Buddy Simulator 1984

Buddy Simulator 1984 is a horror adventure/role-playing video game, developed by Chicago-based team Not a Sailor Studios. It was first released for Windows on February 18, 2021, before being released on October 27, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, and on PlayStation 4, 5 and Xbox Series X/S on April 6, 2023. The game presents itself as a piece of text-based software from the year 1984, that allows the player to interact with an AI virtual "buddy".

Gameplay
Buddy Simulator 1984 opens as a text adventure, operated in a mock-up of a DOS-like operating system, utilizing command prompts. Following the opening portion of the story, the game shifts into a 2D turn-based role-playing game.

Reception
Buddy Simulator 1984 has a Metacritic score of 79/100 for Nintendo Switch, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. TheXboxHub rated it 4.5/5, praising it as "a killer game that comes from nowhere to shoot you between the eyes". Cubed3, reviewing the Nintendo Switch version, rated it 7/10, criticizing the implementation of the text-based inputs on a console controller, although describing it overall as "a very immersive thriller". God is a Geek was critical of the battle system of the RPG segment of the game, but labelled it as a "captivating, thoughtful title" and rated it 8/10.