The Signal: Everything We Know

Goose Byte has officially lifted the veil on a new survival crafting game called The Signal, a project that will look to merge idyllic alien landscapes drizzled in vibrant flora, with rich and mystifying puzzles and lore. Sounds interesting, for sure. Question is, how will it look to compete with other survival and crafting games of its kind?

“We’re really excited about the world we’re building for The Signal,” said Goose Byte founder and CEO Theodor Diea via a press release. “We want to take players on a journey: as you step out onto this uncharted planet you are faced immediately with an environment that is as mysterious as it is beautiful. This planet is teeming with unknown flora and fauna across multiple, massive biomes. But not everything is as it seems. The planet is fully aware of your actions and, the longer you spend exploring, the more it starts interacting and messing with you.”

Caught your attention? If so, then be sure to read on for all the latest updates on the matter below. The Signal: just what is it, and when can we expect to get our hands on it?

What Is The Signal?

The Signal is both a single-player and sixteen-player survival crafting game that’ll cast its focus on an alien planet—a world shrouded in ancient flora and mythical beings. Sent out to establish a new home away from Earth, you will set out across this vast open planet and document the oddities and forgotten relics that bind to the roots of the lost alien civilization. The question you’re trying to find the answer to: is the planet safe enough to carry the torch for humanity, or is it destined to crumble beneath the carbon footprint that you and your squad are bound to leave behind during your daring exploits?

“The last remaining humans have abandoned Earth in search of a new home,” the Steam description reads in part. “Your expedition of climate refugees has you venturing into the unknown on an uncharted alien planet filled with wonder and peril.”

“Survival requires a deep understanding of the ecosystem as your discoveries fuel your ability to invent the infrastructure, equipment, and vehicles needed to progress,” it continues. “They also reveal cryptic patterns all around you, tied into the ecosystem and linked to ancient alien relics. Delve deeper into the planet to unravel its secrets and determine your fate on this captivating new world.”

Story

As it stands, not a whole lot is known about this alien planet that developer Goose Byte speaks of, other than it being home to “tranquil glades, peaceful meadows, and rolling hills, to damp muskegs, wind-sheared canyons, molten lava fields, and frigid tundras.” Quite the fantasy realm, from the sounds of it. That said, there’s an underlying issue that yearns to be discovered beneath the roots of the alien planet, and it’ll be your responsibility to unearth it. No pressure there, then.

“You’ve come here to make a new start for humanity, but instead discover a world teeming with intriguing life, mysterious artifacts, and strange phenomena,” the description elaborates. “Scan the flora, fauna, geological and alien landmarks to understand the environment’s function and value. Studying the patterns that emerge in your surroundings – and how they react to your presence – are key to the advancement of your expedition on this planet.”

Gameplay

A lot of people are saying the gameplay footage is highly reminiscent of No Man’s Sky — and we can sort of agree with them. Clearly, combat won’t be a major factor in The Signal, but more research and development, which will contribute towards the player’s overall progression and ability to venture deeper into the open world. There’ll be a great deal of crafting, too, which will allow for custom vehicles to be built, facilities to be erected, and tools to be researched. Think Subnautica, basically, but with a rich sci-fi aesthetic, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it’s shooting for. Or at least, what we think it’s shooting for.

It’s fair to say that the bulk of the journey itself won’t be about reaching the epicenter of the issue, but more or less discovering each individual node and weaving a plausible timeline of events together from scratch. What happened on this planet, and how will you play your part on it? Plenty of questions to answer, that’s for sure. Here’s hoping an extended trailer will shed light on a few of these questions at some point before year’s end.

Development

🎉The Signal Steam store page is now LIVE🎉
Thank you for being so patient whilst we got this up and running! Please wish list and follow to show your support: https://t.co/onLu3z5ZRG

— Goose Byte (@goosebytegames) August 17, 2023

Goose Byte, the team behind the survival game, first teased the concept of The Signal a little earlier this month. Going by what the team said in its press release, it’ll be heading to PC via Steam once finalized, and then over to consoles at a later date. It wasn’t mentioned which consoles it would be heading to, though the general consensus seemed to point towards it arriving on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Only time will tell on that one.

Trailer

Thanks to Goose Byte officially lifting the veil on the project earlier this week, we do, in fact, have a trailer to at least gloss over. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

The Signal will be heading to PC via Early Access first, and then to consoles at some point in the (hopefully) not-so distant future. If all goes according to plan, then we should be getting a fresh update on its release window before year’s end. But don’t take our word for it, though. As it’s still early days, chances are there won’t be any new details for another five or six months yet.

Interested in staying up to date with The Signal? If so, then be sure to check in with Goose Byte over on its official social feed for all the pre-launch updates here. If anything changes ahead of its eventual release, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up  a copy of The Signal when it releases? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.