The Good Stuff:

The layout and idea behind the game is pretty cool. I like how each "app" generally feels like a real app where you can do whatever, like comment of peoples posts or call random numbers. It is really neat design idea and it is well executed.

I also enjoyed a few of the more difficult puzzles, as they really added a sense of immersion into digging through someone's phone. The puzzles are mainly pretty easy, but the game doesn't baby you through them at all, so you feel smart when you manage to pull of something a bit more complicated.

The Bad Stuff:

For me, story is one of the most important parts of a game like this, and unfortunately SIMULACRA fails to deliver a good one.

Mild Spoilers: While the ending tried to be Black Mirror-esque, I feel like the story fails to properly set up the ending, so it kinda comes out of nowhere. Also, many things in the story aren't well explained or left to Deus Ex Machina

There are multiple endings, and you will get an idea of what they all are when you finish the game. Some of the potential outcomes have me slightly curious, but not enough to replay it to see them. Perhaps the story would have been more interesting had I gotten a different ending.

I am not a huge fan of horror, but I have played games like Prey and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice that have a creepy horror feel. The creepiness of SIMULACRA lasts only about the first 30 mins and then you become generally innoculated.

The main title song was also pretty cheesy.

As many other reviews have pointed out, some of the voice acting is on the level of "so bad it's hilarious".

I understand that with a smaller scale game like this it is difficult, but I felt like the chat options often strong-armed me into things I didn't want to say, which made things like gaining Taylor's trust feel unfair.

The Bottom Line: If you want a game with a good story, there are better games. If you want a game where choices matter, there are better games. If you want a horror game, there are better games. If you just want to see a cool mechanic in action, then you might want to check it out.

The Good Stuff: The layout and idea behind the game is pretty cool. I like how each "app" generally feels like a real app where you can do whatever, like comment of peoples posts or call random numbers. It is really neat design idea and it is well executed. I also enjoyed a few of the more difficult puzzles, as they really added a sense of immersion into digging through someone's phone. The puzzles are mainly pretty easy, but the game doesn't baby you through them at all, so you feel smart when you manage to pull of something a bit more complicated. The Bad Stuff: For me, story is one of the most important parts of a game like this, and unfortunately SIMULACRA fails to deliver a good one. Mild Spoilers: [spoiler]While the ending tried to be Black Mirror-esque, I feel like the story fails to properly set up the ending, so it kinda comes out of nowhere. Also, many things in the story aren't well explained or left to Deus Ex Machina[/spoiler] There are multiple endings, and you will get an idea of what they all are when you finish the game. Some of the potential outcomes have me slightly curious, but not enough to replay it to see them. Perhaps the story would have been more interesting had I gotten a different ending. I am not a huge fan of horror, but I have played games like Prey and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice that have a creepy horror feel. The creepiness of SIMULACRA lasts only about the first 30 mins and then you become generally innoculated. The main title song was also pretty cheesy. As many other reviews have pointed out, some of the voice acting is on the level of "so bad it's hilarious". I understand that with a smaller scale game like this it is difficult, but I felt like the chat options often strong-armed me into things I didn't want to say, which made things like [spoiler]gaining Taylor's trust[/spoiler] feel unfair. The Bottom Line: If you want a game with a good story, there are better games. If you want a game where choices matter, there are better games. If you want a horror game, there are better games. If you just want to see a cool mechanic in action, then you might want to check it out.