Games like Once There Was, Once There Wasn't

Zero Sum Game A Craftswoman needs help: More than a year of her memories have been erased, and she fears she was involved with something untoward. As a new graduate of the Hidden Schools, you have been assigned to the case.  Explore colorful locations, from a magical lawyer's tower, to a gambling club seething with trickery and desperation, to the not-so-dry records of a city ruled by gods of … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Zero Sum Game.

84%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere

84% User Score Based on 172 reviews

Oblivious Garden: Carmina Burana is a romance fantasy visual novel. Our protagonist Irell Reis was once a famous general who led thousands of soldiers to expand the land of the Magic Empire on Latoy. However the defeat in Garyalburg, Vaustiya three years ago cost him everything and he was stripped of his rank and forced to live life as a lowly peasant from then on. Finally, the time has come for I… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Oblivious Garden ~Carmina Burana.

91%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, grinding

91% User Score Based on 456 reviews

This is a text-based, auditory nightmare. #1: Three red blots mark liars. #2: Food means depravity and death. #3: Tellers of time are sped up by-- #4: Holes in suspicious places may lead to the Undergoing. #5: Don't trust the wolf. #6: The train is the only escape. The Dark Place finds us all. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Welcome To The Dark Place.

64%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, optimization

64% User Score Based on 236 reviews

"Leviathan: The Last Day of the Decade" is a detective story told by a dweller of a cruel dark fantasy world affected by the pandemic. The world ruled by a five noble-born kins under the suzerainty of the undead Plague King. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Leviathan: The Last Day of the Decade.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, character development

98% User Score Based on 118 reviews

Max's Big Bust is a Life Sim/Visual Novel that follows the story of two cops, Max and Brad, as they investigate a shady new drug that's been circulating the mean streets of Axon City. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Max's Big Bust: A Captain Nekorai Tale.

85%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization

95% User Score Based on 608 reviews

Critic Score 40%Based on 1 reviews

Roui, a resilient city dandy, a decipherer, a half-educated jeweler and the author of scientific magic articles, was met with a colossal failure AND must return to his gypsy homeland: Latori. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Crown of Leaves.

87%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

89% User Score Based on 1,163 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure is a comedy point 'n click love letter to classic-era Lucas adventures, HP Lovecraft, Hitchcock and many, many others. A lighthearted spoof of the Cthulhu Mythos, Gibbous will have you controlling 3 protagonists, dealing with strange cultists, ancient voodoo, and Dead Cthulhu himself. Well, "dead" is just a matter of opinion... Everything revolves around the dreaded N… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure.

85%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability

85% User Score Based on 141 reviews

Enter a world of Slavic myth and medieval adventure. As a young bogatyr, journey to the Thrice-Nine Kingdom, challenge Koschei the Deathless, and save your immortal soul in Bylina – an epic action-adventure rooted in Slavic folklore, with a heavy focus on skill-based combat. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Bylina.

91%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

91% User Score Based on 161 reviews

Psychroma is a narrative-driven side-scroller where you play as a digital medium. Confront the past by piecing together the broken memories of a cybernetic house, and exorcise the ghosts in the machine. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Psychroma.

68%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability

65% User Score Based on 2,640 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 26 reviews

Unfold the mysteries of a dystopic animal society inhabiting retrofuturistic Vancouver in a noir stealth adventure coming in 2019. Backbone is a pixel art cinematic adventure with stealth and action elements. As a private investigator Howard Lotor you are set to solve detective cases, interrogate witnesses, explore the intriguing retrofuturistic Vancouver, and sneak your way to safety using smell… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Backbone.

65%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, graphics

81% User Score Based on 31 reviews

This visual novel is a collection of alternative realities. How events would turn out and how they end will depend on your choices. Visit wolf's den and solve his secret, or try to tame the wild beast. Eat a pasty with mushrooms and experience something new, or feed it to the old lady, because it's her favorite filling. Find out the real reason why Wolf attacked Red Riding Hood's Grandmother. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Return of Red Riding Hood Enhanced Edition.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

95% User Score Based on 592 reviews

Embark on a dangerous quest through mysterious ruins and magical woods in the second chapter of Grim Legends series. Save the young queen from a mortal danger and change the faith of the entire kingdom. When a mysterious illness befalls the queen of the Eagle Kingdom, a famous healer is summoned to Eagle Castle to examine her. The Healer’s quest takes a sudden turn when the infant prince vanishe… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:monetization, graphics

95% User Score Based on 988 reviews

Step into the shoes of a telepath turned villain and explore the dark side. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Fallen Hero: Rebirth.

71%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization

71% User Score Based on 2,152 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.

85%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

94% User Score Based on 3,325 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 9 reviews

Get Wytchwood for PS4 and PS5. Wytchwood is a crafting adventure game set in a land of mythical fables and fairy tales. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Wytchwood.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

94% User Score Based on 670 reviews

A middle-aged man has an encounter with a cute catgirl in the dead of night - but all is not as it seems. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sweetest Monster.

51%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, replayability

83% User Score Based on 12 reviews

When the Golden Sneeze is stolen from the Museum of Ancient History, it’s up to you, Detective Hank, to catch the thief. That will not be easy, as the culprit changes every new game. Puzzle your way through this steampunk themed, interactive whodunnit visual novel and bring the thief to justice! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Detective Hank and the Golden Sneeze.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, replayability

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay

92% User Score Based on 143 reviews

Will you infiltrate the gods, or turn double agent and join their Elite Courte? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to VERSUS: The Elite Trials.

78%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

74% User Score Based on 336 reviews

Critic Score 90%Based on 3 reviews

Ether One is a first person adventure that deals with the fragility of the human mind. There are two paths in the world you can choose from. At its core is a story exploration path free from puzzles where you can unfold the story at your own pace. There is also a deeper, more adventurous path in which you can complete complex puzzles to restore life changing events of the patient's histo… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Ether One.

78%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

78% User Score Based on 154 reviews

Discover the truth behind the myth and save the children! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Fairy Tale Mysteries: The Puppet Thief.

71%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability

71% User Score Based on 486 reviews

Take on the last case of Benedict Fox and dive into a twisted world of secret organizations, forbidden rituals, and cold-blooded murders. Explore the memories of deceased victims as you search for clues and fight demons in this fantastical Lovecraftian Metroidvania. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Last Case of Benedict Fox.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, replayability

95% User Score Based on 139 reviews

Underdog Detective is a video-based playable, interactive story Set in the reign of Empress Wu Zetian of ancient China, you will play as a slum dweller in the imperial capital of Luoyang and embark on a thrilling yet comedic adventure! Traps and conspiracies, comradery and your unknown origin... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Underdog Detective.

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

Home 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 perspective. It's a horror game … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Home.

91%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere, gameplay

91% User Score Based on 190 reviews

When your eldritch existence is threatened by another unthinkable creature, you find yourself jumping dimensions to escape your ghastly fate. Safe for now, your moment of respite is short-lived as you realize you're stuck on Earth, trapped inside a dumb human larva, and with no clue of how much energy you'll need to leave this horrible place behind. Twenty-six years later you're still stranded on… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Passenger.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability

90% User Score Based on 149 reviews

Find clues to your father's whereabouts in a Victorian mansion! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Scarlett Mysteries: Cursed Child.

64%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 77%Based on 2 reviews

Virginia is a single-player first-person thriller set in a small town with a secret. Experience a missing person investigation through the eyes of graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Virginia.

31%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

36% User Score Based on 56 reviews

Critic Score 5%Based on 1 reviews

What is more precious than our memories? You play Fran, a young woman with amnesia, taken in by Bernard, a specialist in memory copying. As you decide to assist him in his clinic, you will find... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Don't Forget Me.

75%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere

100% User Score Based on 30 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 13 reviews

Turn-based narrative experience about two housemates with different time cycles. A contemporary take on the classic novels of Frankenstein and Dracula. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Frank and Drake.

88%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

88% User Score Based on 983 reviews

"Love is both poison and cure, both knife and remedy." Set in 18th Century France, this is a gothic romance tale about loss, revenge and the different faces of love. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Cupid.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics

98% User Score Based on 85 reviews

You are reading something that makes you want to play this. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Wooden Ocean.

87%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, replayability

87% User Score Based on 596 reviews

Immerse yourself in the obscure and mysterious autumnal forest, where every wrong step could be your last. As you travel uncover the dark story behind this place, where beauty and danger have become as one. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Cursed Forest.

76%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, stability

76% User Score Based on 164 reviews

Eventide 2 is a sequel of Eventide Slavic Fable. Each game tells a different story but their common feature is a fantasy setting inspired by Slavic mythology. In the second part of the series players find themselves in a forgotten mountain village ruled by a mysterious Sorcerer. The story is inspired by Polish legend of Master Tvardovsky and other Slavic legendary heroes. Gamers will be able to me… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Eventide 2: The Sorcerers Mirror.

51%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, optimization

51% User Score Based on 175 reviews

Find the philosopher's stone and save your mentor! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dark Heritage: Guardians of Hope.

47%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, monetization

47% User Score Based on 78 reviews

Melrose is trapped in a life of hardship. Her parents are mean to her and she gets bullied at school. She can find no one who understands her. To cope with her sorrow, Melrose turns to her imagination. She dreams up a world of unimaginable beauty and happiness, but sadly -- like all dreams -- it ends, and Melrose must return to real life. Today is different, however. Melrose is about to meet he… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Whisper of a Rose.

69%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, atmosphere

71% User Score Based on 48 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 6 reviews

This gripping paranormal horror adventure revolves around Hermitage, the sinister bookstore that attracts most unusual customers – all of whom seem to be involved in mysterious cases bordering on the paranormal. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Hermitage Strange Case Files.

"Woodsalt" is an adventure game set on the planet of Nu-Terra, 1000 years after Earth was evacuated during chaotic natural disasters and an attack by giant creatures. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Woodsalt.

74%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization

78% User Score Based on 144 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 13 reviews

Dry Drowning is a psychological investigative visual novel set in a futuristic dystopian city. Follow the story of Mordred Foley, an unscrupulous private detective haunted by his dark past, and look into a series of macabre serial killings inspired by Greek mythology. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dry Drowning.

72%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

82% User Score Based on 212 reviews

Critic Score 62%Based on 18 reviews

Someday You'll Return is a story-driven psychological horror game about a desperate search for a missing daughter deep in the woods where you swore you'd never return, brought to you by the creative duo behind J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Someday You'll Return.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

90% User Score Based on 263 reviews

Out of Hands is a card-based thriller that blends card battles, video collage and psychological horror. With nightmarish roguelike elements and live-action visuals made out of the real hands of the developer, the game provides an intriguing and spine-chilling experience that leads you to combat the mental struggles and retrieve the lost memory. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Out Of Hands.

99%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere, grinding

99% User Score Based on 76 reviews

This is Interesting is a psychological horror narrative based game with roguelite elements. You are being watched, and you aren't really sure why. Delve through the depths of memory to uncover the mystery behind the gray purgatory you find yourself in. Knowledge-based progression While each run of the game will differ, the true progression of the story comes from knowledge gained in previo… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to This is Interesting.

97%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

97% User Score Based on 1,220 reviews

A mute little thing with borrowed magic. A house that murmurs back. Ask wrong, and you might wake something that remembers your name. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to CARIMARA: Beneath the forlorn limbs.

84%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, music

84% User Score Based on 81 reviews

Step into a liminal, cosmic horror experience set in an abandoned amusement park. Uncover the haunting narrative behind its twisted rides and empty tunnels to discover what lurks within a reality that shouldn't exist… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Emotionless: The Last Ticket.

79%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, monetization

79% User Score Based on 100 reviews

Let’s play hide-and-seek with serial killers. Jawbreaker is a psychological horror game that will have you running, hiding, and fighting to survive a terrifying gang-infested society on the verge of collapse. Though that’s not all, once the sun goes down the true fear will begin... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Jawbreaker.

50%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

74% User Score Based on 19 reviews

In a world where artificial intelligence is all that remains, be a robo-detective, and investigate a mind-bending case. Explore a futuristic Japan brought to life in detailed voxel art, and uncover a philosophical lore through tons of characters. Become AI and dive into the mystery of consciousness. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Soul Tolerance: Prologue.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

98% User Score Based on 1,908 reviews

A collection of 5 short first-person horror games, that revolve around detailed machinery and dread. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Unsorted Horror.

81%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, atmosphere

81% User Score Based on 145 reviews

You wake up to find yourself on the Babel - a cruise ship sailing into the afterlife. On this journey, uncover secrets and solve quests by rewriting the past to change destinies...where will it lead you? Perhaps reincarnation? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to A Guidebook of Babel.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

95% User Score Based on 3,444 reviews

Critic Score 88%Based on 2 reviews

Immerse yourself in an enchanting narrative experience as Fortuna, a fortune-teller Witch condemned to exile on her asteroid home. Craft your own Tarot deck, regain your freedom, and shape the fate of the cosmic Witch society. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.

59%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

78% User Score Based on 27 reviews

Eonia is a charming open-world Adventure RPG, with a colorful and intriguing world, filled with many mysteries to unravel. Draw maps, document the flora and fauna, make potions, repair structures, manipulate minerals and explore every corner while you delve into a fascinating and surprising plot. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to EONIA.

88%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay

91% User Score Based on 279 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 1 reviews

Demonic lawsuits will pay off your student loans in this undead legal thriller. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Choice of the Deathless.

80%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, character development

80% User Score Based on 60 reviews

Amplitude is a story-centric visual novel. You play as either Adam or Eve, a murder victim who made a dubious deal to seek revenge. With the help of your new vessel, Katy or Jon, will you uncover the mystery or will you take more than you bargained for? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to AMPLITUDE: A Visual Novel.