SIM

Interactive phone horror with gripping mystery and choices

Sara Is Missing (SIM) is a tense, story-driven horror experience that unfolds entirely through a lost phone, turning familiar everyday screens into something deeply unsettling. You stumble upon Sara’s device after her disappearance and, from there, every tap, swipe, and message becomes a clue in a race to understand what happened before it’s too late.

The game’s greatest strength is its immersion. The interface convincingly recreates a real smartphone environment, complete with messaging apps, emails, photos, videos, and a built-in virtual assistant that doubles as a hint system. This realism makes even the simplest actions—opening a gallery, reading chat logs—feel strangely intrusive, perfectly underlining the narrative’s themes of voyeurism and digital privacy.

Choices matter throughout the investigation. You can respond to multiple characters via chat, decide how honest or evasive to be, and choose which leads to pursue first. Different decisions lead to multiple endings, encouraging at least a second playthrough to uncover hidden subplots and extra snippets of lore. The intermittent phone calls and video messages from non-player characters add to the tension, and some of the full-motion video sequences are genuinely creepy.

On the downside, the overall story is relatively short and can be completed in a single sitting, which might leave some players wanting more depth from later playthroughs. Not all choices feel equally impactful, and a few jump scares are somewhat predictable. Performance is generally smooth, though certain devices may experience issues as noted by the developer.

Still, as an experiment in interactive storytelling and found-footage horror, SIM shines. Its clever use of a familiar interface, strong atmosphere, and branching narrative make it an easy recommendation for fans of psychological thrillers and unconventional narrative games.