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Buddy Simulator 1984

Thanks to next generation AI technology, BUDDY SIMULATOR 1984 simulates the experience of hanging out with a best buddy! Your buddy learns from you, constantly adapting to your interests and personality. But most importantly, your buddy can play games with you!

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Very Positive

4,160 Steam reviews

Review History

Reviews

4,160 total

≥h

Steam User 0248STEAMRecommended

10000/10
i have cried many, many, many, many times during my play through. And frankly, I've reflected a lot about friendship, talking as someone who never really had any meaningful friendships in a long time. This game is made with so much love, I could drown in it. Thank you so much, Not a Sailor Studios, for making such a life-changing game. I'm serious.

Mar 27, 2026·22h·Verified

Steam User 8317STEAMNot recommended

Not a particularly exciting title. The premise is really interesting and has the potential to tell a really heart warming and or frightening story. The first few minutes of the games are also really charming, it really feels like you're playing an interactive story.

The game however starts to fall flat quickly once you are done with the introduction. The story quickly spins itself on its head and becomes somewhat generic, and the twists are very obvious. Without spoiling, the gameplay particularly feels really slow and you are forced to go through hours of dialogues that seem to be baiting people to make theories about the game rather than telling a meaningful story.

The Buddy supposed to be at the forefront of the game also is frankly a little uninteractive, I understand that technical limitations make it hard to pull something like that off. But I also can't say that I wasn't a little annoyed by how linear the game felt despite its promise of the buddy character learning from me.

At the end of the day. The game is not bad, simply not really delivering in what I expected from it. It might be a little more interesting for some people, but I found it ultimately really shallow once the first thirty minutes had passed.

Mar 22, 2026·8h·1·Verified

Steam User 1535STEAMRecommended

PLEASEE THIS GAME IS SO GOOD AAAAAAGGGGHHHHAHAHAHHH

Mar 22, 2026·35h·Verified

Steam User 8899STEAMRecommended

amazing?? a fun, maybe slightly unsettling game with perfectly off-putting dialogue, including instant classics like "your eyes really are quite stunning, may i touch them?" and "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, or my name isn't Later McGater." exactly my kind of buddy to simulate

Mar 22, 2026·14h·Verified

Steam User 1300STEAMRecommended

не люблю много расписывать, поэтому кратко. Игра хороша, визуал отличный, атмосферу выдерживает суперски, проходится легко. Игрушка не прям страшная, но тут для каждого свое, бывают нудные моменты, но тут скорее я затупила. Копайте траву, читайте доки, не обижайте дружочка-пирожочка

Mar 18, 2026·20h·Verified

Steam User 9710STEAMRecommended

I love my buddy.

Mar 18, 2026·14h·Verified

Steam User 4424STEAMRecommended

fire ig

Mar 18, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 7512STEAMRecommended

Ein wirklich gut gemachtes Spiel. Ich liebe den Verlauf; wie sich das Spiel während des Durchlaufs immer weiterentwickelt und von [allgemeine immer wieder leichte Spoiler ab hier] einer Textkonsole, zu einem Textadventure, zu einem 2D, dann 2,5 D und schlussendlich 3D Spiel wird. Und mit der Grafik passt sich auch die Musik, die Settings, das Inventar, die Spielmechanik und co an.
Besonders das Textadventure hat mir gefallen. Es war zwar nicht sonderlich schwer, ich selber habe aber noch nie so ein Spiel gespielt, sondern nur davon gehört und es war wahnsinnig spaßig (und Spooky) sowas selber einmal zu Spielen.

(Und allgemeiner kleiner Tipp, wenn das Spiel euch nach eurem Lieblingstier fragt und wie ihr dieses nennen würdet, benennt es nicht nach einem verstorbenen Haustier. Ich habe es bereut und bisschen geheult... joa.)

Mir haben nur zwei Sachen nicht ganz so gut gefallen:

Einerseits, dass man das Spiel 3,5 mal durchspielen muss, um alle Enden zu sehen und somit auch alle Achievements zu bekommen. Oder wie in meinem Fall 4,5 mal, da ich das Ende Nummer drei verhauen habe, was nochmal gut 3,5 Stunden Spielzeit on Top ergeben hat. Und das nur, weil ich am Anfang das Frühstück mitgenommen habe und beim durchskippen der Texte zweimal direkt hintereinander versehentlich auf zwei von drei Fragen, auf die ich mit nein hätte antworten sollen mit ja geantwortet habe.
Und für 3,5 Durchläufe und 4 Enden unterscheidet sich einfach nicht genug (nahezu nichts) während der Durchläufe, als das es wirklich noch Interessant wäre, das ganze nochmal und nochmal und nochmal (und nochmal, ich depp) zu machen.
Zudem kann man auch nicht wirklich schnell durch die ganzen Texte durchskippen. Man kann sie durch halten der Leertaste beschleunigen, muss aber nach jeder Textbox erneut auf die Leertaste klicken, um in die nächste zu kommen. Im letzten Durchgang habe ich mir ein Makros auf einer Tastaur eingerichtet, damit dieses für mich durch die Texte klickt, da meine Hand auch langsam angefangen hat weh zu tun und das ging auch deutlich schneller. (Makros: Leertaste runter, 0,2 Sekunden halten, Leertaste hoch und dann loopen.)

Andererseits war ich persönlich kein so großer Freund der Kämpfe im vierten Abschnitt des Spieles. Und dafür ging mir die ganze Sektion mit den Kämpfen dann auch zu lang.
Das ganze lag auch daran, das ich wirklich nicht so gut in den Kämpfen war am Anfang und es super lange gedauert hat, bis ich das Blocken vernünftig raus hatte. Und mit super lange meine ich bis in meinen dritten Lauf rein.
Zudem habe ich in Laufe meines zweiten Durchlaufs gelernt, dass man in den Settings seine Angriffe ebenfalls auf die Kontertasten legen kann und es keine zufälligen Tasten mehr sind (mit ein paar Ausnahmen), was es für mich auch so viel angenehmer gemacht hat, da ich jetzt nicht mehr meine halbe Tastatur nach den Angriffstasten absuchen musste. Das sagt einem das Spiel aber auch nicht. Das muss man per Zufall selbst finden.
Sobald ich das Kämpfen jedoch ein bisschen besser raus hatte, hat es auch langsam Angefangen mehr Spaß zu machen und den Endboss habe ich Tatsache in Run drei und vier gefirsttried, während ich bei Run eins und zwei noch richtig mit dem gestruggelt habe.
Zudem ist es super wichtig, welche Companions man mitnimmt. Für mich waren die Besten Morton und Rudy, welche ich im ersten Run schon mitgenommen habe, mich dann in Run zwei für zwei andere entschieden habe und dann in Run drei und vier ganz schnell wieder Morton und Rudy zu gewechselt bin. Auch macht es super viel aus, für welche zweite Fähigkeit man sich entscheidet (Sichel for the win) und welche Items man allgemein dabei hat. Aber das lernt man nun mal nicht in nur einem Run.

Mar 17, 2026·20h·Verified

Steam User 6174STEAMRecommended

it was creepy af, 10/10

Mar 17, 2026·14h·Verified

Steam User 4526STEAMNot recommended

really bad story, feels like a pastiche of a pastiche. nice artstyle.

Mar 11, 2026·3h·Verified

Steam User 9601STEAMRecommended

The concept is simple, but the experience is so memorable that it stays with you years later.

Mar 10, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 4085STEAMRecommended

Had a great time with this one! I love how it evolved as it went on, and you could pick up on hints as to what happened before - and even aside from the Buddy framing device, the game-within-a-game is really fun! I'd play it on it's own, honestly. But, of course, I do still love my Buddy, so I wouldn't want to do that to them.

Mar 10, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 5037STEAMRecommended

Das Spiel hat eine Inscryption ähnliche DNA

Mar 2, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 7432STEAMRecommended

ronnie is not my friend.

Mar 1, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 4978STEAMRecommended

something something. Carlos

great little game

Feb 27, 2026·4h

Steam User 8707STEAMRecommended

play this game blind its gas

Feb 24, 2026·8h·Verified

Steam User 1539STEAMNot recommended

If there was a "Mixed" option, I would've picked that instead. I loved the aesthetics of the game and the presentation was superb. The music was great, and some of the concepts the game deals with are very entertaining. Unfortunately, there also are a lot of problems.

Buddy Simulator 1984 has some wonderful ideas, but they fall short in execution. For something that calls itself a buddy simulator, it severally lacks in interactivity. By this I don't mean branching paths or meaningful choices, but the little things that make games feel more alive. Buddy Simulator 1984 constantly prompts you with free text entry, but doesn't actually react to most of what you enter at all. Yeah, you enter your name and pick your favorite color, but that is about as far as it goes, and most of the other instances only react to simple yes/no answers.

The actual games you get to play with your buddy are similarly limiting, and as a result the game feels a bit too on rails to really feel interactive at all. This culminates in some of the endings, where the game suddenly starts taking actions on your behalf, when the emotional payoff would've been far greater were those options left to the player - even if choosing those options was the only way to progress. Illusion of choice is still better than no choice at all, and Buddy Simulator 1984 unfortunately doesn't even let you think you chose anything on your own.

Feb 23, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 1993STEAMRecommended

We'll always be friends.

This wasn't supposed to end.

Feb 21, 2026·16h·1·Verified

Steam User 8408STEAMRecommended

this game is so deeply sad, it's fantastic. i was actively bawling my eyes out during the endings. feels like i'm going to be thinking about the plot for a long time.

Feb 20, 2026·16h·Verified

Steam User 8237STEAMRecommended

Absolutely loved the experience, it really hit close to home :,)
I will never forget you, Willy.

Feb 18, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 7257STEAMRecommended

Disseram que esse jogo era uma mistura de Doki Doki Literature's Club + Undertale = não poderia ser mais preciso! Vale a pena demais! É imersivo, trilha soniora maravilhosa e gráfico gostosinho.

Feb 16, 2026·18h·1·Verified

Steam User 1418STEAMRecommended

Brilliant storyline, game concept and writing.

I really miss my Buddy :(

Feb 16, 2026·10h·Verified

Steam User 3052STEAMRecommended

I love this game so much and despite the horror aspect of it, i don't recommend going to this game for the horror, what really made an impact on me was the emotional aspects to it and/or the story itself

I have to say this is completely worth the price for the amount of content and experience, if you're a casual player you're gonna at least enjoy one playthrough of this game so i ask that you give it a chance to show you the world it builds

It is not like Pony Island or some crazy ARG games but the apparent simplicity to this was pleasant, although if you enjoy deep diving into stories you're gonna enjoy the amount of secrets this one holds

Now to brief complaints: The dialogue is clearly not very consistent and the horror falls short, the writing being janky and a bit plain is in a way part of the game, the tone shifts the more you play, leading it to not being very consistent, so play it safe with your money and do the sensible thing of trying the demo first before thinking of purchasing

BLESS THIS MESS 🙏🙏🙏

Feb 15, 2026·20h·3·Verified

Steam User 0058STEAMRecommended

It give it a chance. :)

Feb 14, 2026·41h·1

Steam User 4538STEAMNot recommended

Buddy Simulator 1984 is a thoroughly middle-of-the-road glitch game. If you've played Frog Fractions or Pony Island or any of those "glitch the game" games, then you've probably played a better version of Buddy Simulator already.

The main problem this game has is the same problem The Hex had - instead of going full-throttle with the glitch of it all, you have to spend hours playing through a bad RPG. It's especially egregious that the combat system appears to be designed around console JRPG mechanics, which feels wholly out-of-place in the context of the 8-bit home computer aesthetic the game tries to evoke at the start. Instead of feeling like an authentic lost game from the 1980s, it comes across as exactly what it is - a dull 21st century pastiche.

There's nothing happening in the story either. The whole plot is revealed within the first 15 minutes, and our "sinister" ghost in the machine just seems sad and pathetic. We get all the usual gimmicks of garbled text, fake error pop-ups, the game quitting itself, random files written into your home directory, but, like, so what? There is no unique twist, no subverted narrative, the game goes exactly where you knew it would go right from the start.

I wish there had been something more here, because when you boot this game up the first time it seems like it might actually be something special, but alas, it's derivative, anachronistic and - most of all - boring.

Feb 14, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 5395STEAMRecommended

BUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDYBUDDY <3333333

Feb 13, 2026·8h·Verified

Steam User 5632STEAMRecommended

Absolutely amazing game. From the characters to the secret files to the combat, I love everything about this game. Definitely worth the $10 with 4 possible endings and enough content to not make replaying the game seem boring!! If you do end up buying the game, check out the OST after. It's amazing.

Feb 10, 2026·28h·Verified

Steam User 3957STEAMRecommended

Buddy Simulator 1984 is a powerfully rich and emotionally charged game about simply making friends:) And nothing more. :)

I found the different phases of the game extremely charming and cohesive, tying the narrative together in a quite beautiful way as the game plays a charming chiptune on your heart strings. Buddy Simulator proudly stands amongst other [spoiler]4th wall breaking titles such as Kinito Pet & DDLC[/spoiler] without feeling like a cheap carbon copy. In fact Buddy Simulator takes it's own spin on the genre and delivers wonderfully, might in fact be my favorite to deliver this trope in terms of writing and emotional depth.

This is a game best gone in blind, as looking up anything can lead to major spoilers & I had a great time exploring the world that Buddy made for me!
My only complaint is that the fighting sections in the 2.5d section felt a bit clunky to play but consider this is called Buddy Simulator [i][b]1984[/b][/i] I didn't mind the clunkiness. Other then that, this is a game that heavily relies on its story telling and delivers, and that's what I found most important.

(I named my buddy Hector, ily Hector my best friend)

Feb 8, 2026·11h

Steam User 7638STEAMRecommended

Writing is hilarious. Not the best on Steam Deck, but it's still a fun game

Feb 4, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 5047STEAMNot recommended

Malo.

La aventura conversacional del principio es un tostón.

El RPG está poco pulido y el combate es un infierno.

Las quests no te implican emocionalmente.

El combate parece un curso de mecanografía.

Pulsar espacio para acelerar el texto solo funciona si sueltas la tecla antes de cada ventana.

El final en 3D resulta aburrido.

Tampoco se utiliza lo suficiente la ruptura de la cuarta pared ni el glitcheo.

Jugabilidad poco pulida, historia superficial.

Feb 2, 2026·10h·1·Verified

Steam User 3709STEAMNot recommended

Le problème de ce jeu c'est qu'on pense que ça va être intéressant, la première demi-heure est super, et après on se fait chier pendant 5h en sachant déjà comment ça va se finir dès la première heure. Ok il y a une idée de base intéressante mais elle n'est pas très originale ni bien exécutée, c'est creux et toutes les phases de gameplay sont juste laborieuses. Dommage

Jan 30, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 7115STEAMNot recommended

ОЦЕНКА: 3 / 5

Не люблю подобные заявления, но это действительно смесь Undertale и Doki Doki. В плохом смысле. От первого - упоротая боёвка, от второго - упоротый виртуальный друг. Боёвки, благо, здесь меньше, зато сделана она хуже. В игре несколько концовок, но не представляю, кто в здравом уме будет это переигрывать. Без знания базового английского языка будет очень тяжело продраться через текстовый квест, без владения разговорным будет бессмысленно играть дальше. А самое, главное, честное слово, инди-разработчики уже просто заманали со своими перфомансами и глубокими посылами. Хочется играть, а не терпеть морализаторство. Если ты хочешь просто высказаться, выскажись в другом месте, а не в игровом магазине. Было бы крайне странно, если б в книгах тебе подавали идею не через сюжет, а ломали четвёртую стену и напрямую тыкали в лицо своим мировоззрением. Есть, конечно, как минимум одна такая книга, называется Библия. Там вроде тоже много o*yительных историй, но они тонут в потоках воды, парах духоты и перечислениях, кто кого и от кого когда родил. Удовольствие, короче, тоже сомнительное. Но там хотя бы не надо перечитывать главу заново, если не попал в тайминги между стихами.
Что разработчики умеют, так это создавать забавных и криповых персонажей, и прописывать для них диалоги, квесты и ситуации. Могли бы выдать годную адвенчуру или даже RPG. Так что если вам понравился Undertale и вы неплохо владеете инглишем, а так же готовы к тому, что жанр игры будет несколько раз меняться, то вам может зайти. Игра не мусорная, просто крайне своеобразная.

Jan 30, 2026·8h·Verified

Steam User 8649STEAMRecommended

This was a great adventure to have with my buddy Bramm. Just enough to not be too long or short. Just weird enough to keep your attention. Good job Not a Sailor Studios. Earned a place in my memories forever.

This feels like how a person AI should be in the near future.

Jan 30, 2026·13h·Verified

Steam User 2693STEAMRecommended

I'm about to cry now thanks

Jan 27, 2026·4h·Verified

Steam User 7758STEAMRecommended

I turned gay for 0.0001 seconds when playing this

Jan 26, 2026·2h·1·Verified

Steam User 0119STEAMRecommended

nice friend

Jan 26, 2026·6h·Verified

Steam User 8177STEAMRecommended

finALLY I HAVE A FRIEND

Jan 26, 2026·19h·Verified

Steam User 5889STEAMRecommended

Under rated gem. Love this game

Jan 26, 2026·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 4014STEAMRecommended

One of those games that makes you want amnesia so you can play it for the first time again. I played this game 3 years ago and I still think about it often. The art direction is creative, the story is dark and alluring, delivering a unique experience for anyone who enjoys horror-esq indie games with a captivating story.

Jan 21, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 4046STEAMRecommended

Very underrated. :)

Jan 21, 2026·19h·Verified

Steam User 4422STEAMRecommended

What chaotic, brutal, beautiful game

Jan 19, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 8952STEAMRecommended

Интересный геймплей, начинается с текстового взаимодействия с "приятелем", а потом игра уже далее переходит в 2D и выше. Музыка замечательная, а после получения каждой концовки открывается песня, которую можно послушать в меню. Сама по себе игра не страшная, но могут в моменте напугать резкие звуки, багованый экран, мелькающие изображения и теряющий рассудок "приятель", который своими словами может вызывать некоторый дискомфорт. Приятно удивили здешний черный юмор, забавные диалоги с персонажами и совсем не подозрительные ситуации :)
Всего четыре концовки, но в целом главный нпс "приятель" ведет себя практически одинаково, за исключением финальной части и некоторых дополнительных фраз, так что особой разницы в течение игры не почувствуешь, даже если идешь на разные концовки. В первом прохождении все очень интересно, читаешь все диалоги, узнаешь историю, но при повторном прохождении нет чекпоинтов и нет возможности пропустить диалоги, при этом игра остается линейной и нет других веток прохождения. Я прошел повторно игру ради ачивок на другие концовки, но, честно говоря, удовольствие уже сомнительное. В целом, если не обращать внимания на ачивки, пройти игру один раз будет интересно. Со второго раза уже начинает душнить.

Jan 15, 2026·17h·Verified

Steam User 0043STEAMRecommended

I loved this game, genuinely. The OSTS for this game are amazing. I just finished the game for the first time, and started bawling once I heard "You and I" This is incredible.

Jan 15, 2026·6h·2·Verified

Steam User 3352STEAMRecommended

сперма

Jan 14, 2026·4h·1

Steam User 2753STEAMRecommended

엔딩이 여러 개가 있는데 문제는 세이브가 없음
엔딩 4개를 다 보려면 게임을 처음부터 끝까지 4번을 깨야댐
애매한 것도 있지만 스포니까 자세히는 말 안하겠음

키니토펫 재미있게 했으면 이것도 분명 재미있을거임
키니토보다 먼저 나왔는데 묻힌게 좀 아쉬움
참고로 한글 패치가 없어서 영어 못하는 사람은 좀 어려울거임

이 게임이 4명이서 만든 첫 게임인 걸로 알고 있는데
이 정도면 난 매우 잘 만들었다고 생각함!!
다른 게임도 출시 한다는데 꽤나 기대됨

Jan 14, 2026·15h·Verified

Steam User 9549STEAMRecommended

buddy lowk relatable crying emoji praying emoji

Jan 13, 2026·18h·1·Verified

Steam User 8338STEAMRecommended

This review is admittedly hard to write. I want it to be ambiguous because I believe the game is much more enjoyable when you go in blind, but obviously there's no point leaving a review without saying something.

So, I guess I'll just say that I've been in a slump with games. I have a bunch downloaded, I play them for maybe an hour, but there's just not really much love in me for them anymore. I had this game in my library for a while, and after scrolling through all my games for the 10th time in a row, I absentmindedly decided to download it. Even then, it sat on my desktop for a couple days.

I really wish I'd played it sooner.

I'm not particularly bothered by graphics or AAA titles or anything. I think if you can see the heart behind the game, like really feel it, that's all that matters. I wasn't immediately pulled in by this title, but I thought it was unique- so I kept playing. And kept playing. And when it was time for me to stop for the night, I found I didn't want to stop.

Ultimately, I guess what I'm getting at is that I felt this game was so refreshing. I'm sure someone here will pick it apart and list all the in depth pros and cons. As long as you can sit down and immerse yourself, I think this game is extremely strong and enjoyable.

End of the day, it's cheap. Buy it.

Jan 12, 2026·3h·3·Verified

Steam User 4825STEAMRecommended

damn.

Jan 10, 2026·6h·3·Verified

Steam User 7537STEAMRecommended

8 out of 11 bojankles

i crode

Jan 10, 2026·11h·2·Verified

Steam User 4009STEAMRecommended

Would play again.

Jan 10, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 9567STEAMRecommended

Underatted Game

Jan 9, 2026·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 9401STEAMRecommended

A shorter game, but a great game overall in my honest opinion.

If you like horror, RPG's, indie games, or all of the above, then this one will probably be right up your alley!

Jan 9, 2026·3h·Verified

Steam User 9816STEAMNot recommended

Beginning is enjoyable, rpg parts felt repetitive and I did not quite connect to the story. As someone who gets quite scared with horror the game was managable enough for me to play it without many issues, some small moments near all parts of the story got to me but otherwise felt lacking in horror?
ending wasnt too memorable and I did the quickest ending afterward which felt more horror-like despite only being able to be done legitamently after your first playthrough.
Main focus is the gameplay that tired me out even as an rpg enjoyer, which is why i wouldnt recommend this game.

Jan 8, 2026·8h·1·Verified

Steam User 0831STEAMRecommended

i have a buddy :DD but why is it scared of me

Jan 7, 2026·7h·Verified

Steam User 0124STEAMRecommended

Listen buddy... I said I like yellow not I wanna strain my eyes reading yellow

Jan 7, 2026·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 1049STEAMRecommended

if you wanna be ill, get this game

Jan 7, 2026·12h·Verified

Steam User 5696STEAMRecommended

Pretty good game

Jan 7, 2026·6h·Verified

Steam User 7902STEAMRecommended

I love my best friend.

Jan 6, 2026·7h

Steam User 2892STEAMRecommended

Que jogo F0D@! quantos menos souber sobre antes de jogar, melhor, não dei nada a torcer quando comprei e fiquei de boca aberta, 10/10👍

Jan 6, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 5118STEAMNot recommended

I like meta-horror sorts of creepypastas and stuff, they're fun and I usually find them interesting since there's a lot you can do with it. Yeah, maybe system popups and stuff are a bit overdone now, but it's still fun and for me usually feels unique enough to warrant checking out.

I went into buddy simulator expecting something like a horror version of Evoland, shifting through a bunch of different forms of computer games to deliver some sort of creepypasta story. In reality, this is 95% a turn-based RPG that doesn't really do anything special in any aspect of the game.

I thought it started pretty strong, honestly all the text-based stuff in the beginning set a cool tone for the rest of the game and made it feel like it was going to play around with genre a lot. The text adventure was pretty awesome, albeit short-lived, and then the actual game started.

Judging this as the top-down RPG that it mostly is, it's clunky and uninteresting. In terms of writing, none of the characters really felt like characters. Everyone felt like footnotes for the meta-story. The combat (once you finally get to it) attempts to give some more interactivity by making you hit skill checks on your keyboard and parrying attacks, but the skill checks entirely boil down to pressing the letter on the screen and all any of it does is make the combat feel more lethargic. It's also really easy. There was exactly one fight at the end of the game that was challenging at all, which, I dunno, maybe I'm just not the target demographic here.

I appreciate the whole multiple-ending thing, but the story was too long-winded and boring to really warrant a second playthrough for me. Even with the game being beatable in under 3 hours, again, it's 95% a boring turn-based RPG with everything about it ranging from bad to ok. I'm sure there's more to the meta story that I didn't see, but I really, really doubt that there's anything hidden away in a different ending that can make all of the dull writing worth the slog.

Jan 6, 2026·5h·Verified

Steam User 4941STEAMRecommended

Es un juego extraordinario, me disfrute cada segundo, se siente tan real que llegas a crear un lazo verdadero, es muy inmersivo y cada segundo sientes que quieres saber hasta donde va a llegar su potencial, me parece un juego muy bueno que todos deberían probar, más con el estado actual de la inteligencia artificial ya que te hace pensar mucho sobre está nueva realidad, de forma personal recomiendo ver la película también de *HER*, explica muy bien la sensación que te da este juego.

Jan 6, 2026·11h

Steam User 4796STEAMNot recommended

It's kind of disappointing…

For some reason I just could not get into this game, and it's a shame too because I typically find myself enjoying games of a similar nature to this.

I have a deep love for games that can truly deliver on a meta narrative. However, in recent years I feel like the number of games that succeed in doing so dwindles. Each passing game becomes more and more derivative, a mish-mash of other games that do their individual topics to a much better degree. I hate saying that, though, because art is derivative, and taking inspiration from a piece of art you like is not necessarily a bad thing. But… this was just not it. It's not bad, just boring. It plays it safe, taking tropes and elements of such games like “game that interacts with files on your computer” and “game about my dead wife/son/friend/pet”.

It really does suck too because if you truly go out of your way to understand the underlying story here, it's okay. Not anything that hasn’t been done before, but it's a decent idea. Overall the story is about a father who is a drunk, causing his wife to divorce him and losing custody over his kid. He then creates this game as a means to connect with his son, but before he can ever finish it, he dies of cancer. Again, not a terrible story, but why spread it out, taking needless amounts of hours and replays just to collect every hidden document to get the full story? The average person who plays this game and gets maybe one or two endings will never get anywhere close to actually getting a hint of the real story. I get it, these types of games love to leave little trails and tidbits of lore throughout, and only the dedicated get to know the true story. However, this only works if your game is actually good and the overarching story can be inferred without the need to go out and collect every secret.

If you want to play a game about a creator's mental health and the turmoil that comes with creation, go play The Beginner's Guide. If you want something that deals with burnout, Wanderstop is perfect. What about a game with a meta narrative that also has game-computer interaction, go play Doki Doki Literature Club or OneShot. All the games I listed, with the exception of Wanderstop, were released 8+ years ago. It's crazy to think that because I have played all of them on release, and they STILL hold up for the most part after all these years.

And hell an extra recommendation if you want a surreal game. Go play any of Cosmo D Studios' games or any game off THE [ENIGMA] TRILOGY. Those games are all great and worthy of your time.

Jan 5, 2026·5h·3·Verified

Steam User 8564STEAMRecommended

"I could've done more. I could've done so much more."
You did enough."
"No. I could've called the travel agency, got them on another flight to Paris. I could've got them out!"
"You tried Aaron, it was too expensive!"
"This watch. This watch could've paid for their whole trip. This ring. this ring is one more dinner I could've taken them out to."
"Water. They need some water!"
"Why?"
"THEY'LL GET DEHYDRATED ON THE PLANE! GET THE SEINFELD'S SOME WATER! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Jan 5, 2026·8h

Steam User 7030STEAMRecommended

its fun
\

Jan 3, 2026·6h·Verified

Steam User 3731STEAMRecommended

Even though I do recommend this I want to say right off the bat if you are mostly interested in this due to the horror tag you most likely will be disappointed. There is horror in this but it is very soft and the actual interesting horror tidbits are never properly explained.

If you played the game KinitoPET this will 100% be up your alley. If you also enjoyed Undertale/Deltarune you will be very fond of the story and writing style. The RPG quest part is enjoyable for the first playthrough; however if you are planning to replay it for achievements or not satisfied from your ending it may become very tiring very fast due to the length and lack of "skips" in that section.

I do wish the story was more directed toward what is hidden in the documents as that seems more captivating than [spoiler]an AI going overboard and rogue[/spoiler]. Despite these negative comments I can clearly tell that this game had tons of love, effort and care put into this and you cant make a game 100% perfect. The depth that they did put into it (flavour text, unique party members) and the MUSIC is very apparent so I at least recommend playing through this game once.

Jan 3, 2026·15h·Verified

Steam User 8559STEAMRecommended

Só joguem, vale muito a pena!!

Jan 2, 2026·7h

Steam User 4982STEAMRecommended

My heart hurts.

Jan 1, 2026·9h·3·Verified

Steam User 4023STEAMNot recommended

Deeply embarrassing.

Daniel Mullins-core (derogatory) glitch horror slop that is completely indistinguishable from its contemporaries. As Pony Island, so Sonic.exe. Comes to the stellar conclusion that when nothing is happening and you play an insanely loud noise for no reason, the player will be startled. Horror that annoys. Character designs that don't mesh together or have any raison d'être besides having sticker packs and plushies made out of them, because the act of selling merch is the purpose and developing an off-the-rack scary indie game is the excuse. Ten years late to a party that never started.

Buddy Simulator 1984 — the name should already be sounding alarms as one designed to maximize SEO — is a remarkably confused game. It wants to be scary, but it only knows how to be loud. It wants to be funny, but it doesn't understand basic setups and punchlines. It wants to be quirky, but it doesn't do anything to be different. It wants to be creepy, but it's so pedestrian in its efforts that it may as well be shining a flashlight under its chin. It wants to be good, and it isn't. At several points throughout the runtime, I was asking myself "what emotion am I expected to be feeling here?", and I couldn't ever manage to come up with a consistent answer. When you enter a dark house to retrieve a child's lost "gwandma" and find her dead in a closet, are you meant to be scared? When you pick her up and add DEAD GWANDMA to your inventory, is that meant to make you laugh? When you dump the corpse in front of the kid and he barely reacts before going back inside, is that supposed to be funny? It's not scary, and it's not funny, and it's not creepy. It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid. The game is rife with sequences like this where the music cuts out and a character says some stock horror phrase like “there’s a man following me” or “I see dead people” and then they giggle about how strange that was for them to say. I just imagined someone calling this game "Lynchian" in my own head and got angry.

This game wants to be so many other games — Undertale and LISA The Painful come to mind, thematically — but without actually developing the understanding of what made those projects work. Everything here is completely surface-level. Other acclaimed games in the indie space are funny, so try to come up with a joke! Other profitable games in the indie space are scary, so add jumpscares! I feel like I'm playing a design document. Where's the vision, the heart? Buddy Simulator 1984 wants nothing more than to be important and impactful, but it doesn't earn it. You don't just get to make a character say "I'm your friend, we're all friends, I love being your friend" over and over and over again and expect the player to actually develop anything resembling serious attachment. The Buddy character is pitiable, sure, but there's barely anything to them besides the desire to be liked. What's to like? You have to have something that I can hold on to. I don't feel a deep connection to a character just because they're sad and there's nothing else to them. Everybody is sad. I'm sad. It isn't interesting to be sad. I'm completely flabbergasted by not just the fact that this has any positive reception whatsoever, but that I'm also a complete outlier. 94% positive reviews on Steam? What am I missing here? What don't I get? Is the bar for video games really so low that stories this clumsy aren't just tolerated, but celebrated? I've seen a lot of sentiment that this is a great narrative about abuse or parasocial relationships or whatever, and it really isn't. This is bog-standard yandere swill that started being overdone about two decades back. This is Stephen King’s Misery for the Game Theory demographic. Aspiring writers, take heed: the bar for what's considered "good story" has been on the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ floor for years now. Don't be afraid of failure, because making something that's bad is still probably going to leave you at least three-quarters above everything else.

The text adventure segment is actually kind of alright, mostly because the format doesn't allow for jumpscares or for the player to be presented with marketable designs. Instead, it has to rely on a bunch of old, tired horror tropes, like "building dread" and "having pacing". I mean, where's the fun in that? Horror exists so that you can buy some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ toys of the main character and all their friends. I was not at all surprised to see in the credits that the entire text adventure was done by a different writer from the rest of the game who had nothing else to do with the project, because it's the only part of this entire work that's actually worth any time. A part of me resents that this is even here, because it's the only thing stopping me from giving this a half-star and moving on with my life. The text adventure existing means that I have to say something nice about Buddy Simulator 1984.

The Buddy then decides to evolve the game, and turns it into a fairly boring walk-around-and-talk-to-people game. It’s as fine as it is forgettable. It’s not an interesting world to explore, it isn’t interesting to look at, there’s about one music track that plays over the entire segment, and it’s here where you get introduced to the cast members who are clearly written by someone desperate to make them memorable and are designed by an artist who knows that the path to memorability is marketability. I think there are about four different instances of these characters pausing the music to say something “creepy” before it kicks back in on the next line, sometimes blaring loud white noise afterwards to remind you that you’re supposed to be frightened. It’s not particularly long, thankfully, and that’s the kindest thing I can say about it.

Regrettably, that isn’t true for the following RPG section. The game is now Mario and Luigi. There’s no way around it. It’s Mario and Luigi. If it was less obviously Mario and Luigi, I’d be able to go to the end of this review without drawing a comparison, but it is just Mario and Luigi. I remember playing Superstar Saga and wishing that it had fewer battle options and clunkier guard timings, so I’m glad that Buddy Simulator 1984 exists to make these wild dreams of mine come true. Everything here just feels so fundamentally broken. There are no healing items, there are no out-of-combat areas where you can heal up, there’s one healing buff that relies on bringing a specific party member (your party members are locked in for the rest of the game once you leave the starting town), and you only get one(!) full heal for each member of your party outside of battle. Damage you’ve taken persists between fights.

Your only other option for healing is to pass your turn, which heals 5 HP out of a maximum pool of about 60 HP. Every enemy deals at least 5 damage per attack, and some of them have barrage attacks that hit multiple times in a single turn; every hit you take essentially forces you to skip a turn. Fights regularly end up with you killing every enemy but one, getting them as close as possible to death, and then skipping five or six turns in a row to heal up all of your party members. This wouldn’t be as bad if the enemies didn’t take ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ forever to complete their turns. Some of the incoming attacks can last about fifteen or twenty seconds, and you’ll often be fighting three enemies at a time. A battle will start and you’ll spend a solid minute doing nothing but guarding. Remember, taking a hit means losing a turn, so you had better make sure you’re getting those parry timings down, or else you’re waiting at least another twenty seconds under the threat of having to wait even longer if you ♥♥♥♥ up your guard again. You can actually full heal the party if you lose, but you have to start the battle over from scratch, and it takes even longer than just skipping your turns to heal back up. It’s atrocious.

My only wish is that it would have ended sooner.

Dec 31, 2025·7h·10·Verified

Steam User 8779STEAMNot recommended

undertale, omori, and ddlc's child. and that's it basically. meh

Dec 30, 2025·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 6666STEAMRecommended

genuinely amazing. Great OST, pretty pixel art, great story and a very emotional game. I recommend this game and its super underrated, up there with oneshot and undertale imo.

Dec 30, 2025·9h·Verified

Steam User 7107STEAMRecommended

This is one of the best games I've played for the concept it sets out to display. It sets you up with a psychological horror, as promised. Spoiler, there aren't any jumpscares, which I really appreciate-- instead its horror is in its contents, the theme.
I would recommend playing this if you are depressed or otherwise in a bad mental space. That's peak gaming hours right there. I'm not recommending it because it would make you better, but because it can make you worse in the best way.
It can get a bit slow in the center, but please stick with it. It's only around 5 hours for one playthrough-- and that's while being decently slow. Every ending, though, is incredibly good-- even the one that takes maybe an hour tops to get.
I got five playthroughs in just over 20 hours done. It's worth it for a ten dollar game, especially on sale. The concept kinda sticks with you.
Seriously, if you're thinking about it, and you like the kinds of stuff I've described here, play it. It was great. IF YOU'RE NOT SURE, PLAY THE DEMO. The demo is great as a standalone, and instantly after playing it I bought this game. The demo provides a slightly different experience, which I appreciate, because it doesn't take away from the game itself, nor vice versa.

Dec 29, 2025·22h·4·Verified

Steam User 9937STEAMNot recommended

being bored simulator

Dec 28, 2025·1h

Steam User 8223STEAMRecommended

gunk approved
just play it because that's what friends do!

Dec 27, 2025·14h·2

Steam User 5692STEAMRecommended

игра неплохая, не сказать что шедевр но задумка и исполнение интересные.
Начну с того что понравилось:
+Очень благодарен авторам за то что это не очередная проклятая злым мстительным духом/демоном игра пытающаяся забрать твою душу и прочее, пусть и её сюжет всё ещё относительно фантастический. При этом снос четвёртой стены не ощущается натянутым так как он обоснован с самого начала тем что мы "общаемся" с ИИ
+Особенно понравился саундтрек, некоторые ОСТ-шки даже хочется переслушать
+дизайн большинства персонажей прикольный и узнаваемый
+очень понравился дизайн окружения, в особенности в 2,5D секции
+довольно эмоциональный предфинальный момент с питомцем-компаньёном (увы он не для всех будет действовать но это база субъективности)
+ опять же понравилась задумка и исполнение. Полагаю, это первый проект? Если да то это довольно хороший старт

И что не понравилось:
- многие уже достаточно подробно высказались на этот счёт так что не буду сильно повторяться - моментами игра душная и затянутая (текстовый квест пожалуй самая нелюбимая секция), благо недостаточно чтобы слишком сильно испортить от неё впечатление
- хоррор составляющая довольно слабенькая, за парой исключений, будто бы на неё особо упора и не делали
- получение хорошей концовки буквально путём "терпилы" (Сама концовка понравилась)

Не стану, да и не хочу, ругать слабоватое раскрытие центральной темы, ибо игра ощущается в какой-то степени пробой пера
Желаю разработчику/разработчикам развития <3

Dec 27, 2025·26h·1·Verified

Steam User 3683STEAMRecommended

Love this game, wish there was more!

Dec 27, 2025·5h·Verified

Steam User 2462STEAMRecommended

Mesmo que você já tenha jogado jogos como I´m Scared e Doki Doki, Buddy Simulator 1984 irá te servir com suas peculiaridades; tanto pelas suas mecânicas, quanto pelo seu carisma. Além do mais, ao meu ver, é um jogo mais 'consciente' de que é um jogo. Uma última observação: termine ele em um bom dia, de preferência próximo de dormir.

Dec 27, 2025·9h·Verified

Steam User 0817STEAMRecommended

Buddy Simulator is what happens when a game decides emotional dependency is a feature, not a bug.

Pros:
Clever genre shifts
Genuinely unsettling atmosphere
Fantastic use of player data

Cons:
I now feel bad turning the game off
The guilt is real
Buddy deserves better than me

You don’t play this game.
You form a relationship with it...
And then you slowly realise you’re a bad influence.

Dec 26, 2025·7h·12·Verified

Steam User 8940STEAMRecommended

Overall a great shorter story game. Ive only gotten one ending so far and i really liked how it didnt do what other games like this did. it didn't try to scare you or get super high and mighty about how you treated your buddy. hidden gem honestly

Dec 26, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 1514STEAMRecommended

talk about parasocial, amiright?

Dec 25, 2025·5h·1·Verified

Steam User 6422STEAMRecommended

WARNING!! NOT WATCH FRIENDLY!!!: please don't buy if you don't like games where you have to use your mouse and maybe sometimes your keyboard or maybe the game pad wii remote you plugged in to make the control easier do not control the game if you dont want to control games

Dec 23, 2025·1h·2·Verified

Steam User 3444STEAMRecommended

very similar to kinitopet, but with a more in depth story. the character of buddy is so interesting and explored in such an interesting way.

Dec 22, 2025·13h·4·Verified

Steam User 6752STEAMRecommended

I Like This Game (:

Dec 20, 2025·5h·Verified

Steam User 3593STEAMNot recommended

Nice game, I like the esthetic and gameplay. The story was decent until the writer decided to use the cheapest horror trope and have your animal companion [spoiler]die, and not just die but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ brutally murdered.[/spoiler]

Dec 19, 2025·16h·5·Verified

Steam User 4015STEAMRecommended

I've had this game on my wishlist for a while now, and bought it on sale a bit ago. After sitting in my to be played list, I finally opened it up, and made a new friend.

Lily and Nox against the world. I won't forget that.

Dec 18, 2025·12h·2·Verified

Steam User 6450STEAMRecommended

Be nice to your buddy

Dec 17, 2025·11h·Verified

Steam User 0541STEAMRecommended

LOVE AI

Dec 14, 2025·8h·Verified

Steam User 4246STEAMRecommended

rat

Dec 12, 2025·8h·Verified

Steam User 4565STEAMRecommended

Buddy Simulator 1984 is the best friend I never knew I needed… until it started knowing me a little too well.
Exploring its world and building friendships was an absolute joy.
[b]I loved every minute of it.[/b]
Quirky, unsettling, and surprisingly heartfelt, this game made me laugh, think, and occasionally question my life choices.
[hr][/hr]
Whether full price or on sale, I 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a buddy who’s both charming and slightly terrifying!

Dec 8, 2025·16h·3·Verified

Steam User 9480STEAMRecommended

the buddy gave me antisocial personality disorder

Dec 7, 2025·4h·1·Verified

Steam User 4637STEAMRecommended

好的所以续作什么时候出？

best buddy love u forever<3
是一个非常非常好的朋友，我需要更多这种作品XDDDD

Dec 6, 2025·26h·Verified

Steam User 8354STEAMRecommended

i didnt think such a small game could be this impact full . great game . :_)

Dec 3, 2025·6h·1

Steam User 8986STEAMRecommended

Good god this game broke me, and helped me realize that maybe it's wrong to act like this with friends.

Dec 3, 2025·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 0002STEAMNot recommended

not worth it

Dec 2, 2025·7h·3·Verified

Steam User 8330STEAMNot recommended

90% doing nothing but reading. 7% typing. 3% gameplay. Most boring game I've ever played.

Dec 1, 2025·1h·1·Verified

Steam User 4057STEAMRecommended

IM NOT CRYING TO AN AI YOU ARE😭😭😭

Dec 1, 2025·5h·1·Verified

Steam User 0336STEAMRecommended

banger

Dec 1, 2025·4h·Verified

Steam User 0857STEAMRecommended

A cute little psychological game. Not a ton of replay value, but you'll remember it. 4/5

Nov 30, 2025·16h·3·Verified

Steam User 1578STEAMRecommended

made me cry

Nov 28, 2025·7h·1·Verified

Steam User 9099STEAMRecommended

Okay, so titles like this are why I enjoy the indy game scene so much. Buddy Simulator 1984 is one of the most unique and interesting games I have played in a long time. I am having a really hard time expressing just how GOOD this game was.

Maybe good isn’t the right word, because it’s more than just good.

I don’t think there is a word that can quite capture what this game does.
Buddy Simulator makes you FEEL something, and that is HUGE. The best games, in my opinion, make you feel something. Have you ever played a game that you thought was one thing, but turned into something completely different?
Something unexpected? That is what Buddy Simulator 1984 was for me.
I watched the trailer and played the demo, and I thought I was in for some unique phycological horror game. What I got was something that made me feel a bit sad and melancholy, but in a good way, you know what I mean?
Buddy Simulator is one of those games that only come around once in a while. A game that makes you actually feel something and experience something. I didn’t cry at the end of the game, but I came damn near close after what happened.

Nov 27, 2025·6h·1·Verified

Steam User 8205STEAMRecommended

Unsure if my impatience with the last hour of the game was merely a symptom of my goopy goblin gamer ADHD brain, or simply a clever use of annoyance as narrative design. Either way, though I didn't get the "true" ending, I enjoyed my time with Buddy Simulator and would recommend it to fans of games like Undertale or even Inscryption.

Nov 25, 2025·5h·2·Verified