Simulacra 2

The key to a good mystery, whether it’s uncovering supernatural evil or calling out Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick, is how the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Simulacra 2 gets the players involved by making them part of the story, using the victim's phone to interact directly with her world while investigating what led up to her death. The game has a solid presentation, recreating the look and feel of Maya's phone. Navigating menus feels instantly comfortable to anyone that's spent any time monitoring their social media feeds on the go. And the acting, while far from Oscar worthy, still manages to give each character a distinct (if not occasionally overdramatic) personality.

Simulacra 2's presentation makes for an interesting storytelling technique, as it gives players an active role to play, but it also often makes the plot unfold in a disjointed way. It's easy to overlook or completely miss clues vital to your progress, and the game doesn't do anything to help guide armchair detectives if they should happen to stray a bit off the predetermined path. This can lead to long periods of frustration or even just giving up and starting from scratch. Making matters worse, once players finally do complete the story, there's never any reason to go back and try again. Solving the mystery once might be satisfying, but once is also more than enough as none of the effort feels worth repeating.