Table-Tested Review of “Alice is Missing”
I finally got a chance to play “Alice is Missing” recently! It’s a game played in complete silence, preferably in person, solely via text messages. You'll be playing high school students looking for their friend Alice and the game is guided by text-based prompts on cards.
- Game Designer: Spenser Starke
- Publication Year: 2020
- Page Count: 48 (booklet) and ~70 cards
- Content Warnings: Abusive Relationships, Death or harm to Minors, Racism, Stalking, Suicide, Violence
The Vibe
The game comes with a superb soundtrack (and accompanying timer) guiding you through the experience. It’s one of those games that are inherently immersive by taking away a layer of abstraction; you’re texting in- as well as out-of-character and with everyone actually having changed their names to their characters’ names (and maybe even setting a fitting profile picture) it's really easy to see through your character's eyes.
You'll want to have a place to play at where you can play the soundtrack, show a timer that everyone sees, have comfy seating available and possibly be able to turn down the lights (and have a flashlight ready, just in case you hit that 33% chance of a specific prompt). Something to record a voice message will also be needed. This will ensure that you can enjoy the game in its best form. I have played with people who have played it online before and they said the experience is a lot more immersive in person.
The game can have quite a lot of bleed at the end of the session, as you slowly reacclimate in the real world. The game handles that well, with some guidance on how to debrief in the end. There is also some guidance on how to handle safety tools in a silent game, so you’re not immediately forced to break immersion should something come up midway through. Generally the safety advice is very good.
The Rules
The setup is described throroughly with some checks in between to see if you’re doing it correctly, which I highly appreciate in a game. After building the deck and fleshing out the setting and characters together, play starts with everyone getting comfortable as the soundtrack starts and the facilitator sending the first message, kicking off the group chat. The previous setup already gives enough info to get into texting immediately. Prompts are drawn from time to time and seamlessly woven into the chat by the person who drew them. The prompts are well done and constructing an interesting narrative is easy.
While it’s not a complicated game at all, I do recommend facilitators to learn the rules properly before playing, just because it's not a game where you want to fumble for rules clarifications halfway through.
Replayability
It is inherently a one-shot experience. Having played a round, I low key want to play again immediately, it was so good. You have some replayability with different prompt sets, but it's recommended to play with a different group, as similar plot points might emerge with the same group of people. The Silent Falls expansion also has some new cards for new stories being told.
Conclusion
Alice is Missing is a fantastic game that is inherently immersive and quickly becomes an intense and emotional experience. It’s guided well, it's easy to run and leaves you hungry for more.
I'm a big fan of innovative games and this is definitely one of those. I'm looking forward to playing again soon!
