Signs of Life

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Signs of Life is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by Sweet Dog Studios and was released on January 27, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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.

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 589 reviews

story36 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Well-designed graphics and animations that create an immersive atmosphere.
Deep crafting system that encourages exploration and experimentation.
Active developer engagement with the community, responding to feedback and implementing updates.

Slow development pace with long gaps between updates, leading to concerns about the game's future.
Clunky inventory management and UI that can be confusing for new players.
Limited content and progression, making the game feel repetitive after a certain point.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The game's story is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling, with players uncovering the narrative by exploring the alien planet and interacting with its remnants. While the premise is intriguing and offers a mix of scripted and emergent storytelling, many players find the narrative somewhat disjointed and incomplete, often requiring effort to piece together the plot. Overall, the story has potential and is engaging for those who enjoy exploration and crafting, but it currently lacks depth and clarity, leaving players eager for future updates to expand the narrative.
- “The premise is simple but effective: after escaping a doomed mission via emergency pod, you awaken alone on an unknown planet with minimal equipment and a damaged AI companion.”
- “Storytelling is largely environmental, conveyed through derelict structures, scattered logs, strange alien technology, and the gradual realization that this planet is far more complex—and dangerous—than it first appears.”
- “The story is fascinating and steeped in meaningful discoveries.”
- “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.”
- “Unfortunately, the storyline can't seem to latch onto what the atmosphere does and write a compelling narrative to motivate the player into finding out what happened on this planet.”
gameplay
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
5%
Gameplay in "Signs of Life" features a complex loop of exploration, resource gathering, crafting, and combat, with players encountering a variety of alien creatures that require different strategies. While many appreciate the depth and immersive mechanics, some find the learning curve steep and the communication of essential mechanics lacking, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is praised for its solid mechanics and potential, though it faces criticism for clunky controls and a harsh death penalty that can detract from the experience.
- “Gameplay revolves around a tightly interwoven loop of exploration, resource gathering, crafting, and combat.”
- “Players who enjoy slow, system-driven survival games often praise Signs of Life for its depth, freedom, and sense of discovery, highlighting the satisfaction of mastering its mechanics and gradually uncovering the planet’s secrets.”
- “The gameplay seems to be rather smooth and just different enough from similar games to make it stand out amongst its peers.”
- “While the game started off feeling a tad confusing and aimless, over time I began to understand that exploring and learning the mechanics and world were as much a part of the gameplay loop as the more conventional mechanics.”
- “Nice graphics but super boring gameplay with horrible controls and UI; it could have been much better.”
- “Unfortunately, the core of the gameplay - mining and crafting - doesn't bring much new to the table for the most part.”
graphics
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players praising the detailed animations and vibrant art style that enhance the overall experience. While some critiques mention a preference for 3D graphics over the 2D aesthetic, the unique visual presentation and charming artwork have captivated fans, making it stand out among similar titles like Terraria and Starbound. Overall, the graphics are described as lovely, immersive, and a significant draw for players, despite some minor technical issues.
- “The graphics are lovely and there is a lot of detail going into the animations.”
- “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 concept of such a game isn't bad, but there's no excuse for doing this in 2D when 3D graphics became popular 20 years earlier.”
- “This game tries to be the new Minecraft, but its interface is so hard to use and the graphics are somewhere between stupid and awful.”
- “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.”
humor
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is described as quirky and satirical, with a mix of hit-or-miss jokes that can be both charming and annoying. Players appreciate the unique art style and the amusing interactions with AI characters, though some feel the humor can be overdone or fall flat at times. Overall, the game offers a fun experience for those who enjoy exploration and a lighthearted approach to gameplay.
- “Filled with satirical humor and charming artwork.”
- “I love the humor present in some of the logs you come across and definitely get a chuckle out of the AI that acts like it's totally high.”
- “Also has a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy humor vibe that I like, plus a suicide button if you get tired of living.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
48%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with relaxing and ethereal tracks that complement the setting. While some players found the soundtrack to be haunting and captivating, others noted that it could be too subtle or easily overlooked, particularly during intense moments. Overall, the sound design and music contribute positively to the game's ambiance, though a few players felt the lack of more dynamic combat music was a missed opportunity.
- “Sound design reinforces this atmosphere, using ambient audio and subtle musical cues to heighten the feeling of being alone on a distant world.”
- “The music is incredible, with the name of the song showing in the bottom left corner of the screen being a nice touch.”
- “The aesthetic is awesome, with the graphics and soundtrack really making it an immersive experience.”
- “No music.”
- “The soundtrack I hardly noticed.”
- “So far the songs I’ve heard, when I pay attention to them, 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
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its blend of functional pixel-art characters and richly detailed backgrounds that evoke a sense of scale and mystery. The sound design complements this with ambient audio and soothing musical cues, enhancing the feeling of isolation on an alien planet. Players appreciate the game's ability to shift atmospheres dramatically, from cheerful and vibrant to dark and eerie, creating an immersive experience that encourages exploration and discovery, despite some critiques regarding the narrative's coherence.
- “Visually, signs of life balance functional pixel-art characters with more detailed, atmospheric backgrounds that give the planet a sense of scale and mystery.”
- “Sound design reinforces this atmosphere, using ambient audio and subtle musical cues to heighten the feeling of being alone on a distant world.”
- “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.”
- “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
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find the tech tree moderately paced and engaging, others describe certain crafting and resource-gathering elements as tedious and unnecessarily grindy. The game offers a decent experience for crafting enthusiasts, but many feel that improvements are needed to reduce the repetitiveness and enhance accessibility to essential resources.
- “The tech tree is moderate and not too grindy to unlock; the few story elements that it offers have a degree of engagement.”
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding, as each level up brings a sense of accomplishment and progression.”
- “The balance between grinding and story progression keeps me engaged without feeling overwhelmed.”
- “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.”
- “This game is like Starbound, but it's far more grindy (right now, soon to be better balanced).”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting a range of experiences from consistent performance to significant bugs and glitches. While some players appreciate the game's potential and find it enjoyable despite its issues, others express frustration over unfinished features, lack of communication from developers, and the presence of annoying graphical glitches. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further polishing to enhance stability and user experience.
- “Unfinished and buggy, and unfortunately it looks like development is on hold for understandable reasons.”
- “Tutorial helps a little bit, but it is buggy; I tried to start the tutorial in multiplayer and the game broke.”
- “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.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered low, with many players noting that it can be completed in a single day and lacks dynamic content, leading to minimal incentive for multiple playthroughs. While some find it entertaining for a limited time, the static maps and repetitive gameplay diminish long-term engagement. However, there are hopes for future updates that could enhance replay value significantly.
- “All in all, it's my current favorite in the genre, well worth the price, and promises to continue on as an enthralling game with high replayability and hours of enjoyment.”
- “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)”
- “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.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with smooth performance and no significant loading or frame rate issues, even with many objects on screen. However, some bugs, such as screen stretching and the lack of item despawning, have been noted, though they do not significantly affect performance.
- “Game performance is great, with 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 never despawns items or enemies, and containers can be nested arbitrarily, neither of which has any significant impact on performance.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is perceived as lacking depth, with many users noting a juvenile and unwholesome theme that detracts from a more meaningful emotional experience.