SIMULACRA

 PC
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16

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  1. TitaniumDragon
    Oct 6, 2018
    5
    Simulacra is a found phone horror game. The premise of the game is that you (the unknown, nameless protagonist – but presumably *you*, the actual player) found a phone out on your front porch that belongs to a woman named Anna. There’s something off about the phone, though; it keeps glitching out, a number of the files on it are messed up, there’s some creepypasta-esque flashes of theSimulacra is a found phone horror game. The premise of the game is that you (the unknown, nameless protagonist – but presumably *you*, the actual player) found a phone out on your front porch that belongs to a woman named Anna. There’s something off about the phone, though; it keeps glitching out, a number of the files on it are messed up, there’s some creepypasta-esque flashes of the screen changing to horrifying images – and of course it quickly becomes evident from the frantic messages you get from her boyfriend that Anna has gone missing.

    The game’s basic premise is exploring Anna’s phone. You decrypt some images and text messages via very simple minigames, but most of it is a choices-matter narrative, as you interact with not only Anna’s boyfriend, but a funny guy named Taylor on Spark (a dating/hookup app that *totally* isn’t Tinder) who had been flirting with Anna, as well as messages from Ashley, Anna’s best friend. You browse a few in-game websites, make a few phone calls from phone numbers you find on them and hidden in various images, and gradually unravel the mystery of what happened to Anna over the course of the game.

    This is something of a hybrid of a simple puzzle game and Telltale’s sort of narrative storytelling, where you have a list of dialogue choices and they influence how other characters react to you. There is actually a branching narrative – the choices you make actually influence which endings you can access as you try to save Anna, only to discover that things aren’t so easy, and how you treat the characters affects how they interact with you. If you’re a jerk to someone, they won’t trust you and will be a jerk back; if you’re nice to them, they’ll be more trusting. But at the same time, you can lie about who you are to various people in the game, and while sometimes they’ll figure it out, other times you’ll slot right in as a trusted person and be able to get what you need out of them.

    Indeed, pretense is a major theme of the game – people aren’t quite who they present themselves to be online, and the fronts they put up often don’t match who they are (or, indeed, who they perceive themselves to be). Is Anna’s boyfriend really still together with her, or did they break up, and is he stalking her? There’s a bunch of sexual predators on Spark – is Taylor one of them? Does Ashley have ulterior motives in her friendship with Anna?

    I’d like to say that the biggest flaw with this game is that the resolution is, perhaps, a bit on the nose. While I approve of this new age of horror, and coming up with a new spooky villain, I also didn’t feel like it did a good enough job of reinforcing the manipulation angle of social media, instead simply resorting to outright mind control, which was a lost opportunity.

    However, I think the actual largest flaw with this game is that it is just okay. It is a clever idea, and there are some fun conceits in there, but I have to say at the end I was left feeling just lukewarm about it. When I play a game, or finish a game, I want a sense of satisfaction. But this was just sort of an experience I had. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly excellent, either.

    If you’ve never played a game like this before, and somehow got this for free or as part of a bundle, it’d be worth a spin to just try out something new. But at the same time, I’m left feeling like it’s hard to recommend that someone go out of their way to experience it, and when I recommend something, I want to actually be able to say to someone “Yes, you should go play this game.”

    I wasn’t left with that feeling here, as while it is overall decent, it is all just a little bit flat, and the jump scares don’t manage to really carry the horror of the game very well.    … Expand
  2. Crimert
    Jan 16, 2021
    6
    This game is actually based on using your investigative skills. It wasn't completely bad, but it wasn't a good game either. 4hrs on record.
  3. Give_em_hell
    Oct 13, 2018
    8
    Good game and very creative. Not particularly scary, but more like disturbing. It is good that it has different endings. It's not difficult, it's pretty much just dialogues, reading texts, watching videos and photos. The best and the most creative part is that it strongly questions your morality, by making you use someone else's phone, involving their internet activity etc. İn its core, itGood game and very creative. Not particularly scary, but more like disturbing. It is good that it has different endings. It's not difficult, it's pretty much just dialogues, reading texts, watching videos and photos. The best and the most creative part is that it strongly questions your morality, by making you use someone else's phone, involving their internet activity etc. İn its core, it questions the social media and our fake internet personas. It has some good points on these. I think the horror aspect could have better and enriched. Better visuals and sound effects were needed for deeper immersion.… Expand
  4. aditya1101
    Nov 12, 2020
    3
    I generally really enjoy these types of games, and there are some things that this game does well, but overall the writing is just so awful and unrealistic that it was really hard to feel at all immersed in the story.
  5. nik_balani
    Apr 19, 2020
    8
    Interesting game with well thought out story and character progression. Acting somewhat cheesy but for an indy enjoyable play.
  6. Tonixson
    Aug 10, 2019
    8
    For the price it is really good game :) More endings, good easter eggs and not difficult.
  7. gingersnap225
    Sep 3, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Interesting game. Neat concept. I wish they wouldn't have gone for a supernatural story, as I think the idea of searching for a missing woman by digging through her phone is interesting enough as is. The idea that you are just some random guy who picked up her phone and is now answering all of her messages is a little weird. Wish they would've come up with a better explanation. BUT the game was neat. I plan on playing the others to see if they improved upon the concept… Expand
  8. MrIslamic
    Apr 11, 2021
    1
    No redeeming qualities, it's boring, and to hide the fact that it's boring they have cheap jump scares that don't add anything to the game. The majority of your time is spent reading which would be fine if the dialogue was any good and if the story was any good.
  9. apeot2002
    Oct 2, 2021
    8
    Simulacra is a found phone simulator. Apparently that's a genre now.

    On a phone, the premise of Simulacra is something special: What if your phone turned into someone else's phone, and you could hack into it to snoop out all the little things about our life that we entrust to our phones these days. And because said phone gives you complete access to the online persona of the owner of    Simulacra is a found phone simulator. Apparently that's a genre now.

    On a phone, the premise of Simulacra is something special: What if your phone turned into someone else's phone, and you could hack into it to snoop out all the little things about our life that we entrust to our phones these days. And because said phone gives you complete access to the online persona of the owner of that phone, you also get to moonlight as an online predator.

    It still works well enough on the PC, although the immersion is somewhat diminished.

    But hey, it's OK, because Anna, the owner of the phone, is in trouble and you are the only one with access to enough information to maybe help her. And also… this is just a game.

    If I sound like I'm down on the game for the icky things it expects you to do, I'm actually not. The game never shies away from pointing out how questionable the means you employ are, and if you want it, you can go about things in the most ethical way possible. You won't get the best ending, though.

    The actual means by which the game let's you morally compromise yourself are quite simple. Some light social hacking, catfishing, actual hacking, two simple mini-games. The rest of the time you read dialogue or watch a few videos with above average novice actors, and thus follow along a nifty little horror story whose ending felt very rushed but still packed quite a punch.

    The game is a bit railroady, though. The main thing you do is converse with Anna's contacts via multiple choice chat, and oftentimes the few options you have are very obviously pushing the story in the direction it wants to go. Thanks to the brevity of the game, this never gets too grating, though.

    The main freight of meaning and engagement this game transported for me was the fun and glee you can actually get out of pretending to be a terrible person with access to someone else's phone, and thinking about what that actually means for the hellscape we are all constructing for ourselves. There is no way around it: If you have no moral compass, being a troll is a very good time. Good thing then that in Simulacra, the moral justification comes with the box.

    TLDR: Interesting little title whose premise and insinuations become more horrifying the longer you think about it. Bit on the short side, but well worth experiencing.    … Expand
  10. Hardliner
    Jun 4, 2021
    9
    The game has worth the price. However, I got some unrevealed questions.
    What happened to her bf after his leaving?
    Who was the kidnapper? Who was James? Has the real James was the kidnapper? (because there was a smoothie conversation in the ending) What about that sheriff who has been calling us? What was his impact in this story? Just to make the bf leave, or what? Yeah, I've    The game has worth the price. However, I got some unrevealed questions.
    What happened to her bf after his leaving?
    Who was the kidnapper?
    Who was James? Has the real James was the kidnapper? (because there was a smoothie conversation in the ending)
    What about that sheriff who has been calling us? What was his impact in this story? Just to make the bf leave, or what?

    Yeah, I've completed the game only one time and saw only one ending, however, it wasn't enough for me. Come on guys, you have done a huge work on this game, couldn't you make a bit more informative endings?
    Sure, there could be different forks of circumstances with their own denouements, but in this way the game looks sort of 'dry' or what.
    No doubt, I owned it only for 1,11 bucks, and this game definitely worth 10$ or more. For it's money it's 11 outta 10. At the same time it's upset for me, because I've appreciated your job that you have done, but it looks really unfinished.
    Just because of that 9/10    … Expand
  11. renyw
    Dec 19, 2022
    9
    great great great great great great great great great great great great great

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Adventure Gamers
    Mar 26, 2018
    60
    While not flawless and more focused on narrative than puzzles, SIMULACRA manages to be a fun experience by offering more player agency than its lost phone contemporaries, throwing players into an ongoing missing persons investigation – with a supernatural twist.
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  2. COGconnected
    Nov 2, 2017
    70
    Despite my numerous complaints with it, SIMULACRA was, at its core, a title that had me engrossed.
    Read full review