keep restarting my computer and uninstalled the game and it still freezes my whole screen.”
“Only issue is Delfalco is incredibly buggy and has killed me after he left the premises many times.”
“I had played this months ago, so I forget about specifics with this game, but I remember it being a buggy, unplayable, unfun, and unfair disaster that I could only bother to do on easy mode after a few attempts on normal.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted as entertaining, particularly highlighted by a comical elevator scene. However, some players express discomfort with the developer's past "troll" updates that manipulate gameplay, leading to mixed feelings about the humor's implications. Overall, while the humor is appreciated, it raises concerns about privacy and developer intentions.
“But the elevator is so damn funny.”
“I wrote a funny review but I have to change it so that people can be enlightened.”
- story4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a dark web worker, integrating elements from the "wttg" universe, which has generated excitement for future developments. However, some players found the ending unsatisfactory, expressing a desire for a more conclusive resolution.
“The premise of the story and the concept of a dark web worker are intriguing.”
“This game also starts to tie in the world of WTTG, so I'm super excited to see where the story goes from here.”
“The premise of the story and the concept of a dark web worker are intriguing, but the execution falls flat.”
“The ending is a bit lackluster; I wish there were more to conclude the story.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling overwhelmed by the search for events, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and intended atmosphere of the game.
“I know there are more than enough events, but often it feels tedious to search for them.”
“Really wanted to like this, but it's just tedious and ridiculous.”
“It makes it tedious rather than scary.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is noted to be engaging and enjoyable, though some players may find certain modes, like nightmare mode, too intense or challenging for their preferences.
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers great replayability due to its engaging gameplay, enhanced noir mechanics, and challenging elements, all while incorporating effective horror aspects that keep players coming back for more.
“Great replayability with fun gameplay and engaging reports. The horror aspects are impressive, and the new noir mechanics are a massive upgrade, making it quite challenging.”
“The game offers excellent replayability, with each playthrough feeling fresh and exciting due to its dynamic mechanics.”
“I love how replayable this game is! Each run presents new challenges and experiences, keeping me hooked for hours.”