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For many players, the stakes can be difficult to navigate, especially paired with numerous puzzles they’ll need to solve to progress the story. Luckily, there are a few tricks to keep in mind that can help players when they feel lost or uncertain.
8 Always Check For Scannable Items
Scannable information is one of the most important tools for unraveling the mysteries in Simulacra. As players explore the photos, videos, and messages within their phone, occasionally they’ll find clues they can scan to add into their database.
In addition to serving as a way to keep key facts and clues all in one place for the player to look back on, having scanned clues on hand will be necessary if the player wishes to progress, as they’ll have to match certain clues to their corresponding prompt to advance parts of the story and unlock more tools and information.
7 Read As Much As Possible
While not all information in Simulacra will be strictly used to advance the plot, the game makes a point to make every bit of text count, even if the player can advance without reading it. Less essential texts will usually provide extra background information, insights into existing characters, or other story details and flavor text that allow the player to feel more immersed in the ever-unfolding story.
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In addition to providing a more immersive story experience, reading as much as possible has an added bonus of helping the player pick up on hints they wouldn’t have known the significance of otherwise, and help them make more informed decisions.
6 Details Are Important
Paying attention to detail is a skill every mystery will need if the player ever wants to unravel it. Simulacra 3 is no exception, as while the game has several features built-in to offer players a helpful nudge when they’re stuck, there will be plenty of times where the player will have to figure things out using their memory and the less obvious clues at their disposal, such as the dates or locations of certain events, messages and emails from seemingly unrelated conversations and events.
5 Take Notes And Screenshots
While Simulacra does have sections dedicated to storing clues and helping players keep their facts straight, the amount of information players need to keep track of surpasses the stuff the game will store for them. At a certain point, managing small details like dates of specific events, locations, and specific names or pass codes will start to feel overwhelming if the player tries to keep all of it straight in just their memory.
This is especially true later on when players will need a clear timeline of events straight in their head, and writing things down will be much easier than trying to sort it all out internally.
4 Unlock New Locations Often
One of the key features players will have to utilize in Simulacra 3 is the new Atlas tool, a location-based app full of posts centered around locations around Stonecreek. While every location will have posts and information centered around them, not all of it will be accessible to players right away.
Instead, players will need to unlock new locations as they go along using the scanned clues they’ve accumulated. Once they do so, they’ll unlock not only a new location for their searches, but also gain access to all of Atlas’ social media posts about that location.
3 Check For New Info Regularly
With every new location, website, and contact players unlock through the story, plenty of new information becomes available at their fingertips. Beyond the immediately obvious new additions, however, less obvious sources of information are regularly updated as well.
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New photos, audio files, Atlas posts, and emails often pop up with every new milestone players reach. While it can be easy to fall into the trap of prioritizing one source over others while looking for information, it’s important to take the time to look through any new info as it comes up, to avoid tunnel vision that might keep players from seeing the whole picture.
2 Avoid Making Hasty Decisions
It might go without saying for horror games in general, but Simulacra doesn’t let players forget how high the stakes are as they navigate the dangers around them.
Due to the amount of branching paths players can go down depending on the decisions they make, players should think carefully about how they conduct themselves while uncovering the mystery of Stonecreek’s disappearances. How they talk to characters, who they trust, and what advice they give can all have major impacts on the outcome of the story.
1 Play As Much As Possible In One Sitting
The information players have to sort through and track is dense, complicated, and tangled together, and progressing the story relies heavily on players’ ability to recall information and details that might not have seemed obvious at first.
The more a player spreads out their playthrough of Simulacra 3, the harder it’ll be to remember the information they had on hand when they left off, and the longer they’ll have to spend refreshing themselves on what was happening. Luckily, Simulacra balances this by being fairly short, so players who can set aside a few hours to play through it in one sitting will likely have a much easier time.
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