SIMULACRA

About SIMULACRA

SIMULACRA is made by Kaigan Games, a Malaysian studio, as a spiritual sequel to its found-phone game Sara is Missing. It came out on PC, iOS and Android in October 2017, on Mac in 2018, and on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in December 2019, published on consoles by Wales Interactive. Two sequels followed.

You have found a phone belonging to Anna. On it is a video message, a desperate cry for help. Her friends have no idea where she is. Everything you learn comes through the phone: her texts and emails, her photo gallery, a social media app, her video logs and a dating app full of strangers. You reply to people as if you were her and piece the fragments together.

The phone does not behave the way phones should. Files are corrupted and must be restored, images glitch, and the phone acts more strangely the deeper you go. The characters are played by real actors in real locations, which gives the videos and photos an uncomfortable closeness. Your choices lead to one of five endings.

Reviewers praised its creepy sound design and unpredictable story and found the voice acting and some puzzles weaker; many felt it plays best on a real phone. It suits players who like found-footage horror and digital mysteries more than chases and monsters.

How to play SIMULACRA

1. Open the phone's apps one by one: messages, email, gallery, social media, the dating app and the browser.
2. Watch Anna's videos and read her conversations to learn what happened.
3. Reply to her friends and contacts; what you say shapes the story.
4. Repair corrupted images and messages with the phone's tools to uncover hidden files.
5. Follow the clues to one of five endings, then replay to find the others.

Tips

• Read everything, including old messages and posts; clues hide in small details.
• Think before you reply as Anna; some answers close off paths.
• Play on a phone or tablet if you can; the game feels most natural there.
• Use New Game+ after your first ending to replay faster.

Questions