So much has already been written about Nier: Automata and its predecessor. It is still a game that tries its best at conveying a story in a way only games can achieve.

I absolutely understand that the open-world design and the cyclical nature of its storytelling, can feel like a road block for some. I still believe that it is a game that should be at least tried once, because its emotional journey and its conclusion are ones that can't really be replicated away from the interactive medium.

The Soundtrack is one of the most impressive work I've ever heard. The chaos language, vocals focused, song-form approach to most of it, the many variations for every track, the masterful orchestration and composition; it is a unique sounding OST that only gets better with every listening.
The Nier series is immensely reliant on its music to bring its world and its themes together, and it succeeds perfectly at doing so.
Deeper attention and analysis, for musicians (and non-musicians), is an incredibly enriching and teaching experience about game (but not only) scoring.

I am fairly new to the survival horror genre, yet I still felt like Signalis shows mastery over every aspect of it.

The mecanics are refined, perfectly balancing the agency the player has and should have within the genre, where the lack of control over any situation and environment never causes frustration, only determination to overcome those obstacles.

The story strikes (again) balance between what needs to be openly stated, to set the stakes and the tone, and what is intentionally vague and open to interpretation, having the same function, but leaving what should be felt by every player personal. That is an intentional way of challenging the community that is well achieved by few, and a thoughtful artistic direction that makes the whole coherent and organic here.

The game is deeply enriched by its inspirations it quotes clearly and proudly; only showing how much care, love, and understanding was taken from them.

It has become somewhat of a common saying regarding the Indie Scene, that with that small of a team and budget, they achieved something far more focused, coherent and purposeful than most within the last decade, but I think it is still an important thing to mention, and an accomplishment well worth the praise it gets.

Signalis is a must play for every fan and everyone remotely interested in the genre, and a fantastic entry into it.