One of my favorite moments across the various first playthroughs of Signalis that ive watched is the Swan Lake moment. Its a genus little moment of thematic concurrence that forms organically through player choices. It is still earlyish in the game, the player is going to be feeling scared and unsafe, and they're going to find comfort in the song. The fact that it overrides the games' normally very abrasive soundtrack makes it source of stability. It's a brief return to normalcy.
then the chapter transition. The cutscene automatically turns off your radio and the initial shock of being in a new area will put it in the back of your mind. But eventually something will happen and the player will reach for Swan Lake again only to be met with the familiar buzz of dead air. In a moment the player's only source of comfort will have been yanked from them. Gone before they could ever truly appreciate it. and impossible to go back for.
it's so good. it perfectly captures the themes of the game while being entirely player driven. Its a moment that only works because signalis is a video game.
