Silent Hill's One True Heir Is Still Signalis

3 days ago 5

Published Jan 31, 2026, 10:30 AM EST

Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical.

Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history.

In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest.

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No video game franchise has the same horrific reputation as Silent Hill. Far from employing simple shock value, Silent Hill's scares are layered, often reflecting some psychological issue afflicting its protagonist.

Unfortunately, despite how beloved entries like Silent Hill 2 are, few developers have been able to recreate the magic of Silent Hill at its best. While games like the criminally underrated Rule of Rose were able to replicate Silent Hill's signature depth, their gameplay often failed to recreate the tense encounters Silent Hill is famous for.

One game, however, absolutely nailed the Silent Hill formula, and 4 years later, it's still a hidden gem of the Nintendo Switch's library.

Silent Hill's Successor Is The Retro Survival Horror Throwback Fans Have Waited For

Signalis' Elster standing around with a pistol in her hand.

Released in 2022 by developer rose-engine, Signalis is a survival horror game set in the far-reaches of space. The player takes control of an android named Elster who appears to be searching for someone close to them.

To say too much more about the plot would give things away, but needless to say, Elster's quest brings her into contact with deteriorating androids whose minds have degraded to the point of essentially being zombies.

A true survival horror throwback, Signalis takes plenty of cues from the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. Elements of resource management, solving puzzles, and engaging with enemies all have the distinct feel of classic survival horror, making the game feel like a throwback in the best way.

While the mechanics alone are enough to earn Signalis comparisons to Konami's beloved series, what really makes the indie darling one of the best modern survival horror titles is its story.

Silent Hill's True Heir Finally Recaptures The Series' Psychological Complexity

Official promo image for Signalis, showing a character's robotic arm getting torn off.

Signalis is one of the few games that truly feels alien and eldritch. Despite not featuring any extraterrestrial life, the game's twisting narrative feels truly otherworldly. As Elster continues her quest, players begin to question what's literal, what's symbolic, and whether any distinction can even be drawn between the two.

This puts Signalis in league with the very best Silent Hill stories, which similarly play with the protagonist's sense of reality to craft a narrative that feels truly unknowable.

Signalis is currently $19.99 on the Nintendo Eshop, and should be available for a similar price on PS5, XBox, and Steam. Classic survival horror is definitely making a comeback, so it's no surprise that fans of Silent Hill would make something as great as Signalis.