Signs of Life

About

"Signs of Life" is a sci-fi first-person adventure game that allows players to explore an abandoned space station and discover the fate of its lost crew. Utilize survival and puzzle-solving skills to delve into the mystery, while combating alien creatures and repairing systems necessary for progress. The game features unique environmental storytelling, immersive atmosphere, and an emphasis on exploration and discovery.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 466 reviews

story27 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game has a captivating art style and smooth animations that enhance the overall experience.
The crafting system is deep and rewarding, encouraging exploration and resource gathering.
The developer is responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.

The game has been in early access for a long time with slow updates, leading to concerns about its future development.
There is a lack of content and variety, making the gameplay feel repetitive after a while.
The controls and UI can be clunky and unintuitive, which may frustrate new players.

story
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
5%
The game's story is described as intriguing but often confusing, with players noting that it can be hard to follow and lacks clear direction. While some find the narrative engaging and appreciate the organic way it unfolds through exploration, others criticize it for being shallow or incomplete, especially given its early access status. Overall, there is potential for a captivating storyline, but many players feel it needs further development and clarity to fully enhance the gaming experience.
- “The story is fascinating and steeped in meaningful discoveries.”
- “Great game, a little slow to start, but so much fun figuring out the story and locations.”
- “The story and message are driven by mechanics, with player exploration playing a large part in progressing, and it feels entirely organic.”
- “The story can be a bit hard to follow; I'm not really understanding what your next goal is, but I think that's the point. It's open-ended, and it's up to you if you want to really put effort into finding out what's going on and discovering the alien tech.”
- “There is a story somewhere in here, but unfortunately, the bad gameplay prevents the player from experiencing that.”
- “The game unfortunately never captures the balance it aims for, and instead falls flat on its face with its story.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their appealing art style, detailed animations, and vibrant aesthetics, often compared favorably to titles like Terraria and Starbound. Players appreciate the immersive experience created by the lifelike character movements and the unique sci-fi setting, although some note occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the game is recognized for its high-quality pixel art and engaging visual design, making it a standout in the genre.
- “I find the graphics so nice, the animations are the most detailed and immersive I've ever seen in a side-scroller. The decorating is phenomenal and the digging is the most satisfying I've ever played in a Terraria-like game.”
- “The art style is captivating and fresh - the animations bring a lot of life to your character, something these sorts of 2D games aren't really known for.”
- “The graphics are pleasing; bright and vibrant.”
- “I would say it's a prettier Terraria, but we are comparing 8-bit graphics to 16-bit graphics in the year 2017, so that isn't something they should take too much pride in.”
- “This game has gotten great, and at the very least, when I tell the dev that the game is unplayable because there is a huge strip of flashing black over the graphics that can't be corrected by any means, the dev listens and attempts to fix it instead of ignoring it for 3 years, like Tiy did with Starbound.”
- “Unfortunately, Signs of Life is a mediocre attempt at a Minecraft replica. It all seemed so promising; graphics felt like old-school 90's stuff.”
gameplay
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its solid mechanics, immersive experience, and unique features, though some players note issues with clunky controls and a lack of content. While many appreciate the depth of exploration and crafting, others express frustration with the harsh death penalty and the absence of multiplayer options. Overall, the game shows potential but may require further updates and refinements to fully realize its capabilities.
- “The gameplay feels solid and immersive at times.”
- “Great gameplay, amazing progress over the years, definitely worth the time.”
- “The gameplay is phenomenal, and the real-life terms are amazing.”
- “Gameplay is clunky, slow and gives you no hints on battle/fighting whatsoever.”
- “I can't play this game with this gameplay, and by gameplay I mean the way that the character is moving... terrible, worst in its category so far.”
- “The general mechanics are a little sloppy; there are also other games like this.”
humor
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its quirky and satirical humor, complemented by charming artwork that enhances the comedic experience. While some jokes may not land for everyone, the overall tone is light-hearted and enjoyable, with characters and situations that evoke laughter. Players appreciate the blend of humor with gameplay elements, making it a fun and engaging experience.
- “Filled with satirical humor and charming artwork.”
- “Definitely a game with a sense of humor.”
- “I love the humor and the artwork is interesting and original.”
music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its outstanding quality and immersive nature, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience. While some players find the soundtrack relaxing and fitting for the game's atmosphere, others feel it lacks impact, particularly during combat scenarios. Overall, the music is generally well-received, contributing positively to the gameplay, though it may not stand out for everyone.
- “The music is outstanding; quite a bit of thought was put into the process of interacting with the menus and the GUIs.”
- “The aesthetic is awesome, with the graphics and soundtrack really making it an immersive experience.”
- “The soundtrack is haunting, hypnotizing, and cathartic.”
- “No music.”
- “The soundtrack I hardly noticed.”
- “So far the songs I’ve heard when I pay attention to it, fit the whole atmosphere quite well; peaceful and lulling, perhaps too much so as it tends to flow in one ear and out the other.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and contrasting environments, ranging from serene and colorful landscapes to dark, eerie depths filled with danger. Players appreciate the organic sense of discovery that enhances the atmospheric experience, although some feel the storyline fails to match the compelling ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere effectively evokes a sense of exploration and tension, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The game starts abruptly as your escape pod crashes downward into the atmosphere of an unknown planet with a limited fuel supply. You land safely upon flattened terrain with nothing resembling a civilization around as you gaze through the glass at your new surroundings, you step forth...”
- “As you progress throughout the game, the developers have managed to create an atmosphere of discovery that is almost completely organic: the more you do and the more you explore, the more you will learn.”
- “As you explore deeper, the atmosphere of the game gets even creepier, with alien tentacles raining acid on you, floating sacks of pus that explode, and large vicious-looking aliens with scythes for legs.”
- “The atmosphere is dark, dank, empty, and devoid of all human life.”
- “Dig down, or explore one of the abandoned stations at night, and the atmosphere does a complete 180-degree turn.”
- “As you explore deeper, the atmosphere of the game gets even more creepy, with alien tentacles raining acid on you, floating sacks of pus that explode, and large vicious-looking aliens with scythes for legs.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
10%
80%
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find the tech tree moderately accessible and enjoy the crafting elements, many feel that the process can be tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to resource gathering and crafting requirements. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the game's potential for exploration and crafting, suggesting that it can still be enjoyable for those who are fans of the genre.
- “The tech tree is moderate and not too grindy to unlock; the few story elements that it offers have a degree of engagement.”
- “It's interesting but ultimately everything still feels tedious and the tutorial explains almost nothing.”
- “If the game was in this state back when I first started playing, I would have a bit of hope that things would improve in the future, but after 5 years and it still being this tedious to play, it's just going to be a mediocre game that I wouldn't be able to even justify spending 10 USD on.”
- “Although I kind of like being left to my own devices, it feels like a lot of basic things you need are pretty hard to find. Mining traditionally just simply isn't worth it, as the stuff you really need isn't easy to find just by mining tiles; your best bet is smashing deposits you find in caves, which is kind of tedious to go around and find them.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it can be completed in a single day and lacks dynamic content, leading to a static experience. While some players found it entertaining for a limited time, the consensus is that it does not offer enough variety or depth for long-term engagement. Future updates or expansions could potentially enhance its replay value.
- “If Signs of Life is released with just a quarter of the content that Starbound has, it will be an extremely fun and replayable game.”
- “(replayability! 10/10)”
- “☑ replayable”
- “This game was all but dead when I reviewed it and could be completed in one day, with virtually no replay value to speak of.”
- “This is basically a different spin on Starbound, with a slightly better interface, but much less that you can do game-wise, and zero replay value as the maps are static.”
- “Other than hitboxes and parasite sheep glitching through blocks, I had a fun time with this game. Currently, I wouldn't recommend you go into it looking for a 15+ hour experience because it's only really fun for under 15 hours. Unless you don't complete the game, then you're good until it's done; there's not really much replayability.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report a generally consistent experience with few crashes, there are notable issues with bugs, particularly in the tutorial and multiplayer modes. Graphical glitches add a humorous element for some, but others find the lack of clear communication from developers and insufficient patch notes frustrating. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further refinement to address its stability concerns.
- “Tutorial helps a little bit, but it is buggy; I tried to start the tutorial in multiplayer and the game broke.”
- “For now... great potential, however buggy.”
- “Slow development, devs barely speak and the game is not great, buggy & not very clear, and super tiny text; it's just bang on annoying. Also, the developer pushes out updates and never updates the patch notes on Steam, which would literally take a few minutes. I personally find that annoying because I like to know what I'm downloading.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game is free to play but heavily relies on microtransactions, which include both cosmetic and gameplay-oriented options. Many users feel that these microtransactions hinder the game's development and updates, attributing this to perceived developer greed.
- “There are gameplay-oriented microtransactions.”
- “It's free but loaded with microtransactions.”
- “There are cosmetic microtransactions.”
- “Microtransactions get in the way of development and updates due to developer greed.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its strong performance, with no significant loading times or frame rate issues, even with many objects on screen. However, some users have reported bugs, such as screen stretching, indicating that there are still areas needing improvement despite the game's alpha status.
- “Game performance is great; there are no long loading times, frame hitches, or issues with large numbers of objects on screen.”
- “This game is well programmed and has great performance on all my computers and notebooks. I can't believe it's still in alpha; it's more like a full game.”
- “There are some bugs with game optimization; the screen tends to stretch.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops.”
- “Optimization is lacking, resulting in long loading times and stuttering gameplay.”