SIMULACRA
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Rating Summary
Based on 26 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Score Distribution
Scored Reviews
Top Critic
Simulacra is a very clever game that, despite the simplicity of both its premise and gameplay, immerses you into it and doesn't let you go until you've solved the mystery.
Top Critic
Simulacra is surprisingly engaging for a game that takes place completely on the screen of a found smart phone. With well-drawn characters, a gripping story, and one foot planted firmly in the real world, the suspense of Simulacra entertains quite well. Never truly chilling, Simulacra is nonetheless a unique suspense mystery that is well worth a look.
Top Critic
The phone user simulator with a horrifying twist. Now you can browse your phone and play video games at the same time!
If you’re looking for a unique take on the ‘found footage/phone’ horror genre, SIMULACRA is perfect for you. The puzzles you need to complete, in order to descramble and reveal messages and photos, are fun to solve and interesting to read/look at. Although I wish there were more FMV sequences and meaningful choices which changed the narrative more dramatically as the story progressed, the quality of the videos and writing were both top-shelf.
Top Critic
The studio clearly sees potential in the format as a storytelling platform, and I definitely want to see them refine it in the future.
Top Critic
Simulacra 2 is a worthy sequel and an immersive take on the role that our digital presence has in defining who we are. The different playable characters help to give a different perspectives to the sotyr and the suspects are sufficiently flawed to keep you guessing as to where blame may lie, but the wider cast of characters don't feel as focussed as the original. While the virus in question here is completely digital, it's uncannily topical given our enforced switch to virtual interactions.
Top Critic
Simulacra is a solid horror game with some good ideas. If you can overlook the voice acting, there's a fun, unnerving experience to be had.
Top Critic
Simulacra might not be perfect, but it highlights that the found phone horror concept is one that has a significant amount of potential.
Top Critic
The puzzles aren't ridiculously difficult, but aren't always easy either. I would like to return to the big question I've been asking all along: is it reasonable to play found game on a console with a controller? It works well enough, minus my gripes about small icons and the annoyance of typing text.
Top Critic
Despite its issues, Simulacra still kept me hooked for the duration of my playthrough.
As Found Phone games go, Simulacra is one of the better ones. The dialogue is well implemented, the puzzles all play on the players in-built knowledge of how mobile phones work and there’s this disconcerting atmosphere to the whole experience.
Top Critic
Despite my numerous complaints with it, SIMULACRA was, at its core, a title that had me engrossed.
Top Critic
Simulacra does a good job of delivering suspense, but its horror is limited. Equally so, the way that the game utilizes its phone apps leaves much to be desired in such a brief package, elongating the experience with fumbling around for what to do rather than filling the time with some form of progress. Simulacra has a lot to improve on, but there is still something dramatic and interesting here.
Top Critic
Simulacra 2 is an improvement on its predecessor, but there's further to go. A tighter narrative and better interface design don't quite compensate for sketchy writing and silly horror.
Top Critic
Simulacra has some interesting ideas, but gets in its own way enough that it wastes the advantage afforded to it by its strong premise.
Top Critic
Flawed it may be, but Simulacra is an interesting thriller in which you get to play detective. The found phone concept is a smart hook, while the storytelling delivers a yarn that will keep you engaged from beginning to end.
Top Critic
The game pitches itself as FMV horror, and while the experience does incorporate those two elements the more you play, it never amounts to anything more than cheap jump scares and creepy episodes of breaking the fourth wall. It's effective enough the first time, but diminishing returns weaken the tactic dramatically.
Top Critic
What’s most baffling about Simulacra is why more wasn’t done to make it a more authentic mobile experience.
Top Critic
If you’ve enjoyed similar games, Simulacra will be right up your street. Its story is creepy and unpredictable, with the variety in gameplay keeping you engaged, even if it drags towards the end.
Top Critic
SIMULACRA on the Nintendo Switch is an FMV adenture based on a story of mystery and horror and if the gameplay experience is not among the most outstanding ever designed, there is definitely something engaging about finding hints and advancing along the plot. The game's different endings add an additional incentive to explore and even though SIMULACRA is no masterpiece, its players will feel involved enough to take the experience to the end.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Top Critic
Simulacra interweaves a horror mystery with investigative work and puzzle-solving. However, the driving force of this title is simply the narrative and not it's gameplay offering.
An interesting and in many ways strong FMV adventure title, but one somewhat let down by middling acting (at best) and a lack of attention to streamlining the gameplay for consoles as part of the porting process.
Simulacra is an enjoyable experience, even if it is not the best example of the genre. You’ll find an interesting but ultimately rather shallow story. The concept could have been taken further, with more exploration surrounding what it means to broadcast your identity through a device which fits in the palm of your hand. A device which can be lost or compromised and used against you. In spite of this, I had a good time with Simulacra, and I give it the Thumb Culture silver award.
Top Critic
Simulacra excels in premise alone. By the end of the game, I found myself wondering when a better game with this kind of concept will be released. It suffers from an identity crisis. It started out as an enticing murder mystery game, and wound up a tired metaphor.
Top Critic
Simulacra is a horror game about finding a missing girl using her phone.
[...]I cannot recommend playing the Switch port, especially if you have any vision issues that may prevent your ability to read the screen properly. Do yourself a favor and download this mysterious story on your phone instead.
