There’s something incredibly satisfying about playing a survival crafting game that the setting can change dramatically without losing any of what makes the underlying loop so compelling. It’s no wonder, then, that so many studios have set out to try their hand at it. A new indie studio called Goose Byte is working on one called The Signal, and it’s about to head into some early pre-alpha testing – and you can get involved.
The Signal is about journeying to an alien world to find a new home for humanity, which has been forced to abandon earth in the wake of a climate catastrophe. As part of the exploratory team to first chart this new potential home, you’ll need to forage for resources, build a base, and learn the ways of the local plant and wildlife.
The Signal adds a couple fun new ideas to the survival game genre. Every plant, animal, and natural phenomenon you encounter, for example, has a role to play in the larger ecosystem, and by scanning more and more of them, you begin to develop a better picture of how they all fit together. Picking out the patterns in how these creatures interact with their environment is key to survival.
Another fun addition is the ability to build your own vehicles. This is a big planet, after all, so hoofing around it on foot won’t do. In The Signal, you’ll be able to use the Cortex OS to design rovers and utility vehicles to take on long journeys or short hauling tasks. That’s not all Cortex OS can do, though: with it, you’ll also be able to store designs for other inventions, like upgraded scanners to monumental bridges.
Gradually, you’ll learn that you’re not the first advanced species to wander this “new” planet, and the threads of an ancient mystery will being to appear.
If you enjoyed the base building in Fallout 4 or the feeling of stepping out onto an unknown world in No Man’s Sky, The Signal is probably worth checking out. If you want a chance to hop in early, Goose Bytes is running a week-long playtest right now, and you can ask to participate by joining the game’s official Discord server.
Check out our list of the best space games for more options, or peruse our picks for the best building games on PC.
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