Analog horror Horror Horror puzzle Mystery and detective horror

SIMULACRA

Rate it

A missing woman's phone, and something inside it.

Platforms: PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (90% of 4,711 reviews); Metacritic 82 on iOS, 72 on PS4 and Xbox One, 64 on Switch; 3.9 of 5 on GOG
Length: about 4 hours for one ending, longer to see them all
Players: 1
Made by: Kaigan Games
Released: 2017

On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.

No. 15 of the internet horror games · No. 30 of the missing person horror games

Get it on Steam App Store Google Play PlayStation Store Xbox Nintendo eShop GOG

What frightens You find a missing woman's phone with a desperate video asking for help; as you read her messages, swipe her dating app and recover corrupted files, the phone itself starts to behave strangely.
Content: jumpscares, disturbing imagery, sexual themes, strong language, violence.

SIMULACRA is a found-phone horror game. You go through the lost phone of a woman named Anna, with her texts, emails, photos and video logs, talk to her friends and recover corrupted files to find out what happened to her, while the phone grows stranger by the hour.

About SIMULACRA

SIMULACRA is made by Kaigan Games 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. 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 through recurring image and text decryption puzzles, images glitch, and the phone acts more strangely the deeper you go. Calls can ring out while you are reading a chat, and a few sharp jumpscares land in those quiet moments. 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, its tension and its unpredictable story, and found the acting of some characters and a few puzzles weaker; many felt it plays best on a real phone. Next to Sara is Missing it is longer, with more apps and more people to deal with, and nobody on the phone can be fully trusted. It suits players who like found-footage horror and digital mysteries more than chases and monsters.

How to play SIMULACRA

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

Screenshots

SIMULACRA screenshot: Anna's phone home screen with a photo of her and app icons for Spark, Jabbr, Vloggr, Gallery and Mail

SIMULACRA screenshot: Ashley texts that she saw Yolanda at her building holding a Faris and Kane bag, then sends a voice message

SIMULACRA screenshot: the phone's photo gallery of selfies and food pictures, one image corrupted with coloured lines

SIMULACRA screenshot: the Jabbr social media feed on Anna's phone, with posts from Taylor and Jackie C

SIMULACRA screenshot: the phone's Surf browser open on the Faris and Kane fashion store site

Tips

Read everything, including old messages and posts; clues hide in small details.
Think before you reply as Anna; some answers close off paths.
Take what Anna's contacts tell you with a pinch of salt; some of them have their own reasons for what they say.
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

How long is SIMULACRA?

One run to an ending takes about four hours; seeing all five endings and every achievement takes much longer.

How many endings does SIMULACRA have?

The store page lists five possible endings.

What platforms is SIMULACRA on?

PC and Mac through Steam, iPhone and Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Do I need to play Sara is Missing first?

No. SIMULACRA is a spiritual sequel with its own story.

Is SIMULACRA very scary?

It is tense rather than gory: most of the fear comes from what you read and from sudden calls and jumpscares while you are focused on a chat. The console versions are rated M by the ESRB for sexual themes, strong language and violence.