SIMULACRA 2

About

Simulacra 2 is a smartphone-themed found-phone horror game that takes place in a corrupted virtual world. As a detective, you investigate a missing person case by exploring the phone of the victim, uncovering sinister secrets and navigating a web of deceit. The game features a rich, immersive story with multiple endings based on your choices.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 726 reviews

story80 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game features a complex and engaging story with multiple endings, encouraging replayability.
The graphics and sound effects are significantly improved compared to the first game, enhancing the overall experience.
The gameplay mechanics, including the WARDEN app for clue processing, add depth to the investigation.

The acting is often cringeworthy and detracts from the immersion of the story.
The characters are largely unlikable, making it difficult for players to feel invested in their fates.
The save system is frustrating, with limited checkpoints that can lead to lost progress if players make mistakes.

story
259 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
The story in "Simulacra 2" is generally regarded as more complex and engaging than its predecessor, featuring multiple endings and a deeper exploration of themes related to social media influencers. While some players appreciated the branching narrative and character development, others found the plot predictable and criticized the acting quality. Overall, the game offers a mix of horror and mystery elements, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and emotional impact compared to the first installment.
- “Incredible game, good storyline, gave me goosebumps!”
- “The true ending is incredibly rewarding, the story is captivating, and the choices you make significantly impact what happens next.”
- “The story is well thought out, there are no glaring loopholes and it is interesting enough to keep you playing right through to the end in one sitting.”
- “Some dialogue choices and cutscenes are different, but they have no real impact on the story and events.”
- “I tried hard to continue playing the game but eventually gave up, as the story is much more boring and hard to get through than the first game.”
- “The story is not that different and, honestly, this game started to make me kind of dislike the first one because the more you look at the story the 'mystery' becomes weaker, the story makes less sense overall, and the cheaper the jumpscares become.”
gameplay
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
74%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its improvements and new mechanics, such as the warden system and deeper clue interactions, which enhance the investigative experience. However, some players found the gameplay repetitive and criticized the pacing, with elements like lag and a lack of engaging action detracting from the overall experience. While fans of the genre may appreciate the narrative-driven approach and replayability, those seeking more dynamic gameplay may be disappointed.
- “Interesting premise, great gameplay, colorful cast.”
- “The investigation is solid, the gameplay is solid, the story is solid.”
- “Gameplay feels smooth, figuring out stuff is fun and I really liked a guy that plays cop (he's a fun gramps).”
- “If you're not a fan of this genre, it will not hold your attention since the only two elements of gameplay are investigation and interaction with the other characters and the information systems you can access.”
- “The rest is an experience, so there's no real gameplay if you wanted something other than a narrative-driven interactive experience.”
- “You'll still be able to browse on someone's smartphone to find clues to what was happening on a case, in addition to several new features to enhance your gameplay.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
59%
9%
The game offers significant replayability, primarily due to multiple character choices, various endings, and numerous dialogue options that lead to different outcomes. However, some players noted that unskippable cutscenes and repetitive gameplay elements can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many find the game enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs, especially for those seeking to unlock all achievements and explore hidden secrets.
- “Very enjoyable and replayable experience, fairly easy to understand mechanics.”
- “High replay value - so many options were not discovered in the first playthrough!”
- “The dialogue options are plenty, there's 2 starting points, and multiple endings which give the game good replay value.”
- “Even in the pursuit of alternative endings, the player must sit through non-skippable cutscenes, which can detract from the replay value.”
- “The biggest negative trait of the game is that it's much less replayable due to a lot of unskippable cutscenes.”
- “They have many endings, but the game itself is not really replayable because it means you need to go over stuff you've already seen.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
9%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the quality of the soundtrack and its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. While some users noted a limited tracklist, they found the songs to be enjoyable, particularly highlighting Rex's music video and a standout fake pop song. However, there were complaints about the volume levels and some clunky navigation issues related to the in-game music player.
- “The music is so good, and I think the gameplay shines the most in this entry.”
- “The audio consists mainly of atmospheric music, setting the mood.”
- “Super epic atmosphere and a very good soundtrack.”
- “The biggest gripe to me would be the fact that if you had music playing on the phone, it would keep playing should someone call you and you answer, and navigating through the warden app feels a bit clunky.”
- “Aside from some parts of the music being just way too loud, even after I had turned it down almost to the minimum, it was a good idea overall.”
- “This game has a very short tracklist, but the songs are better than expected, though they vary in quality.”
humor
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a prominent aspect, often overshadowing its horror elements, with many players finding the characters and scenarios amusing, particularly the interactions with Detective Murillo and the quirky posts and clues. While some humor is described as silly or cringy, it generally adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, making it engaging despite some criticisms of the acting quality. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its mystery theme, providing a fun experience for players, even if it occasionally detracts from the intended atmosphere.
- “In fact, the game has far more humor in it than horror.”
- “The acting is amazing, the characters diverse and hilarious, the amount of apps you can go through...there's a lot to like about this.”
- “The only exception to this is your supervisor, Detective Murillo, since he's got a couple of funny lines, presents you his hilarious tutorial video and comes off as inept in some scenes, since he doesn't know jack about technology and smartphones.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the smooth visuals and realistic aesthetics, particularly in the context of the game's themes. However, others have noted issues such as lag and the need to lower graphic settings for better performance. Overall, while the graphics are described as nice and effective, they are not considered extraordinary, and some players feel that they do not significantly impact the overall experience.
- “The graphics are nice and the game runs rather smoothly.”
- “I liked playing this game because the graphics were smooth, there was a good storyline, and it was very entertaining.”
- “From the graphics to the gameplay, from the voice acting to the live video acting, every part was just amazing.”
- “Graphically, Simulacra 2 is effective without being extraordinary.”
- “You have to lower the graphics quality and then make the windowed screen smaller so that it won't freeze, and multiple people over the past 2 years have complained about getting stuck in one of the calls and not being able to hang up, thus you can't continue the game.”
- “The video editing is clean and engaging at first, but the distortion effect is soon shattered by the team's overreliance on jump scares and confused visuals with no clear idea except alluding to more depth than the game has.”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
37%
16%
The atmosphere in Simulacra 2 is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its expansion on the original's ideas and engaging soundtrack, while others lament the loss of the eerie, creepy tone that defined the first game. While the game successfully creates a thrilling and immersive environment, it lacks the horror elements and tension that made its predecessor memorable, resulting in a more humorous and less isolated experience. Overall, the atmosphere is well-crafted but falls short of the chilling intensity that fans expected.
- “Gets the first game's atmosphere just right while expanding on its ideas and gameplay.”
- “The atmosphere the game creates while you play is fantastic.”
- “Simulacra 2 is thrilling, intelligent, and has great actors, which mainly contribute to the great atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is less creepy than the first game.”
- “I enjoyed the game very much, overall, but the atmosphere became less isolated and eerie by including a police contact and hack tools.”
- “However, it really is a shame to see it coming up short, especially because Simulacra 1 showed that the devs are able to create an engrossing creepy atmosphere.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
7%
86%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly during replays where unskippable cutscenes and repetitive dialogue can hinder progress. The need to sift through excessive text messages and social media posts for clues adds to the frustration, making achievement hunting feel laborious. While some enjoy the overall experience, many agree that the grinding elements detract from the enjoyment, especially when trying to unlock all endings.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This can make achievement hunting extremely tedious, especially when compounded with unskippable cutscenes.”
- “Going through each time to acquire posts and photos and numbers to unlock later chat options is extremely tedious, especially when you're trying to get all of the endings.”
- “It's unclear when these occur so if you play in small bursts, you might find yourself repeating sections - which feels tedious when you're repeating dialogue that requires you to wait for the NPC to send messages.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of persistent glitches and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Players frequently encounter issues with the phone's functionality, including frustrating cutscenes that cannot be skipped, leading to a sense of frustration and abandonment of the game. Overall, the game's technical problems significantly undermine its potential enjoyment.
- “There are so many glitches with this game.”
- “This game is terrifyingly bad and super buggy.”
- “With the annoyingly unskippable cutscene I had to go through, I found the game bugged again and again. Eventually, I gave up because I'm fed up with the game being so buggy.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players appreciate the "choose your own adventure" format and find the story impactful, others feel that the emotional moments fall flat, particularly for the main character, Maya. Overall, the game offers a range of emotional engagement, with some players feeling deeply involved while others express disappointment and embarrassment over its execution.
- “I love the 'choose your own adventure' feel it gives; and the story really strikes you emotionally.”
- “I've tried to play it 3 times, but the acting makes me want to cry.”
- “8.5/10 more emotionally involved than the first and offers probably ~8-12 hours in total gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The reviews indicate that while the game's optimization is not directly addressed, the performances of some actors are commendable, enhancing the storytelling experience. The use of texts, emails, and phone calls as primary narrative elements suggests a focus on immersive, casual interactions rather than traditional performance optimization.
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking, with some reviewers noting it as mediocre or insufficient to enhance the overall experience. While there are improvements in dialogue and script quality, the nonsensical plot and vague interactions hinder meaningful character growth, leaving players feeling unsatisfied.
- “Great UI improvement and smoother control, high definition full-motion video, better character development.”
- “Mediocre visual novel with a nonsensical plot, very little character development, and an overall feeling of 'wow, what a waste of time.'”
- “Great UI improvement and smoother control, high definition full-motion video, better character development... but then it dipped right back into the nonsensical dialogue with vague answers to questions that you can't retract or expand upon that might change the ending completely.”
- “Character development was lacking a bit, but the dialogue and script were written quite well.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized for its intrusive ads and glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Players feel overwhelmed by the constant interaction with social media-like elements, leading to a shallow engagement with the game's narrative.
- “The constant ads on social media are overwhelming, making the game feel more like a marketing tool than an enjoyable experience.”
- “The monetization strategy is intrusive, with frequent interruptions that disrupt gameplay and immersion.”
- “It feels like the game prioritizes profit over player experience, with excessive in-app purchases and ads that detract from the overall enjoyment.”