Completed Signal Void - A review of this Tale

[Sherri]

Note: Light spoilers ahead!

So, I'm very pleased to say that I've finished the Signal Void tale (Voyager difficulty). I've repaired the transmitters and found + explored all 4 bunkers. Wanted to share my feedback and review. Hoping to hear from anyone else who also finished!

What I Liked (Loved):

My favourite part of this Tale, was the sense of purpose that has been reinvigorated in me to play Survival mode, return to the game after almost a year away, and discover the new features releasing in the DLC. It was so so wonderful to come back to the game for many dozens of hours of new gameplay, to cross the map (a few times), visit most regions, and see new sights. The new features that came with the DLC were a nice addition- the game feels new again and fresh. I think adding these small 'quests' to Survival mode, optional of course, was a fantastic addition to me. I'm a Wintermute fan myself and adding purpose/story to Survival was definitely my jam.

Repairing the transmitters was challenging but doable. Gathering the supplies was fun. Only a couple times did I have to lug a battery a very short distance. The towers were so spread out and sometimes tricky to get to, that it was a significant challenge. Having them unlock the handheld radio and the small supply caches you can find, really brought me out at night during the aurora - something I never ever do. Scary and really fun!

Finding the bunkers was really fun and satisfying. Several heart-pounding trips following the beep of the transmitter and trusting it to guide me through a windy cold night. Expecting an aurora wolf around every corner. A few times losing the aurora before finding the bunker and having to seek shelter ASAP often when in the middle of nowhere. Whew! A nail-biter sometimes and really rewarding. Felt really great to find those bunkers.

The bunkers themselves are awesome. Interesting interior locations. New furniture items and different layouts / objects inside. New food types and often really high-quality loot inside them. Very excited to find the rifle holster and technical balaclava. A nice reward for all our efforts.

Voice-overs for the field notes you find inside was a nice surprise. Much better than just reading text.

Each bunker I found, I spent a few days at, just scouring it top to bottom, repairing my gear and eating canned ham. 

Constructive Criticism:  (More spoiler-y):

My only disappointment was that the story players piece together with these field notes in the bunkers, is somewhat vague and unsatisfying. I understand that they cannot steal the thunder of Wintermute chapter 5. Don't want to tell us the details of this Event that happened and the fallout from it, because I assume (hope) that chapter 5 will do so. But my goodness... this told me nothing new. A scientist conducted experiments that went awry? Already guessed that based on the weird weather/geomagnetic problems happening in the game. It made a lot of people sick? We know there is a mysterious illness thanks to Wintermute. Are these the same/related illness? Remains to be seen. But I was really hoping for a more concrete story morsel that wasn't just allusions and slightly confusing hints. I'll be checking the wiki to see if there's something I just didn't piece together. But ultimately, I came out of this tale not really knowing anything new about the TLD world that I couldn't infer already, nor any answers to the many, many loose ends the game + Wintermute have dangling in front of us. I sincerely hope that chapter 5 gives us some meaty story answers.

To be clear, even if there were zero field notes to find in the bunkers, it would still be a fun adventure to have. So even vague story pieces are a good addition.

Conclusion:

All in all, a fun, challenging, and satisfying Tale. Brought me back to the game, challenged me out of my comfort zone, and got me back into TLD once again. A worthwhile purchase (on top of all the other DLC additions). Really loved this, and I hope more Tales are in our future. Great, great job Hinterland. The team should be proud of this addition to the game! 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Sherri

[Sherri]

I found this video which summarizes the story in Signal Void very well & helped me understand it a bit more.

It also adds some theories about it.

One thing that I didn't consider is the possibility that this science experiment & these sick people, are totally unrelated to the global disaster in the TLD world & the sick folks in Perseverance Mills. If so... introducing a 2nd sci-fi storyline to the game would be an odd choice. I'm of the assumption that they are related. But can't be sure. 🤔

[Semple Fi]

I think there are two remaining maps to generate for this DLC release, and will likely incorporate the transmitter and additional bunkers, as well as more field notes that will expand on the storyline.  
In the words of @ajb1978, This may already be solved. Stand by.

[Sherri]

23 hours ago, Semple Fi said:

I think there are two remaining maps to generate for this DLC release, and will likely incorporate the transmitter and additional bunkers, as well as more field notes that will expand on the storyline.  
In the words of @ajb1978, This may already be solved. Stand by.

Hmm.... I never considered more bunkers being added with the rest of the map. I'd be surprised, considering I received the Badge for finishing the Tale. But... more would still be cool.

[Dan_]

On 7/23/2023 at 1:43 AM, Sherri said:

One thing that I didn't consider is the possibility that this science experiment & these sick people, are totally unrelated to the global disaster in the TLD world & the sick folks in Perseverance Mills. If so... introducing a 2nd sci-fi storyline to the game would be an odd choice. I'm of the assumption that they are related. But can't be sure. 🤔

I agree that Rudiger's experiment being completely unrelated to Wintermute would be a stretch, however, I do think there's a possibility that the experiments did not directly cause the First Flare. I don't recall if we got a concrete number on the size of each team operating within the industrial mine, but I do feel like the teams were relatively small to help keep secrecy. To produce a device, capable of strong and vast magnetic fields which are altering the earth's magnetosphere and exposing the poles to intense solar storms as an unwanted ( assuming Rudiger is looking into some MKUltra type thing ) side effect, would take an immense amount of power. I don't believe a couple dozen labourer's could've built a supercapacitor or a nuclear reactor to power said device. 

I can only deduce that Rudiger's experiment's findings were taken back to whoever was financing this operation, likely to be the canadian government, and then a scale-up of the device was attempted and resulted in the alterations of the magnetosphere. 

In any shape or form, I gotta say I love the writing on signal void so far. Gotta give to Hinterland, they've struck gold yet again. I do hope they venture deep into sci-fi with their next game releases.

[Sherri]

10 minutes ago, Dan_ said:

I agree that Rudiger's experiment being completely unrelated to Wintermute would be a stretch, however, I do think there's a possibility that the experiments did not directly cause the First Flare. I don't recall if we got a concrete number on the size of each team operating within the industrial mine, but I do feel like the teams were relatively small to help keep secrecy. To produce a device, capable of strong and vast magnetic fields which are altering the earth's magnetosphere...

I agree. That's a really good theory. That the experiment here was just a small scale practice run makes a lot of sense. I was also wondering if the natural solar flare event somehow interfered with the experiment in an unintended way. Lots of possibilities to link these things together. I'm so excited for the next chapter.

[Semple Fi]

On 7/25/2023 at 10:54 AM, Sherri said:

Hmm.... I never considered more bunkers being added with the rest of the map. I'd be surprised, considering I received the Badge for finishing the Tale. But... more would still be cool.

The old bear part one

 the old bear part two

 

 signal void part one

 signal void part two?

[Sherri]

2 hours ago, Semple Fi said:

 signal void part one

 signal void part two?

Oooo. That would be very very cool!

[Admin]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feedback!