History VideoGame / Simulacra2

* AnAesop: CelebrityIsOverrated, and being a social media star is not as glamorous as it may seem -- the lifestyle can become a destructive addiction if one is not careful. Maya died because she and her three friends, all of whom are influencers who became addicted to praise and keeping a good image, made a DealWithTheDevil to delete controversial posts out of existence and give themselves more followers and praise, but Maya was taken afterwards as payment. The remaining three friends have done some questionable things in the past to get fame, and they destroy themselves over it. Only when [[spoiler:they delete their accounts]] do they finally find peace.

* CelebrityIsOverrated: The central {{Aesop}} of the game. The whole mess happens because the four friends become so obsessed with keeping their social media presence, particularly on Kimera, fully positive that they fall prey to the {{deal|WithTheDevil}} offered by the Ripple Man to eliminate all criticism. Said deal led to the death of Maya, as it always includes a sacrifice. This same thing is also what happened to many other victims of the Ripple Man. Getting the good ending requires [[spoiler:deleting the Kimera accounts of the characters]], which was also what a previous near-victim, Charlie Asther, did to escape -- he [[spoiler:gave up all technology and fled to the woods]]. The article covering Charlie even brings up the negative effect that social media can have on mental health.

* ChevhoksGun: In the beginning of the game, Detective Murilo is talking on the phone to the plumbers. [[spoiler:On the route to the GoldenEnding, you have to have Rex infiltrate the precinct as a plumber so he can get Maya's phone jammer to complete the ritual.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early on in Maya's last videos, she sobs about everything being her fault and her final video before her death has her talk about needing to get everyone together to stop it. [[spoiler:It turns out she was the one that made the deal with The Ripple Man and not any of the three. Her video also hints on one factor to get the GoldenEnding is getting the three influencers to work together on a plan to outsmart The Ripple Man.]]

''SIMULACRA 2'' is an adventure/horror game created by developer Kaigan Games, and is a sequel to {{VideoGame/Simulacra}}. Itself a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/SaraIsMissing''. Unlike the previous game, where a phone is left at your doorstep, you're actually sent a phone by [[TheBusCameBack Detective Murilo]]. Furthermore, you have the option of playing as one of two characters: [[IntrepidReporter a reporter]] whose [[AgentMulder "beat" is frights]], or a junior detective and [[AgentScully hardcore skeptic]]. Your job is to help the detective investigate the death of a young woman named Maya, using information from her three friends- Arya, Mina, and Rex- as well as her colleagues, coworkers and family. As you investigate, you will uncover the dark secrets of Maya and her friends, and eventually discover their connection to the fabled malevolent entity known as [[BigBad The Ripple Man]].

The game was released for {{UsefulNotes/Android|Games}} and [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] on December 12, 2019. With a [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] realease scheduled for January 16, 2020.

* AdvertOverloadedFuture: Kimera is absolutely rife with obnoxious ads, although some of them are plot relevant as they [[spoiler: come directly from The Ripple Man.]]

* AnAesop: CelebrityIsOverrated, and being a social media star is not as glamorous as it may seem- the lifestyle can become a destructive addiction if one is not careful. Maya died because she and her three friends, all of whom are influencers who became addicted to praise and keeping a good image, made a DealWithTheDevil to delete controversial posts out of existence and give themselves more followers and praise, but Maya was taken afterwards as payment. The remaining three friends have done some questionable things in the past to get fame, and they destroy themselves over it. Only when [[spoiler:they delete their accounts]] do they finally find peace.

** Maya, the victim whose death you are investigating, is a vegan vlogger who preaches honesty to her fans but eats meat and cheese while being the one who encouraged her friends to fabricate personas for attention.

** Rex, the "entrepreneur", is perhaps the worst of the four. He claims to be running a legitimate business that can make people successful and let them play by their own rules. His business is an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) company -- i.e. a [[{{Ponzi}} pyramid scheme]] created to scam "employees" out of their money. He's even willing to doxx victims of his fraud for attempting to expose him.
* BodyHorror: What happens to victims of The Ripple Man [[spoiler:where their face tears open leaving a reddish black void]].
* BookEnds: The game begins and ends with [[spoiler:all of the members of New Beginnings gathering together to take a group photo, although the ending photo has the deceased Maya absent. Also seems to fall under RuleOfSymbolism - after all they've been through, the friendship between the group members is stronger than ever, and their newfound understanding of the consequences of their shallow lifestyle has truly provided them with a "new beginning"]].
* CallBack: Early in the game, the player can read chat logs from Maya talking about [[{{VideoGame/Simulacra}} a Spark date she went on with a creepy guy named Taylor.]]
* CelebrityIsOverrated: The central {{Aesop}} of the game. The whole mess happens because the four friends become so obsessed with keeping their social media presence, particularly on Kimera, fully positive that they fall prey to the {{deal|WithTheDevil}} offered by the Ripple Man to eliminate all criticism. Said deal led to the death of Maya, as it always includes a sacrifice. This same thing is also what happened to many other victims of the Ripple Man. Getting the good ending requires [[spoiler:deleting the Kimera accounts of the characters]], which was also what a previous near-victim, Charlie Asther, did to escape- he [[spoiler:gave up all technology and fled to the woods]]. The article covering Charlie even brings up the negative effect that social media can have on mental health.

* ExactWords: To make the ultimate deal with The Ripple Man, a sacrifice is required. [[spoiler: Nowhere was it stated that the dealmaker would ''live'' to receive the reward in the first place.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: TRM, which stands for Tailored Reputation Management, [[spoiler:and also "The Ripple Man."]]

* MultipleEndings: There are multiple endings. Which include variations of a DownerEnding [[spoiler:where an influencer falls victim to The Ripple Man, the player's boss gets their careers ruined, and The Ripple Man essentially gets off scot free.]] A GoldenEnding where [[spoiler:the player manages to bring the influencers together and outsmarts The Ripple Man and your boss gets to keep their job, determined to corner The Ripple Man next time it appears]]. And a SuddenDownerEnding [[spoiler:where if you fail the last sequence when all the influencers are gathered, The Ripple Man claims all three of them]].
* RedHerring: The deal with The Ripple Man becomes this unless the player is particularly GenreSavvy - after learning about it, Detective Murilo immediately has the player begin investigating the three friends to see which one of them took the deal so that they can be apprehended. [[spoiler:Despite all their hypocrisy and cattiness, none of them have done it - Maya was the one who took the deal and got herself killed in the first place. Paying too much attention to this aspect can cause the player to accidentally lock themselves out of the GoldenEnding by railroading one of the other characters instead of convincing them all to work together.]]

* RevealingContinuityLapse: The picture of Maya on the home screen becomes this [[spoiler: if you're en route for one of the {{Bad Ending}}s, as the more you drive the living characters apart, the more twisted and corrupted the picture of Maya becomes]].
* RunningGag: [[MoodWhiplash It could be a little jarring at times]], but Detective Murillo will occasionally message you on pure accident due to being HopelessWithTech.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Rex Keegan runs Mind Body Fitness, where people have to invest money to work there, and then they have to recruit more people to get higher and higher up in the business and get more money from investments that new recruits give. It's a pyramid scheme, but Rex denies that, calling the not-a-pyramid system "the food chain"
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's unclear what happened to Anna and Taylor from the first game as they don't appear to be mentioned in this one. This creates an AmbiguousSituation leaving players wondering which ending is canon. However, there are a few [[CallBack Call Backs]]:
** Taylor ''is'' actually [[CallBack mentioned]] in an early conversation Maya had with Arya, in which [[spoiler: Maya mentions going on a date with some "creep" named Taylor who kept trying to get her to go up onto a rooftop]].

* BadInfluencer: revolves around a group of four of these and the {{deal|WithTheDevil}} they made with the Ripple Man to erase all negative comments and increase their fame, which led to one of them dying. On the surface, they seem alright, but as you venture through the game, you see that their online personas are utter lies:

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's unclear what happened to Anna and Taylor from the first game as they don't appear to be mentioned in this one. This creates an AmbiguousSituation leaving players wondering which ending is canon. Taylor ''is'' actually [[CallBack mentioned]] in an early conversation Maya had with Arya, in which [[spoiler: Maya mentions going on a date with some "creep" named Taylor who kept trying to get her to go up onto a rooftop]].

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It's unclear what happened to Anna and Taylor from the first game as they don't appear to be mentioned in this one. This creates an AmbiguousSituation leaving players wondering which ending is canon.
** Taylor is actually mentioned in an early conversation Maya had with Arya, in which [[spoiler: Maya mentions going on a date with some "creep" named Taylor who kept trying to get her to go up onto a rooftop.]]
* WrongGenreSavvy: Detective Murilo is this, and if the player listens to him too closely, they can become this as well - although he understands the supernatural nature of the case, he is convinced that [[spoiler: one of Maya's associates is directly responsible for her murder via The Ripple Man's deal. This is due to all of their pettiness and need to be ahead in the game, as well as the many lies and bad deeds they've committed in order to come out on top. In reality, although they ''are'' shallow hypocrites, they all also had genuine admiration for Maya and owed a great deal of their success to her. As such, none of them would have made such a deal without her confirmed approval.]]

''SIMULACRA 2'' is an adventure/horror game created by developer Kaigan Games, and is a sequel to {{VideoGame/Simulacra}}. Itself a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/SaraIsMissing''. Unlike the previous game, where a phone is left at your doorstep, you're actually sent a phone by [[TheBusCameBack Detective Murilo]]. Furthermore, you have the option of playing as one of two characters: [[IntrepidReporter a reporter whose "beat" is frights]], or a junior detective and [[AgentScully hardcore skeptic]]. Your job is to help the detective investigate the death of a young woman named Maya, using information from her three friends- Arya, Mina, and Rex- as well as her colleagues, coworkers and family. As you investigate, you will uncover the dark secrets of Maya and her friends, and eventually discover their connection to the fabled malevolent entity known as [[BigBad The Ripple Man]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: Following the footsteps of the [[VideoGame/{{Simulacra}} other]] two [[VideoGame/SaraIsMissing games]], this game features a functionally identical A.I. to the Simulacra in the form of The Ripple Man, a digital entity who targets desperate influencers seeking to boost their popularity and rid themselves of criticism, potentially at the cost of their lives.

* BookEnds: The game begins and ends with [[spoiler: all of the members of New Beginnings gathering together to take a group photo, although the ending photo has the deceased Maya absent. Also seems to fall under RuleOfSymbolism - after all they've been through, the friendship between the group members is stronger than ever, and their newfound understanding of the consequences of their shallow lifestyle has truly provided them with a "new beginning."]]
* TheBusCameBack: Last we heard from the Detective in the previous game, he just arrested Greg (in the GoldenEnding).

* CelebrityIsOverrated: The central {{Aesop}} of the game. The whole mess happens because the four characters become so obsessed with keeping their social media presence, particularly on Kimera, fully positive that they fall prey to the {{deal|WithTheDevil}} offered by the Ripple Man to eliminate all criticism. Said deal led to the death of Maya, as it always includes a sacrifice. This same thing is also what happened to many other victims of the Ripple Man. Getting the good ending requires [[spoiler:deleting the Kimera accounts of the characters]], which was also what a previous near-victim, Charlie Asther, did to escape- he [[spoiler:gave up all technology and fled to the woods]]. The article covering Charlie even brings up the negative effect that social media can have on mental health.
* DeadPersonConversation: Happens in the mid-game, when the player is investigating the individual characters to find out who killed Maya. [[spoiler:Calling their phone numbers leads to Maya herself communicating with them by parroting their words back at them, only to warp them around and accuse them of killing her. Subverted, as this is the Ripple Man trying to trick you.]]
* EnemyWithin: Happens to everyone who [[spoiler: makes the deal with The Ripple Man, as it essentially bursts forth from the dealmaker's face and absorbs them into his consciousness]].

* FalseFriend: The four main characters - Maya, Rex, Arya, and Mina - start out as this, as they're only joining together as a unit for the sake of increased viewership, and don't actually care very much for one another. This becomes increasingly obviously in the endings where they [[spoiler: turn on one another and accuse each other of making the deal that killed Maya, inevitably causing one of them to actually make the deal and get themselves killed.]] However, throughout the course of the game, they can actually become...
* FireForgedFriends: The end result of following the game's GoldenEnding, which requires the player to [[spoiler: unite the three living characters and convince them to work together instead of accusing one another of killing Maya. If they succeed, the game ends with them posing together for a picture similar to the one from the start of the game, with their friendship much more genuine after what they have been through.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: TRM, which stands for Tailored Reputation Management, [[spoiler: and also "The Ripple Man."]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: All of the main characters are this, as their "influencer" personas come into heavy contrast with who they really are. They are more than happy to lie, cheat, and steal to get their way, but frown upon others who do the same. Examples include:
** Maya, who, despite preaching honesty and positivity to her fans, encourages her friends to lie about who they are in order to attract more attention. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking She also eats meat and cheese despite claiming to be a vegan.]]
** Arya, who more than once attempts to throw everyone in her group, Maya included, under the bus in order to scrape her way to the top.
** Rex, whose entire modus operandi is based in fearmongering and lies. Specifically, his business is nothing more than a thinly veiled pyramid scheme, and when this is outed by some of the people who had their livelihood stolen by it, he responds by outing the personal information of one of the people responsible and essentially siccing his fanbase on them.
** Mina, who openly falsifies stories about her life and her grief in order to gain more fans and more sales. Arya in particular comments on her appearing to be a needy crybaby, when in reality, she is just as cutthroat as the rest of them.

* NecessaryEvil: Much like in the first Simulacra, the player must masquerade as the missing character (in this case, Maya) to an acquaintance with a hopeless crush on her. Doing this is a requirement for the GoldenEnding.
* RedHerring: The deal with The Ripple Man becomes this unless the player is particularly GenreSavvy - after learning about it, Detective Murilo immediately has the player begin investigating the three friends to see which one of them took the deal so that they can be apprehended. [[spoiler: Despite all their hypocrisy and cattiness, none of them have - Maya was the one who took the deal and got herself killed in the first place. Paying too much attention to this aspect can cause the player to accidentally lock themselves out of the GoldenEnding by railroading one of the other characters instead of convincing them all to work together.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: None of the living main characters took the deal with The Ripple Man; only Maya did. The sacrifice she unknowingly offered in order to boost her popularity was her own life.]]
* RevealingContinuityLapse: The picture of Maya on the home screen becomes this [[spoiler: if you're en route for one of the [[BadEnding Bad Endings.]] The more you drive the living characters apart, the more twisted and corrupted the picture of Maya becomes.]]

* SequelHook: [[spoiler:No matter what ending you get The Ripple Man escapes capture. With either your boss being more pessimistic in the DownerEnding or more determined and optimistic in the GoldenEnding]].
* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:The Ripple Man becomes more and more frightened and confused the more Kimera accounts are deleted, not comprehending how PunyEarthlings are actually wounding it.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:The Ripple Man has a pretty big one in the GoldenEnding where they are stunned that the player managed to get three influencers, who were at each other's throats prior, together and outsmart the evil A.I.]]

The game was released for [[AndroidGames Android]] and [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames iOS]] on December 12, 2019. With a [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] realease scheduled for January 16, 2020.

* CelebrityIsOverrated: The central {{Aesop}} of the game. The whole mess happens because the four characters become so obsessed with keeping their social media presence, particularly on Kimera, fully positive that they fall prey to the {{deal|WithTheDevil}} offered by the Ripple Man to eliminate all criticism. This same thing is also what happened to many other victims of the Ripple Man. Getting the good ending requires [[spoiler:deleting the Kimera accounts of the characters]], which was also what a previous near-victim, Charlie Asther, did to escape- he [[spoiler:gave up all technology and fled to the woods]]. The article covering Charlie even brings up the negative effect that social media can have on mental health.

* DeadPersonConversation: Happens in the mid-game, when the player is investigating the individual characters to find out who killed Maya. [[spoiler: Calling their phone numbers leads to Maya herself communicating with them by parroting their words back at them, only to warp them around and accuse them of killing her. Subverted, as this is the Ripple Man trying to trick you.]]
* EnemyWithin: Happens to everyone who [[spoiler: makes the deal with The Ripple Man, as he essentially bursts forth from the dealmaker's face and absorbs them into his consciousness.]]

* BigBad: "The Ripple Man" is the [[EldritchAbomination Simulacra]] of this game who preys on Kimera's influencers desperate to get rid of the controversial posts they've made to boost their reputations. It is the one responsible for killing Maya, and seeks to make her friends into its next victims.

* EveryoneIsASuspect: After learning of the deal with The Ripple Man, this becomes true of all three main characters, as all of them have motives for taking the deal to boost their popularity. [[spoiler: This turns out to not be the case, though; see RedHerring below.]]

''SIMULACRA 2'' is an adventure/horror game created by developer Kaigan Games, and is a sequel to {{VideoGame/Simulacra}}. Itself a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/SaraIsMissing''. Unlike the previous game, where a phone is left at your doorstep, you're actually sent a phone by [[TheBusCameBack Detective Murilo]]. Furthermore, you have the option of playing as one of two characters: [[IntrepidReporter a reporter whose "beat" is frights]], or a junior detective and [[AgentScully hardcore skeptic]]. Your job is to help the detective investigate the death of a young woman named Maya. Using information from her friends, colleagues, coworkers and family.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Following the footsteps of the [[{{VideoGame/Simulacra}} other]] [[VideoGame/SaraIsMissing games]], this game features a functionally identical A.I. to the Simulacra in the form of The Ripple Man, a digital entity who targets desperate influencers seeking to boost their popularity and rid themselves of criticism, potentially at the cost of their lives.

* BigBad: [[OncePerEpisode Yet another]] A.I. known as "The Ripple Man", who preys on Kimera's influencers desperate to get rid of the controversial posts they've made to boost their reputations.

!'''Spoilers for both the original {{VideoGame/Simulacra}} and the Flapee Bird expansion will be left unmarked! Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!'''

* AmbiguousSituation: The Ripple Man's connection to Simulacra, whether they are the same or different entities. The Ripple Man shares similar motives to Simulcra but has a more malevolent personality and different tactics from Simulacra.

* BigBad: [[OncePerEpisode Yet another]] A.I. who takes the form of "The Ripple Man", who preys on Kimera's influencers desperate to get rid of the controversial posts they've made to boost their reputations.