FAKE SIGNALS Reviews

Pretty mid, if you haven't played the murder-puzzle games that this is clearly based on (Deadbolt, hotline miami, katana zero) play those and come back to this one (The tutorial is almost exactly the tutorial to deadbolt). There's a pretty decent amount of polish here but it also feels kinda like a student project. wait for a sale or something, I'd pay about 5$ for this game personally constructive criticism for the developer: 1. It's not clear why is happening/what the plot is. I think that part of that is because of translation issues, and no shade, that shit's expensive, but I think more visual storytelling (instead of text) would go a long way of bridging the gap 2. The cover mechanic feels half finished 3. It's not clear why the weapon collection mechanic is linked to hiding behind cover, why not just have weapon boxes? 4. What about the game makes it a rougelite? I think that some inter-level upgrades could go a long way towards making progression feel better 5. I think having to find a weapon every level gets tedious, you should let the player start with a pistol or something, that'll speed up the spawn->learn->die->spawn cycle go faster

Quick Description: -Fake Signals is a 2d action platformer that takes inspiration from Door Kickers Action Squad, Deadbolt, and Hotline Miami. This game has a great soundtrack, really cool assortment of weapons, offers a pretty intense challenge, and is a lot of fun. This game at it's best feels like an action puzzle, similar to Katana Zero or Hotline Miami. It's a little rough around the edges though. The stealth options are basically non-existent, which is a lost opportunity. Deadbolt does an amazing job of giving you lots of creative stealth tools to escape undetected. Some of the later missions start to feel like you really only have 1 true way of completing them due to ammo constraints and the speed at which enemies attack. Even w/ these flaws, this is still a fun game that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. Consensus: -Middle of the Road Game (Tier 4 and makes up 25% of my reviews). The visual style is great - it's a ton of fun to blast enemies to smithereens. The soundtrack is fast and feels perfect for the hardcore nature of this game. You will die quickly and frequently, but figuring out a solution to some of the tough challenges that this game offers can feel quite rewarding. If you love Hotline Miami, Katana Zero, or Deadbolt, this may be just the game for you.

Yeah, this one is pretty fun. But fair warning, this is not an easy game. If you're an older gamer (like me) and remember playing games like Elevator Action, Rolling Thunder, Dark Castle, etc. then you will probably be right at home with this one. Basically combine those kind of games (especially E.A and R.T.), with the intense, twitch gameplay of something like Hotline Miami, and you're coming close to what this game is like. It's almost more of a "puzzle" game than a platformer. Although it's not like there is only one solution to each map (actually, a few maps do have pretty linear solutions). The player can experiment with different tactics on most levels. The general gameplay loop is something like: "You're dropped into, or in front of a large building or series of buildings. You can use stealth by shutting off lights, or destroying them outright (Protip: throw your knife at lights, you can pick it up again as long as you don't throw it at an enemy unit), and you usually have to assassinate every one of the cyborgs and other enemies on the stage. A few stages have other goals though, to keep things interesting. In each area there are object scattered around you can both use for (crappy) cover, and use as a source of weapons. Most firearms have 3-10 bullets (but limited ammo crates can be found too, to reload with). Then its up to you to sneak around, ambush or lure enemies to their doom (Protip #2: Always try for headshots *herp-a-derp*). After each mission, you drive around in your car and can read emails with tips for the next stage or examine your unlocked weapons, etc. That's pretty much it. You used to get one hit point, but the devs recently made your dude a little more resilient, and he can now take two direct hits from most weapons (except crazy shiz like grenade launchers, shotguns, etc). This is one of those games where you can start a stage, and not even realize you just spent 3 hours on one level, because when you die, you start the whole level over again. There are zero checkpoints, that's right... you either get in, kill everyone and get out in one piece, or you try again. I'm only about 2 missions into the 2nd Zone, but I definitely think this game is pretty solid (even if the current mission is pissing me the hell off, with these stupid knife-throwing asshats.) and is definitely worth a buy if you enjoy stealth or Hotline Miami style one-life run, games. But once again, I must reiterate, this game is not easy and does not pull any punches. You will die, a whole lot! One final note: Ignore the "Roguelite" tag on the store page, this is definitely not even remotely one. Also before I forget, the music is pretty solid. It's almost all tense Synthwave inspired vibes (very reminiscent of Hotline Miami once again). __________________ ~ I am a former Quality Assurance Lead Tester, with over 20 years in the industry and nearly 40 years of PC and Console gaming experience. ~ Video Games are my lifeblood and I hope my reviews provide potential buyers with ample information to help them make a decision regarding their purchases.

A more accurate rating would be "mixed" The game is fun but it has some fundamental flaws. Firstly, stealth doesn't work in this game. The enemy always knows where you are regardless of where you are hiding on the map. If you snipe someone from across the map, any alerted enemy will magically know exactly where you sniped him from and come running to your location. The light switch mechanic seems pointless where turning off the lights has no noticeable effect on your visibility. You can get trapped in this game, where you are covering from enemy fire and they never stop, so the very second you come from out of cover you instantly die. I think this game would be really fun if they fleshed it out more. Fix the enemy AI so they don't automatically somehow know where you are and come running to you, add some sort of crouching mechanic for stealth, make it be so turning the light switches actually do anything, and fix issues where you're essentially trapped while covering.