The Signal State Review written by Roos Heilig
Put away your 10 Year Series books and have those mental wires uncrossed for your keyboard instead, because no amount of revision will prepare you for the post-apocalyptic life. Brought to you by the creative Reckoner Industries in conceptualising a puzzle game with modular synthesizers cited as an inspiration, The Signal State puts you through a series of challenges that gets increasingly challenging and your thinking caps probably burning the midnight oil (just do not vent it out on the farm, they are rebuilding after all).
Guided by a lady simply known as Miriam, you are assigned to bring several machines back to life through configuring a series of circuitry and placing them on the right output. You might think “this cannot be rocket science, it’s just plug and play” but that is where your assumptions come tumbling down like wayward hay; threading through a fine needle takes precise understanding and the various components come with different requirements. Do not let that daunting task scare you off though, as Miriam is there to guide you along the way for each machine while explaining the purpose of each circuit before placing those cables. In a way, this is reminiscent of retro game Operation but reimagined for the modern generation so be careful where you place those cables!
Avoiding potential overheating aside, your operating table takes place on a panel which serves as your main workstation for The Signal State. Through each machinery, the power requirements differ and are supported by placing components that regulate voltage for indicated outlets while cables provide connectivity between items. Once completed, the Power Source will be played and reveals if your configuration is successful through an indicator bar which portrays wavelengths for the System Output(s). Unsure about the task given by Miriam? She is just a hint away via the ? icon and interestingly, The Signal State comes with an option to use Discord as an alternative choice. This is an innovative and engaging way to bring players together while discussing some of the more elaborate tasks in The Signal State.
After all, it takes more than one person to rebuild a farm, let alone restoring an agricultural system. In addition to the traditional Leaderboard system, The Signal State takes interactivity on another level through Sandbox Mode and Puzzle Workshop. Both options will enable players to come up with their own creations (Sandbox) while testing out ideas conceptualised by others (Puzzle Workshop). For updates on the former and The Signal State, visit the link here along with social media links. Reckoner Industries is part of The Iterative Collective umbrella, a Singaporean indie game incubator and Publisher that has other titles under their watch. Check them out here.
