While the narrative is essentially the same, the two approaches feel different enough to warrant at least a second play. This adds a greater element of replayability (although the alternative endings of the original already helped with this) as you get to explore the phone through the eyes of either a cynical detective or a journalist. One of the main developments between Simulacra 2 and the previous game is the choice of character to play as. Given the setting, however, I didn’t find this to be too big a distraction. This was of variable quality with some characters being highly convincing whilst others veered towards the cheesier B-movie end of things. The audio is mostly atmospheric music to set the mood with the exception of voice acting. This welcome shift of emphasis means that the game doesn’t feel like a rehash of the original. Rather than an individual’s personal digital self, the target is the influencer and their reliance on algorithms and exposure. Now a true successor has been released and takes on a more recent development in digital culture. Focusing on the darker side of dating apps and the intrusion of a demonic virus (the Simulacra of the title), it was a revolutionary mobile game that has spawned a vast number of imitators. The original Simulacra saw you exploring the phone of a missing person and recreating their past digital life through unlocking apps and investigating their social media presence. Having learned from this less than optimal experience, I made sure to play through the recently released sequel on my smartphone instead. And yet, for some reason, I played the first game on PS4, finding the experience very odd while trying to be immersed in the virtual phone displayed on my TV screen. The Simulacra series is a great example of how mobile gaming can be a perfect marriage of form and delivery.
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