SIMULACRA 3

About

"Simulacra 3" is a horror game set in the mysterious town of Stonecreek, where people are disappearing. As an intern at the local paper, you must help investigate these disappearances by hack into the phone of the missing Paul Castillo. Uncover clues, explore new apps, and face fresh terror as you delve into the dark digital realms and confront the Beldam, the ghost of a witch, in this third chapter of the acclaimed series.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 364 reviews

story57 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game has an intriguing story with potential for character development.
New mechanics, such as the Atlas app and interactive video calls, add a fresh twist to the gameplay.
Despite its flaws, the game still provides an enjoyable experience for fans of the series.

The game feels like a significant downgrade from the previous installments, lacking the depth and horror elements that made them engaging.
Characters are poorly developed and lack personality, making it hard to connect with them.
Many gameplay mechanics feel underutilized or confusing, leading to a frustrating experience.

story
234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
66%
9%
The story of "Simulacra 3" has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling it lacks the depth and cohesion of its predecessors. While some appreciate the intriguing premise and character development, others criticize it for being convoluted, poorly paced, and disconnected from the overarching narrative of the series. The shift towards a more traditional ghost story, rather than a technology-driven horror, has left some fans disappointed, feeling that the game fails to deliver the engaging and immersive experience they expected.
- “And I loved the feeling of danger when getting in contact and confronting the entities yourself; it was engaging, scary, and showcased amazing storytelling.”
- “The plot and cohesion deserve praise – Simulacra 3 is an intriguing detective game.”
- “The story is very different from the other two games, which made me like it even more.”
- “Evidently more time was spent on the CGI and not the story.”
- “Like all previous Simulacra games, Simulacra 3 has multiple endings, but they're just presented as text blurbs at the end, which feels like really cheap and lackluster storytelling, especially for a studio as brilliant as Kaigan Games.”
- “The best way to express how I feel about this game is convoluted; I want to like this game and understand the story, however, the game is very hard to follow and to understand exactly what you have to do to get a better ending.”
gameplay
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while there are some interesting new mechanics, such as an interactive map and CCTV segments, they often feel underutilized or frustrating. Critics argue that the game lacks the challenging puzzles and horror elements that defined its predecessors, resulting in a more linear and less engaging experience overall. Despite some enjoyable aspects, many feel it falls short of the quality and depth found in earlier titles of the series.
- “For me, it was an absolutely great 7 hours of gameplay including the good ending, and I'm satisfied.”
- “The new puzzles and mechanics are definitely what makes me like this game so much.”
- “There are new mechanics, such as an interactive map with some interesting functionality and a camera surveillance mini-game, but overall it definitely feels like a simulacra game.”
- “It just wasn't as scary as the previous games, and the gameplay/story was so dull.”
- “The gameplay is a pitiful shell of what Kaigan Games put forward in the previous titles and in Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins.”
- “But gameplay (no real challenges in the puzzles and too linear) and technique (no fast forward or skip is a cheap way to stretch the game time) is again a step down from the last one.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with puzzles that feel more like obstacles than engaging challenges. The process of unlocking information is often unfulfilling, as many tasks require sifting through irrelevant details, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, the experience is marred by drawn-out dialogue and a lack of rewarding gameplay, making it feel more like a chore than a fun activity.
- “Unlocking new information on the phone wasn't rewarding, and some of the puzzles were way too tedious, looking for a single spec of information in a sea of nothing.”
- “While I normally love games that have you digging through social media/the internet to solve puzzles, this one felt very tedious and a lot of the time extremely obvious.”
- “It was more tedious than fun because you had to watch some really weird forced acting as you played the truck guy in Phasmophobia on a far smaller scale essentially.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The atmosphere of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it lacking in tension and immersion, particularly in the third installment, which failed to evoke the eerie feelings present in the first two games. Issues with audio quality and the artificial appearance of computer-generated elements, such as the ghost, have been noted as significant detractors. However, a few players appreciated certain aspects that contributed positively to the atmosphere, indicating a divide in player experience.
- “I thought that was a brilliant, fun and added atmosphere to the game.”
- “1 & 2 had the spooky, eerie atmosphere that had you on edge slightly and the phone screen changed, making you more nervous thinking something was going to happen plus the jump scenes, etc.”
- “1 & 2 had the spooky, eerie atmosphere that had you on edge slightly, and the phone screen changed, making you more nervous thinking something was going to happen. But with 3, there wasn't really any.”
- “Seeing the first videos on the phone, I had the feeling that the actors weren't really into the game concept, but I could live with that if there weren't the big atmosphere-killer: the ghost.”
- “As with every computer-generated horror within a movie, it looks artificial and restricts the atmosphere.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with multiple users reporting significant glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as being unable to exit chat menus and encountering game-breaking bugs. Players have noted that attempting actions out of sequence often leads to further issues, and the overall experience is marred by frequent technical problems, leading to frustration and a lack of recommendation for this title.
- “The game doesn't even work; whenever I open chats, I just can't get out, and overall it's just buggy. I do recommend the other games, but this one just sucks.”
- “If you try to do things before you're told to, the game usually glitches. It happens more often when [spoiler] Ruby is waiting for you to unlock the house. If you unlock it before being asked to, nothing happens.”
- “I played this on my Steam Deck and encountered two huge glitches that forced me to quit out of the game and go back in.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of engaging sound effects and background music compared to previous installments. Specifically, players prefer the memorable tracks from Sim 2 over the audio logs in Sim 3, which they find less enjoyable and more forgettable. Additionally, there are concerns about copyright issues related to the game's music affecting content creators.
- “The other thing that was really underwhelming to me was the lack of decent sound effects and background music.”
- “I prefer the music in sim 2 to the audio logs in sim 3; the logs are a one and done while I listened to the songs in sim 2 for months after I finished the game.”
- “The ad from the mistress of the night has copyrighted music behind it, and my YouTube channel now has a copyright claim on it.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is notably subdued, with a lack of the quirky elements and funny dialogue that characterized previous titles in the series. While some players found moments to chuckle unintentionally, the overall comedic impact is diminished, likely due to budget constraints and a more cautious approach from the developers.
- “Those games had fleshed out personalities and were funny (especially Rex in S2).”
- “Considering the low budget, indie nature of the game, it's not surprising, nor does it take much away from the experience, but I did find myself chuckling at times when I am sure I was not meant to.”
- “I found myself chuckling at times when I am sure I was not meant to.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
While the game is technically replayable, many users feel it lacks the engaging replayability and mystery found in its predecessors, making it less compelling to revisit.
- “This one doesn't have the same type of replayable feeling as 1 and 2, even though it is replayable.”
- “I liked that about the other games; it added mystery and replayability.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics received positive feedback for their artistic quality, particularly the ending pictures and graffiti, which enhanced the storytelling experience. Reviewers appreciated the overall artwork and its contribution to the game's narrative.
- “I loved the artwork and how the story unfolded!”
- “I liked the graphics, like the ending pictures and graffiti.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, particularly regarding the character Ruby, who fails to evoke a meaningful connection with players. Many users feel that the intended emotional core falls flat, leading to a sense of detachment akin to interacting with a device rather than a relatable character.
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for poor production quality, including issues like awful greenscreen, video stitching problems, and stuttering. While the overall performance is described as adequate enough to maintain immersion, it reflects a lack of time or resources invested in the optimization process.
- “Not exceptional, not terrible, but they did the job and their performance was still strong enough to retain immersion.”
- “But for the quality, it is nothing less than a lack of time or money: awful greenscreen, brutal video stitching, stuttering – I have to mention that the production is not so hot.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players find it interesting and engaging, others feel it falls short and lacks depth.
- “Personally, the character development felt quite interesting.”
- “The character development, on the other hand, is quite disappointing.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “I found the character development to be underwhelming and poorly executed.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is widely criticized, with users expressing that it feels like a cheap cash grab.
- “Feels like a cheap cash grab.”
- “Feels like a cheap cash grab.”