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Games like Dear Esther

Games like Dear Esther

Games like Dear Esther

Looking for games like Dear Esther? Here are top simulation recommendations with a fantasy focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with The Old City: Leviathan, Kentucky Route Zero or The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

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  1. 70%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    70% User Score Based on 800 reviews
    Critic Score 65%Based on 1 reviews

    The Old City: Leviathan is an experiment in first person exploration that focuses entirely on story. All that exists is you and the world. Set in a decaying city from a civilization long past, The Old City: Leviathan puts the player in the shoes of a sewer dwelling isolationist. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Old City: Leviathan.

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  2. 84%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, character development
    81% User Score Based on 3,395 reviews
    Critic Score 87%Based on 6 reviews

    Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure game about a secret highway in the caves beneath Kentucky, and the mysterious folks who travel it. Gameplay is inspired by point-and-click adventure games (like the classic Monkey Island or King's Quest series, or more recently Telltale's Walking Dead series), but focused on characterization, atmosphere and storytelling rather than clever puzzles … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Kentucky Route Zero.

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  3. 79%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability
    87% User Score Based on 5,138 reviews
    Critic Score 69%Based on 8 reviews

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person story-driven mystery game focused on exploration and discovery. As occult-minded private detective Paul Prospero communicate with the dead to discover the fate of a missing boy and the mystery behind a dark ancient force lurking in Red Creek Valley. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

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  4. 82%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization
    77% User Score Based on 20,826 reviews
    Critic Score 82%Based on 14 reviews

    A first-person exploratory game taking place in 1995 in which Katie, a university student back from Europe, arrives at her family's newly inherited mansion only to find nobody there, with a note from her younger sister Sam suggesting that she's left home. Katie must explore the mansion to put together the stories of where her parents have gone and why Sam has decided to leave. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Gone Home.

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  5. 94%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    94% User Score Based on 18,415 reviews
    Critic Score 90%Based on 1 reviews

    What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of short stories about a cursed family in Washington State. Each story offers a chance to experience the life of a different family member with stories ranging from the early 1900s to the present day. The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the family members themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspe… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to What Remains of Edith Finch.

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    79%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    79% User Score Based on 1,462 reviews

    The Moon Sliver is a short narrative-focused non-linear exploration game, with elements of horror. It features a unique narrative mechanic that blurs the line between story and exploration, where interacting with objects and even simply moving around will reveal fragments of narration. As you piece these fragments together, a story of guilt, loneliness, and faith begins to take shape. And it becom… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Moon Sliver.

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  7. 71%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, optimization
    68% User Score Based on 1,466 reviews
    Critic Score 73%Based on 28 reviews

    Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture™ tells the story of the inhabitants of a remote English valley who are caught up in world-shattering events beyond their control or understanding. Made by The Chinese Room – the studio responsible for the hauntingly beautiful Dear Esther – this tale of how people respond in the face of grave adversity is a non-linear, open-world experience that pushes innovative int… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.

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  9. 74%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:music, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:story, stability
    76% User Score Based on 2,249 reviews
    Critic Score 70%Based on 4 reviews

    Proteus is a game about exploration and immersion in a dream-like island world where the soundtrack to your play is created by your surroundings. Played in first-person, the primary means of interaction is simply your presence in the world and how you observe it. The procedurally generated islands are home to creatures natural and imagined, tranquil valleys and ruins with magical properties. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Proteus.

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  10. 78%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, replayability
    88% User Score Based on 2,285 reviews
    Critic Score 70%Based on 22 reviews

    A third-person exploratory action/adventure title in which a boy ends up on a mysterious island and makes his way through its highly stylized environments, containing puzzles and slight navigation challenges, to get to the bottom of why he's ended up there and to reach the end of the road he's inadvertently begun to travel. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to RiME.

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    86%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    87% User Score Based on 2,906 reviews
    Critic Score 40%Based on 3 reviews

    Inmost is an atmospheric, story-driven puzzle platformer, following three playable characters within one dark, interconnecting story. In an old abandoned castle, you’ll need to explore every nook and cranny, avoid detection, slice your way through enemies and spring deadly traps in order to escape the evil that lurks within… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to INMOST.

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    77%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    77% User Score Based on 4,318 reviews

    Serena is a freeware horror adventure game developed by several video game development companies, including Senscape, CBE Software, Infamous Quests, Digital Media Workshop and Guys from Andromeda. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Serena.

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  14. 68%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization
    71% User Score Based on 2,152 reviews
    Critic Score 50%Based on 1 reviews

    Set in a creepy amusement park hiding a dark and sinister secret, The Park is a first-person psychological horror experience focused on exploration and storytelling. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Park.

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  16. 77%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
    76% User Score Based on 2,013 reviews
    Critic Score 79%Based on 7 reviews

    A beautiful, 3rd-person exploration game centered around two parallel stories: a fox trying to find her missing family, and a young couple dealing with a tragedy in their own. Uncover artifacts from the young couple’s life as they too become intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The First Tree.

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    70%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, character development
    70% User Score Based on 1,736 reviews

    Follow us About the GameHome is a unique horror adventure set in a beautifully-realized pixel world. It’s a murder mystery with a twist—because you decide what ultimately happens. Awakened by an oncoming storm, you open your eyes to discover yourself in a strange, dark room—tucked away in a house that’s not yours. As you play the game, it changes—subtly, almost imperceptibly—to reflect your pe… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Home.

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  19. 65%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    61% User Score Based on 2,270 reviews
    Critic Score 66%Based on 1 reviews

    VIRGINIA is a first person interactive drama. It is the story of a recently graduated FBI agent and her partner as they seek to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young boy. In the birthplace of America nothing is quite what it seems. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Virginia.

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  20. 76%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, grinding
    82% User Score Based on 724 reviews
    Critic Score 70%Based on 18 reviews

    "Dive into this nautic adventure as curiosity will guide you through a space ship wreck on an unknown planet made up of water. When one of the lead scientists still on board tries to unriddle the possibility of a relaunch young Janitor Harold is around to assist her. Join Harold in his clumsy undertakings to stir up the ark-like ship’s stale day-to-day life and find the secrets that lie behind… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Harold Halibut.

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  21. 69%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
    73% User Score Based on 2,174 reviews
    Critic Score 60%Based on 4 reviews

    Lifeless Planet was inspired by Cold War era science fiction stories, posing questions about humankind's desire for space travel. What if you journeyed across the galaxy to another planet, only to find humans had already been there? What kind of person would sign up for a one-way mission, leaving behind planet Earth and everyone they've ever known and love... to go in search of an Earth-like plane… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Lifeless Planet Premier Edition.

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    73%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability
    72% User Score Based on 1,090 reviews
    Critic Score 80%Based on 2 reviews

    Draugen is a first-person psychological horror adventure, set amongst the deep fjords and towering mountains of Norway’s awe-inspiring west coast. The game is a dark and disturbing journey into the pitch black heart of Norwegian national romanticism, as seen through the eyes of an American nature photographer, botanist and entomologist. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Draugen.

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  23. 87%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
    93% User Score Based on 17,870 reviews
    Critic Score 82%Based on 42 reviews

    Abzu is an exploration game where you are a lone diver in a lush ocean world. The diver descends deeper and deeper into the depths, where she will encounter majestic creatures, discover ancient secrets, and search for her true purpose. Abzu roughly translates to "The Ocean of Wisdom" from ancient Sumerian. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to ABZÛ.

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  24. 76%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, replayability
    91% User Score Based on 3,881 reviews
    Critic Score 57%Based on 8 reviews

    Inspired by Gone Home and Dear Esther, Scanner Sombre is a cave exploration experience. With stunning visuals and a terrifying theme, it is the 6th major video game released by Introversion Software. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Scanner Sombre.

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  26. 84%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability
    89% User Score Based on 57,262 reviews
    Critic Score 79%Based on 47 reviews

    Firewatch is a single-player first-person video game where you, as a man named Henry, explore the Wyoming wilderness after taking a summer job as a fire lookout. What is supposed to be a peaceful respite from your complicated life takes a turn when you start to question some of the things that are happening to you. Your only human connection is over a handheld radio, which you’ll use to speak wit… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Firewatch.

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  27. 83%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    87% User Score Based on 3,167 reviews
    Critic Score 75%Based on 4 reviews

    Call of the Sea is a first-person adventure puzzle game set in the 1930's that tells the story of Norah, a woman on the trail of her missing husband's expedition. The search takes place on a strange but beautiful island in the South Pacific, filled with secrets waiting to be unearthed. It’s an otherworldly tale of mystery, adventure, and self-discovery. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Call of the Sea.

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  28. 86%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    94% User Score Based on 9,141 reviews
    Critic Score 78%Based on 17 reviews

    Far: Lone Sails is a vehicle adventure game. The player needs to maintain and upgrade their unique vessel to traverse a dried-out sea, with the remains of a decaying civilization scattered out on the seabed. Keep your unique vessel going, overcome numerous obstacles and withstand the hazardous weather conditions. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to FAR: Lone Sails.

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  29. 67%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, gameplay
    67% User Score Based on 519 reviews

    Caligo is the darkness everyone descends into one way or another, and to each of us it's something different. For some it's a short but exciting adventure, some will see it as a place to relax. Yet others will be reminded of their worst nightmare, while for a few, it might come as a revelation. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Caligo.

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  30. 87%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    88% User Score Based on 18,116 reviews
    Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

    The Beginner's Guide is a narrative video game from Davey Wreden, the creator of The Stanley Parable. It lasts about an hour and a half and has no traditional mechanics, no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person struggling to deal with something they do not understand. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Beginner's Guide.

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    86%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    93% User Score Based on 1,785 reviews
    Critic Score 74%Based on 7 reviews

    In the old days man tried to catch a glimpse of the future in the strangest of ways. Experience the ancient Swedish phenomena of year walking through a different kind of first person adventure that blurs the line between two and three dimensions, as well as reality and the supernatural. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Year Walk.

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  32. 54%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
    60% User Score Based on 916 reviews
    Critic Score 70%Based on 2 reviews

    MIND: Path to Thalamus is a First Person Puzzler that throws you into a fantastic and surreal environment. You will bend the natural elements to your will in order to progress in this emotive, mind-bending tale. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to MIND: Path to Thalamus.

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  33. 66%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, optimization
    72% User Score Based on 1,546 reviews
    Critic Score 55%Based on 23 reviews

    The Town of Light is a psychological adventure told in the first person. The story is set in Italy in the first half of the 20th Century in a place which really existed and has been meticulously reconstructed. Exploring and interacting with the environment you will relive the history of the main character through her confused viewpoint and on the basis of your choices, the story will develop in di… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Town of Light.

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  34. 75%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding
    78% User Score Based on 482 reviews
    Critic Score 50%Based on 12 reviews

    Explore strange and wonderful islands and dark labyrinths below in this narrative puzzle platformer. Guide young mechanic Mo on her quest to repair a world on the brink of collapse. The powerful Omni Switch at your disposal may not be enough to fix the damage that hides beneath the surface... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Minute of Islands.

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  35. 71%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    75% User Score Based on 10,416 reviews
    Critic Score 40%Based on 43 reviews

    Scorn is an atmospheric first person horror adventure game set in a nightmarish universe of odd forms and somber tapestry. It is designed around an idea of "being thrown into the world". Isolated and lost inside this dream-like world you will explore different interconnected regions in a non-linear fashion. The unsettling environment is a character itself. Every location contains its own theme (st… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Scorn.

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  36. 71%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability
    67% User Score Based on 2,030 reviews
    Critic Score 90%Based on 1 reviews

    Explore the world of Thirty Flights of Loving through a first-person short story. In this sequel to Gravity Bone, take a deep dive with high-flying schemers, lovelorn criminals, and more stray kittens than you can shake a stick at. Saddle up, gunslinger. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Thirty Flights of Loving.

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  37. 85%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, replayability
    87% User Score Based on 5,680 reviews
    Critic Score 77%Based on 2 reviews

    This edition includes the game and the following: • Original Soundtrack Deliver Us The Moon is a Sci-Fi thriller set in an apocalyptic near future, where Earth's natural resources are depleted. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Deliver Us The Moon.

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  38. 80%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability
    85% User Score Based on 1,266 reviews
    Critic Score 69%Based on 5 reviews

    The Station is a first-person sci-fi mystery set on a space station sent to study a sentient alien civilization. Assuming the role of a recon specialist, players must unravel a mystery which will decide the fate of two civilizations. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Station.

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  39. 76%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    84% User Score Based on 3,779 reviews
    Critic Score 69%Based on 11 reviews

    From the creator of To the Moon: A simple, wordless 1-hour short about a boy who found an injured bird, told through a blur between reality and imagination. A Bird Story is an interactive pixel animation with the sole purpose of telling a simple story. It is a standalone narrative, with its own beginning and ending. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to A Bird Story.

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  40. 80%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, optimization
    87% User Score Based on 2,711 reviews
    Critic Score 73%Based on 23 reviews

    Explore the remains of a fallen world from fascinating perspectives! Slip into the role of different animals to uncover the fate of an ancient world. Dive into deep waters, fly at lofty heights, dig underground as a mole, climb steep cliffs with a mountain goat, and many more! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to LOST EMBER.

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    92%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, story
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
    92% User Score Based on 5,517 reviews
    Critic Score 93%Based on 2 reviews

    Single Player, HD (High Definition). Manipulate the flow of time. Rescue the Princess. Contemplate the world; save yourself. The full version of Braid allows you to visit all the worlds, and thus use all the time-manipulation powers. Perhaps you will find the Princess and rescue her. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Braid.

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  42. 74%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
    76% User Score Based on 948 reviews
    Critic Score 72%Based on 20 reviews

    A noir adventure set before, during and after the Big Bang. Explore black holes, primordial Earth, and jazz cafes. Witness the birth and history of mankind. Find comfort in a glass of gin. Search for a way to destroy creation. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Genesis Noir.

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    63%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability
    63% User Score Based on 528 reviews

    Time is relative. Sometimes 10 seconds can feel like an eternity... In TIMEframe you will discover a world in slow motion. Explore the remnants of a mysterious civilization on the brink of destruction. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to TIMEframe.

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    75%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:story, grinding
    75% User Score Based on 2,018 reviews
    Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

    Enter the lost world of Kairo. Explore vast abandoned monuments. Bring strange and ancient machinery back to life. Slowly uncover the true purpose of Kairo and fulfil a great destiny. Kairo is an atmospheric 3D exploration and puzzle solving game. Developed by Richard Perrin the creator of the white chamber with music by Wounds (Bartosz Szturgiewicz). If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Kairo.

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    72%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
    Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, replayability
    72% User Score Based on 338 reviews
    Critic Score 70%Based on 4 reviews

    Richard & Alice is a riveting mystery story about family, desperation and the weather – all set to the beat of an indie adventure game. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Richard & Alice.

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  48. 88%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding
    97% User Score Based on 135,040 reviews
    Critic Score 79%Based on 83 reviews

    Buy Stray on PlayStation Store. Lost, alone and injured, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten city. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Stray.

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  49. 86%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics
    Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
    93% User Score Based on 2,968 reviews
    Critic Score 77%Based on 8 reviews

    Based on Ken Follett's world-bestseller, ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new interactive way. Play as Jack, Aliena and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues. 12th century, England: In a time of great poverty and war, a small town begins the construction of a cathedral to claim wealth and… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth.

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    74%Game Brain Score
    Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
    Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding
    74% User Score Based on 1,392 reviews

    Homesick is an adventurous first person 3D puzzle game developed by indie game company Lucky Pause. Explore an abandoned building, encountering puzzles and clues as the story unfolds. You seem to have been there so long that direct sunlight is blindingly bright, at home in the serene but foreboding atmosphere. But when you sleep, you are plagued by nightmares, frantically running down hallways ch… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Homesick.

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