Perhaps it is fate. Indeed, it seems like I was bound to review this game at some point or another. You know, it’s funny. The first time I got to see something developed by Kaigan Games was when I got to play Sara is Missing. Incidentally, Night Mind made a video discussing the inconsistencies in the plot and some of the gripes I’ve also had.
Of course, the premise of the game is interesting in its own right. It’s a horror story that happens entirely on a lost phone. Unfortunately, the rough execution of the project overall ended up dragging the project back. The developers didn’t give up, though. They took a lot of the feedback they’ve had and made a new installment known as SIMULACRA.
Nowadays, we find ourselves with this new series of “Phone Horror” games where we face an unknown entity and try to solve the disappearance of people. This review will be a super special double feature where I review both SIMULACRA and SIMULACRA 2. I will gather my thoughts about both games and I’ll also provide some long-overdue feedback.
SIMULACRA – The Monster That Lurks in your Phone
The first game in the series could be considered a reboot of Sara Is Missing. In it, the player finds a phone on their front door. After being treated to a jumpscare (we’ll address them later), the player sees a video message. The video is made by the owner of the phone: Anna. She is missing and some people are looking for her.
Added to this, the phone continues to act strangely while you dive into it. From showing some corrupted pictures that need to be fixed to asking uncomfortable questions. The player ends up finding themselves in a dramatic situation where the life of Anna is at stake.
Since this phone belongs to someone else, you can snoop into her social media. Yes, that means you’ll have immediate access to her e-mail, photo gallery, and texts. However, things take a slight turn when you pay attention to the smaller details.
Why would someone like Anna (who is in a relationship, by the way) have a dating app installed? Why does she seem so distant from her mother? Who is this creeper that’s constantly sexually harassing Anna in her texts? There’s only one way to find out and it’s by unraveling the timeline of events through a thorough investigation of Anna’s phone.
When Horror Becomes Commentary
Of course, SIMULACRA also has a message to say about the things we do with our smartphones. In the end, we find solace in our phones and they become our personal treasure boxes for information. So, what happens when you invade someone else’s phone; get access to their secrets and friends; and even mess with the phone itself to unlock more personal aspects of the owner?
Yes, you NEED to do those things in order to progress the story. However, the game wastes no time in placing you in circumstances where decisions matter. Of course, even if your decisions are good in nature, they may not lead to the best possible outcome.
Being a short game, SIMULACRA offers the opportunity for multiple playthroughs. Unfortunately, when you start piecing things together you might notice some details that seem off. One of the biggest examples being the timing of some of the photos that were taken. The timing on them simply doesn’t make sense when compared to other photos.
This can be an immersion breaker for a lot of players. The more you delve into the phone, the more inconsistencies you’ll notice. But still, I believe that you’ll get your money’s worth if it weren’t for some other quirks that I find a bit annoying… We’ll get to those soon, don’t worry.
SIMULACRA 2 – A Missing Influencer; A Man with a Mission
The second game expands on some of the concepts explored in the first game. For example, we learn in the first game of the Simulacra. In the first game, you learn that the Simulacra’s objective is to assimilate victims that frequent the fictional social media app “Spark”.
In the second game, we learn that there are actually multiple Simulacrum created by an organization called Gateway 31. The Simulacra in the sequel is known as The Rippleman and it uses Kimera to provide Influencers an offer that puts other people’s lives at stake. However, it’s pretty tempting because it also gives them a massive following with none of the baggage of “Haters” and “Trolls”.
In SIMULACRA 2, we get to see a bunch of pricks influencers who have a bit of a shady past. I mean, one of them (A hatable guy called Rex) runs a pyramid scheme, for crying out loud. I have the feeling that this was a deliberate choice from the development team as well.
Getting to Know and Hate Influencers
See, in SIMULACRA 2, you really don’t see anyone as a “Good guy”. No, not even the detective you work with from the start. The game actively works against your best interests. That way, you end up making emotional decisions rather than logical ones. Once that happens, you end up screwing yourself out of a good ending.
Personally, I respect this decision. It encourages multiple playthroughs and it does build up the Simulacra as a mastermind that can fool gullible players. Some players might see it as a beginner’s trap, but I will give credit where it’s due.
The Simulacra in this iteration of the game is even more brutal than the last one. The victim of the case we’re investigating is brutally murdered by The Rippleman. The focus is basically doing our best to try and find the person who took the deal rather than focusing on who committed the crime.
In summation, I think that the stories in both games are pretty good. Both offer antagonists that are creative on their own. Not only that, but they also provide enough of a dramatic effect that can feel natural. However, multiple playthroughs can break your immersion in the game itself.
Unfortunately, the way your experience will go will also REALLY depend on the platform you’re playing.
Tangent – The Switch Version
A few months ago, the development team was kind enough to provide us with a review key of the Switch version of the game. However, the build that was provided to us was too hopelessly broken that I downright refused to extend my thoughts on it. In turn, this led me to try the experience with the PC and Mobile versions of SIMULACRA 1 & 2 instead and bought the Switch version in a separate account.
While I do applaud the development team’s efforts to bring the horror into other systems; there really was a lot of wasted potential in the Switch version. For example, they could’ve made the Switch itself be a (gigantic) phone once you turn the game to Tabletop mode.
I mean, that would also imply that the Switch version provides us with a FUNCTIONAL touch system. Which, again, it really lacked. No joke, I spent a lot of time struggling to use the touch function in a game where touch controls are basically how you play the game.
Clunky and Unresponsive
It’s even more annoying to play the game on a gamepad or with the JoyCons. Mainly because once you get to those, it makes something as simple and mundane as typing on a keyboard a troublesome process. The footage speaks for itself, folks:
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you; this is me painstakingly trying to use the touch functionality. The game just kept backing out for no reason whatsoever even though I was trying to pick a choice. So, imagine what happens when we get to a sequence where you’re pressed against time like in that annoying section where you must answer questions correctly before a factory reset.