Signal Game Review

Signal is a quiet, cerebral cooperative puzzle, a meditation on communication that is nowhere near as precious as the phrase “a meditation on communication” may imply. Players work together to communicate with an alien, represented by an evocative black-and-white illustration on a card and embodied by a lone, silent player. The Terrans send signals, rods and cubes and circles and triangles in black and white arranged on a cloth board. Most of the playtime is spent arranging these signals.

When a signal is ready, the alien responds by changing it. Maybe he/she/it/they shift some pieces around, or remove some pieces. They might create a stack, or swap pieces. It could be, and often is, some combination of things. The hope is that the alien will send back the exact signal shown on the front of their card. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Whatever the alien does, they’re following the rules laid out on the back of their card. “Place a black rod on a black disc,” for example, or, “Remove two rods and place a different shape in between where they were.” If the first round of communication is successful within ten attempts, everyone moves on to the second round. The goal doesn’t change, but an additional set of rules are added, which are performed after the first set…

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