The Signal From Tölva is a single-player, first-person, combat and exploration game.
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i had more fun with this than i expected
i love me some faction based open world, so this game was right up my alley, but i was not expecting this to also be a very relaxing experience with occasional heavy fightings in between, this game has a rank system, the bigger your rank, the more equipment you unlock and eventually youre leading a 4 team squad of rank 5 robots that can shield and heal during combat, its really fun unlocking perks to control stronger robots.
the story is a bit criptic and relies a lot on old logs you gotta read, but it boils down to smart species uncover something they shouldn't, overall i think the story could use some of that criptic Iron Lung style, it tries to but the supernatural elements are very minimal, and because you play through the lens of a controlled robot, the cool camera effects are not as pushed as they should, but whats here is very solid, steam says i took 7 hours to beat it but to me it felt like 3, it flies by and its really fun and relaxing.
i love me some faction based open world, so this game was right up my alley, but i was not expecting this to also be a very relaxing experience with occasional heavy fightings in between, this game has a rank system, the bigger your rank, the more equipment you unlock and eventually youre leading a 4 team squad of rank 5 robots that can shield and heal during combat, its really fun unlocking perks to control stronger robots.
the story is a bit criptic and relies a lot on old logs you gotta read, but it boils down to smart species uncover something they shouldn't, overall i think the story could use some of that criptic Iron Lung style, it tries to but the supernatural elements are very minimal, and because you play through the lens of a controlled robot, the cool camera effects are not as pushed as they should, but whats here is very solid, steam says i took 7 hours to beat it but to me it felt like 3, it flies by and its really fun and relaxing.
This game is decent. I enjoyed it but had my problems with it. I read from a couple of people who did the same thing as me, which was trying it out for a couple of hours and then set it aside for months. When I finally got back into it, I actually really appreciate it with some minor criticisms that may completely turn others off of the game. I've played for about 10 hours, but could have been finished a lot earlier if I weren't hunting achievements, and even then felt like I could have been finished with it a little earlier.
The on-boarding for this game isn't that great. After an hour or two of starting the game, I didn't know who I was, what I was doing or why I was doing it. After realizing that there are pretty much three mission types (control point, scan an area, and find the hidden objects), as well as what mechanics you have available (shield, aoe, and scan) it clicked for me and I started to enjoy it.
The Signal From Tölva is very close to being a walking simulator but is definitely a first-person shooter. I really enjoyed Sir, You Are Being Hunted by the same developers, which is a stealth/walking simulator that some aspects carried over into TSFT.
The walking in this game is interesting, much like SYABH, Big Robot LTD does a pretty good job with making an open environment interesting to walk through. They do this well by making menacing structures and landscape in the distance, with interesting stationary pieces with pretty decent graphics and the possibility of some hostiles in the distance to watch for. Walking actually makes me feel like a clunky robot that is glitching out.
The landscape looks very minimal, but not bad. It does feel kind of empty, but in the sense that they purposely created a strange, empty, alien landscape that has a story behind every structure or craft that crashed on the land. The lighting and visuals are very well done, and add to the effect of making you feel like that buggy robot that has scrambled vision, or is shifting its optics to a scan mode. The audio from the ambience, robots and music is very appropriate and pleasant. There's some kinds of "life" on the planet that you hear coming and going, and the robots will chatter with one another similarly to SYABH. The music fits the moods, and that despite being a low-fi, down-temp kind of synth music, it doesn't feel repetitive or abrasive, and it does escalate with the scenario.
Then the negatives. The walking feels tedious, especially if you're not sure where you're going, or you know you'll be travelling through the same terrain to complete an objective or after a respawn. It feels tedious because the land can be difficult to traverse, with clipping problems if you try to climb or squeeze between objects, and big, empty spaces with a few rocks placed in it. Thankfully, there's no jumping puzzle or collectibles/mission items that were in inaccessible areas, because there's always a clear path to follow through the map.
Coming off of SYABH, I'm surprised by the lack of enemy diversity. There's really robot humanoids that have about 3 models, as well as flying drones, stationary turrets and moving turrets that only appear during scripted events. In SYABH, you're introduced to different types of enemies, that gradually increase in difficulty, size, and behaviours. In TSFT, the enemy difficulty increases because the 3 models of robots carry different guns and appear in increased numbers.
The story wasn't too interesting to me, but it did leave off with a decent question. I didn't feel a connection to my robots or faction, and it was probably because the banter I received from anyone else was minimal. Even then, the instructions you receive from your robot boss isn't much, and usually expresses the same information you already know. It would have been great to hear more from robots around you, because the robot banter is great. The codex that tells the story is decent, with some humour thrown in, but I didn't really feel obliged to read each entry. That may be my own personal taste, but I still enjoyed the game regardless of not being invested into the plot.
Finally, the first person action of this game can be great, or mediocre. To start, there are about 5 different types of weapons, including the usual arsenal of a pistol, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. The other two types are a streaming beam weapon and a robot controller, which are both actually pretty neat and add to the styles of shoot-outs you can get into. The action is great when you're trying to take a control point, and suddenly a group of allies pop in to help out, then the enemies get their own backup, and the fire fight escalates dramatically which feels like the FPS it should be. However, I found that I picked my two favourite weapons, and every encountered felt the exact same: snipe the enemies, activate their shields, cover until they get close, jump out to perform an AOE and rifle the rest down. Nothing encouraged me to change this style of fighting, except a brief stint of controlling robots and sending them into fight, but that was not sustainable in certain regions.
Even then, I really enjoyed my time with this game and recommend it. Although, I really recommend watching some gameplay, because this will be 50-50 between the aesthetics of the planet and how a shoot-out will usually go. I do want to say that this game is very well made, and feels like an indie that can really compete against AA or even some AAA titles.
The on-boarding for this game isn't that great. After an hour or two of starting the game, I didn't know who I was, what I was doing or why I was doing it. After realizing that there are pretty much three mission types (control point, scan an area, and find the hidden objects), as well as what mechanics you have available (shield, aoe, and scan) it clicked for me and I started to enjoy it.
The Signal From Tölva is very close to being a walking simulator but is definitely a first-person shooter. I really enjoyed Sir, You Are Being Hunted by the same developers, which is a stealth/walking simulator that some aspects carried over into TSFT.
The walking in this game is interesting, much like SYABH, Big Robot LTD does a pretty good job with making an open environment interesting to walk through. They do this well by making menacing structures and landscape in the distance, with interesting stationary pieces with pretty decent graphics and the possibility of some hostiles in the distance to watch for. Walking actually makes me feel like a clunky robot that is glitching out.
The landscape looks very minimal, but not bad. It does feel kind of empty, but in the sense that they purposely created a strange, empty, alien landscape that has a story behind every structure or craft that crashed on the land. The lighting and visuals are very well done, and add to the effect of making you feel like that buggy robot that has scrambled vision, or is shifting its optics to a scan mode. The audio from the ambience, robots and music is very appropriate and pleasant. There's some kinds of "life" on the planet that you hear coming and going, and the robots will chatter with one another similarly to SYABH. The music fits the moods, and that despite being a low-fi, down-temp kind of synth music, it doesn't feel repetitive or abrasive, and it does escalate with the scenario.
Then the negatives. The walking feels tedious, especially if you're not sure where you're going, or you know you'll be travelling through the same terrain to complete an objective or after a respawn. It feels tedious because the land can be difficult to traverse, with clipping problems if you try to climb or squeeze between objects, and big, empty spaces with a few rocks placed in it. Thankfully, there's no jumping puzzle or collectibles/mission items that were in inaccessible areas, because there's always a clear path to follow through the map.
Coming off of SYABH, I'm surprised by the lack of enemy diversity. There's really robot humanoids that have about 3 models, as well as flying drones, stationary turrets and moving turrets that only appear during scripted events. In SYABH, you're introduced to different types of enemies, that gradually increase in difficulty, size, and behaviours. In TSFT, the enemy difficulty increases because the 3 models of robots carry different guns and appear in increased numbers.
The story wasn't too interesting to me, but it did leave off with a decent question. I didn't feel a connection to my robots or faction, and it was probably because the banter I received from anyone else was minimal. Even then, the instructions you receive from your robot boss isn't much, and usually expresses the same information you already know. It would have been great to hear more from robots around you, because the robot banter is great. The codex that tells the story is decent, with some humour thrown in, but I didn't really feel obliged to read each entry. That may be my own personal taste, but I still enjoyed the game regardless of not being invested into the plot.
Finally, the first person action of this game can be great, or mediocre. To start, there are about 5 different types of weapons, including the usual arsenal of a pistol, assault rifles, and sniper rifles. The other two types are a streaming beam weapon and a robot controller, which are both actually pretty neat and add to the styles of shoot-outs you can get into. The action is great when you're trying to take a control point, and suddenly a group of allies pop in to help out, then the enemies get their own backup, and the fire fight escalates dramatically which feels like the FPS it should be. However, I found that I picked my two favourite weapons, and every encountered felt the exact same: snipe the enemies, activate their shields, cover until they get close, jump out to perform an AOE and rifle the rest down. Nothing encouraged me to change this style of fighting, except a brief stint of controlling robots and sending them into fight, but that was not sustainable in certain regions.
Even then, I really enjoyed my time with this game and recommend it. Although, I really recommend watching some gameplay, because this will be 50-50 between the aesthetics of the planet and how a shoot-out will usually go. I do want to say that this game is very well made, and feels like an indie that can really compete against AA or even some AAA titles.
Interesting idea, wish it wasn't so empty.
I thought this game was boring at first but then I realized it is boring but in the good way. This game is made up of 3 parts; reading, walking, and fighting. A chunk of this game's lore is delivered through signals you find and are trying to solve the mystery of what the signal on Tolva is. The rest of the game is walking from point A to point B and getting in increasingly dangerous fire fights. It was a real treat that I'm glad I gave a 2nd try.
Really like how this handles open-world ish design in first person. Lots of fun to explore :)
Reminds me a little of Betrayer from 2014. Striking aesthetic and competently designed, if just a little repetitive.
More than anything it instills a sense of place. The planet has a distinct, palpable history; it's seen life and death in equal measure. Environmental storytelling isn't novel, but I'm guessing it'll always hit the spot for me. Games are at their best when they allow the space to speak for itself.
All Tölva needs is a good listener.
More than anything it instills a sense of place. The planet has a distinct, palpable history; it's seen life and death in equal measure. Environmental storytelling isn't novel, but I'm guessing it'll always hit the spot for me. Games are at their best when they allow the space to speak for itself.
All Tölva needs is a good listener.