Sara Is Missing is a horror game that takes place entirely on a stranger’s phone. While it never strays too far from horror clichés, it still manages to be pretty frightening, and takes full advantage of its limited format.
Horror movies often find fear in granular elements of life — an unclosed door, a barely heard whisper or an oft repeated old wives tale become sources of genuine terror. Sara Is Missing is rooted in the coldness of unfamiliar technology. The titular Sara’s phone looks and works a lot like an iPhone, but is loaded with a creepy AI assistant called IRIS, and just that small twist on a familiar device makes it feel unsettling.
While the actual elements of the bare bones plot can feel a little corny, the way they are implemented in game bring them to life. There’s witches, a cult, human sacrifices and short videos that feel like a rip off of The Ring, but even when the camp dials itself up to 11, Sara Is Missing can drag a scare out of it. Sara Is Missing is most scary when it messes with its own interface or established rules — like when the screen begins to glitch out, or when IRIS exhibits desires and needs beyond their Siri-like comportment. While the game certainly relies on jumpscares, it does also offer horror that lingers if you give it a chance.
Because Sara Is Missing is so short, it’s worth giving a try at least once: It made me jump out of my chair a couple times, playing it on a bright Tuesday morning.
Comments
6 responses to “A Horror Game About Finding A Stranger’s Phone”
Saw Markiplier’s video of this game the other day.
Oh lord. So many levels of wrong there.
But the game was alright, 😛
Let me guess, he shouted, yelled screamed in the most annoying way that only Markiplier can deliver?
I actually don’t mind Markiplier and his videos.
I was just making a rather cheap joke at his expense.
I’d just like to find one youtube lets play game reviewer who doesn’t overact and yell all the damn time in an effort to get clicks. Shit is repulsive. Just a straight up dude not putting on any kind of feigned cool ‘tude to get subscriptions.
Hm, they also do so from time to time but maybe try The Gaijin Gamers Play?
cheers, will do.