Games like Ishmael

"Depression Quest" is a text-based game that simulates living with depression, presenting players with everyday challenges to manage while dealing with the illness. The game offers multiple endings and features over 150 unique encounters, with available choices and generated content based on the player's depression levels. The audio and visuals also adjust to reflect the player's emotional state, enhancing the immersive experience.

"Lydia" is a horror point-and-click game with an intriguing story dealing with adult substance abuse from a child's perspective. The game boasts wonderful visuals, awesome music, and an outstanding atmosphere, telling the story of a little girl and her beloved teddy bear as they confront the monster hiding in the shadows, based on the developers' own experiences. The game is similar to "To the Moon" and emphasizes atmosphere and emotion.

Robin is a single-player simulation game offering a highly emotional, intriguing story that explores life with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome through the lens of spoon theory. Players experience three days in Robin's life, managing limited energy while navigating daily challenges. The game combines compelling visuals, stunning music, and thoughtful mechanics to provide a meaningful, relatable glimpse into living with an invisible illness.

"Actual Sunlight" is a critically acclaimed visual novel that explores depression, hopelessness, and social anxieties in a raw and unfiltered way. The game follows the life of Evan Winter, a 30-something office worker, as he navigates through his mundane existence and grapples with his inner demons. Its deep and thought-provoking narrative challenges players to confront the harsh realities of mental health issues.

"Journal" is a single-player adventure game with an intriguing story of a young girl's journey facing the responsibilities of childhood. The game features hand-painted splendid graphics, an awesome soundtrack, and tackles the theme of memory reliability. Developed by Richard Perrin, with art and writing by Melissa Royall, it promises a highly emotional and thought-provoking experience.

"Pregnancy" is a single-player Role Playing game that tells the story of Lilla Sandor, a 14-year-old Hungarian girl who becomes pregnant after being abused by a criminal. As the player, you guide Lilla's decisions about her pregnancy by acting as her voice of conscience. The game tracks your choices and compares them to other players, taking inspiration from games like Telltale's The Walking Dead and Atlus' Catherine.

"The Beginner's Guide" is a unique narrative-driven game that explores the mind of a fictional game developer through a series of unfinished games. The player delves into the developer's thoughts and feelings as they navigate through a variety of experimental game designs, shedding light on the creative process and the struggles that come with it. The game serves as a thoughtful commentary on game development and the relationship between creators and their work.

You spend a day seeing how many coins you can fit into the hollows above your collarbones. You're losing yourself first in inches, then moments... Will you survive yourself?

"9.03m" is a single-player Point and Click art/empathy game with excellent mechanics, visuals, and music. The game is set on Baker Beach in San Francisco, where debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami has washed ashore. The goal is to find the butterflies, serving as a reminder of the individuals behind the disaster's death toll. The game originated as a final year university project aiming to affect the player emotionally.

"The Mermaid of Zennor" is a visual novel game by Ebi Hime, set in the coastal village of Zennor in Cornwall. The protagonist, a young man named John, becomes entangled in an otherworldly romance with a mermaid, risking his life and the village's peace. The game features beautiful illustrations and a haunting soundtrack, immersing players in a tale of love, mystery, and the unknown.