Games like Returning Nightmares

Returning Nightmares is an exploration adventure-horror game being developed in RPG Maker 2003, inspired by Yume Nikki and it's multiple fan-made homages (but with dialogue & easier to navigate maps).  You play as Akira, a young man locked up in his own bedroom, exploring his dreams to remember the events that lead him to where he is now.  But some things are better left alone…  Demo features: O… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Returning Nightmares.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability

94% User Score Based on 70 reviews

Tide Up is a rather dark and gloomy adventure game. Accompany the girl in a dreamlike world of wonder. Collect the pearls scattered around the world and help the girl escape! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Tide Up.

99%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

99% User Score Based on 164 reviews

Death of a Wish is a vicious action-RPG set in a nightmare filled with horrifying monsters and terrifying people.Play as Christian, a Marked child raised by a cult and struggling to escape indoctrination, as he bands with others to challenge their oppressors. By taking down the four Sanctum Faiths: Father, Sister, Cardinal, and Priest, they will upend the order of the world.Rend your foes asunder … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Death of a Wish.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

95% User Score Based on 6,017 reviews

Yume Nikki is a 32-Bit freeware game created by Kikiyama, a Japanese solo game designer. The game was made using RPGMaker 2003. The game is regarded as one of the most original applications of RPGMaker 2003, and the start of a possible new genre of games. "Yume Nikki" means "Dream Diary" in Japanese, and the game follows a young girl named Madotsuki as she dreams. The goal is to seek out and acqu… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Yume Nikki.

63%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

85% User Score Based on 26 reviews

A magical, dreamy adventure starring Amihailu Dugashoba and her friends! You'll wander the echoey and endless halls and spooky painting worlds to solve the mystery and escape the fantasy world. Or you would solve the mystery... if anything Amihailu said made a grain of sense! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Amihailu in Dreamland.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

98% User Score Based on 94,700 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 5 reviews

A turn-based surreal horror JRPG in which a child traverses various mundane, quirky, humourous, mysterious and horrific lands with his friends in search of a missing person while confronting his past and his fears. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Omori.

97%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

97% User Score Based on 136 reviews

Explore what's left of the ravaged city and find your way through surreal otherworldly areas that connect the broken urban shell. Encounter any other citizens who have survived and make contact with the strange entities that now inhabit this realm. Survive. Or be swallowed up by the city and forgotten forever. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Weird and Unfortunate Things Are Happening.

66%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, atmosphere

86% User Score Based on 28 reviews

In Dreamscape Abyss, your only goal is to walk and explore your dream worlds. When you fall asleep, you will enter your dream world and you can explore as much as you like before continuing on. Discover new areas and search for unique items that you can use to help your delve deeper into your dreams. Unlike most other games, you will not find any action or heavy dialogue present. Similar to ga… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dreamscape Abyss.

97%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

97% User Score Based on 796 reviews

Despair. Fear, Madness, once again. An original work based on "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass." Dark Fairy Tale Fantasy x Psychological Horror RPG focusing on the themes of "Exploration of a Mad World" and "Life or Death Combat against Demonbeasts". ※Includes content from all 3 DLCs. ●Introduction In this work, you'll meet 45 Heroin… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to BLACK SOULS II.

77%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:emotional, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

94% User Score Based on 33 reviews

Cradle of Nightmares: Flowers to You is an ATB turn-based game based on combat adventures made by RPGMaker. Players will play as a high school student named Yue Qing, as the world is being torn apart by a mysterious phenomenon from outside the world, the "White Light", and you will start from the ordinary daily life and fall into the dark and gloomy "Second World", where you w… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Cradle of Nightmare : Flowers to you.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, grinding

96% User Score Based on 80 reviews

Since then, countless moons have passed... As people wove generations together, she quietly continued to fulfill her duty. But at last, the time came, and the silence was broken. Old and weary, she gathered her last strength and spread her wings to find out the hero... About Dungeon Antiqua 2Dungeon Antiqua 2 is a 2D dungeon hack-and-slash RPG featuring SNES-style pixel art and sound. A retro-fl… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Dungeon Antiqua 2.

Game IntroductionA mystery adventure game made with RPG Maker VX Ace. SynopsisYamu, an ordinary high school girl, suddenly finds herself chosen as a candidate for the Queen of Ancient Egypt. But earning the throne won’t be easy—she must pass a series of mysterious trials, face unknown entities, and uncover the secrets hidden within this strange world. Surrounded by dangers, with unseen forces tes… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Heir to the Queen.

83%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, replayability

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, grinding

87% User Score Based on 46 reviews

Rui can't catch a break... Her life was turned on its head when she was transported to Roots, a world full of monsters, demons, and magic. Thankfully, she was able to awaken the powers of Sol within her and save that world from destruction! Alas, she had only just returned to her world after saving that one, and now monsters are attacking her town and kidnapping people! Following the trail, she s… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sol-Rui: After Mini.

100%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

100% User Score Based on 66 reviews

Step into a world where dreams and reality mix. Play as a boy trapped between waking life and a dream, exploring his memories each day. Each day reveals a new part of his life, from school and family to love and loss. Your choices will determine if he finds hope and wakes up or falls into darkness. Experience unique environments, calming music, and an emotional story in this immersive adventure. … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to 7 Days.

49%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

65% User Score Based on 26 reviews

EMPTY SOUL takes you into the story of Solan Walls, a young scientist girl who suffered a terrible accident. Now she must escape from horrible nightmares. Face the fear in this horror indie game! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Empty Soul.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, optimization

98% User Score Based on 304 reviews

"SWOLLEN TO BURSTING" is a weirdo RPG in which something is very wrong. A flying saucer has crash-landed in town, but it's Thursday so you have to go to work at the post office. THE COOL FEATURES OF "SWOLLEN TO BURSTING" - ORACULAR GAMEPLAY! You're free to do what you'd like in "SWOLLEN TO BURSTING". Engage in various misadventures in order to gain access to more places. Find a way into the fl… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to SWOLLEN TO BURSTING UNTIL I AM DISAPPEARING ON PURPOSE.

66%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, music

95% User Score Based on 20 reviews

An exploration game set in a surreal dreamscape full of projections. Piece together past recollections and elusive memories. Make a choice as the reality and dreamed world begins to blur... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Ami's Room.

89%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

92% User Score Based on 48 reviews

"Wait" is a mystery horror game, inspired by the works of H.P Lovecraft and the Silent Hill series. The gameplay is put together by elements of exploration and riddle solving. Experience horror without jump scares or fighting monsters, but with the fear of the unknown and unimaginable. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Wait: Extended.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, grinding

94% User Score Based on 586 reviews

An odd tower filled with odd characters in lands you don't remember ever existed. almost like it's a dream? A first-person dungeon crawling RPG with an emphasis on interacting with the characters around you. Heavily inspired by other games such as LSD dream emulator, eastern mind lost souls, amongst others. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Disillusion.

Can you survive inside the fortress, and free the many prisoners (including your own girlfriend!) from their unfortunate fate? Play as up to 4 different parties - you can even play evil heroes from darkness - and find out! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Fortress of Hell.

97%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere, music

97% User Score Based on 68 reviews

Explore the Realm of Darkness, a mysterious dungeon in the underground kingdom of Haillard. You must find the spirit of the Saint of Darkness, and unravel the truth of this strange world in this dark, turn-based RPG. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Heart of Darkness.

84%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

84% User Score Based on 662 reviews

“Between the infinite worlds was infinite nothing. A void, a darkness between realities. But nothing is as crowded as is nothing. The House built itself in reaction to its own lack of existence.” A House of Many Doors is an indie RPG written and coded by Harry Tuffs, with art by Catherine Unger and music by Zach Beever. In A House of Many Doors you are an explorer, poet and spy, traversing and m… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to A House of Many Doors.

79%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, story

79% User Score Based on 790 reviews

Ok/Normal is a short, experimental third-person horror experience, inspired by early 3D console games of the 90's. Journey through a dark, disjointed, dreamlike dimension with your cloud companion! Remember a good diet, take your medicine, and you should be fine! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to OK/NORMAL.

64%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

66% User Score Based on 718 reviews

Critic Score 57%Based on 2 reviews

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is a collaborative show of the utmost respect for auteur Kikiyama’s seminal release. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Yume Nikki: Dream Diary.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

94% User Score Based on 100 reviews

It desires more. Feed It. Nourish It. Sanguine Sanctum is an atmospheric horror-exploration game with a low-poly, PS1 aesthetic. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sanguine Sanctum.

75%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

80% User Score Based on 45 reviews

My name is Em-A-Li. How about we get to know each other? I know it might be hard having a computer to tag along, but I think we need to work together to escape. You know, teamwork. This is a horror RPG game with voice acting. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Em-A-Li.

93%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

96% User Score Based on 775 reviews

Critic Score 83%Based on 3 reviews

Placed in a world without change, you must create fate by watering an ancient plant. Determine a future and live with it. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Fatum Betula.

86%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, monetization

86% User Score Based on 541 reviews

Through a stroke of sheer luck, you've managed to escape death row. Taking to an underground subway, you must try to find your salvation. Can you break free of the past that binds you? And please, can you close your eyes? Just close them. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Close Your Eyes.

60%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, story

100% User Score Based on 11 reviews

Confusing Incident: Pinch Me is an adventure game with horror elements. You play as an ordinary guy who got into an accident and ended up in a mysterious house. He has to find a way out of the house and solve the mystery of this house. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Convoluted Incident: Pinch me.

52%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, funny

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, story

52% User Score Based on 3 reviews

You’re not a hero.  You’re just someone who woke up in a cold, broken world: with no memory, no future, and maybe no hope. Will you figure out who you were?Will you survive long enough to matter? Navigate a post-apocalyptic town filled with factions, decay, and uncomfortable choices. Hunt rats, sell their meat, go mad from hunger, or maybe-somehow start a business.Violence is … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Because The World Died.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics

96% User Score Based on 600 reviews

Critic Score 78%Based on 23 reviews

Experience the quiet terror of this 1-bit love letter to Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft. Navigate a hellish roguelite reality with turn-based combat and unforgiving choices. Experiment with your deck of event cards to discover new forms of cosmic horror in every playthrough. The inevitable awaits... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to WORLD OF HORROR.

Welcome to "The MisAdventures of Xenos," a hilarious parody of classic fantasy RPGs! In this turn-based adventure, you play as Princess Fayne, who sets out to rescue her hero, Xenos, after he is kidnapped by one of the Demon Lord's underlings. With Fayne as the protagonist, this game turns the typical hero-rescues-princess trope on its head and gives players a fresh and entertaining perspective. … If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The MisAdventures of Xenos.

51%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics

51% User Score Based on 2 reviews

Welcome to the Dream World! Follow our protagonist Nicole Armatti as she gets to explore a place completely built off her own subconscious. Meet friends, foes, and explore a plethora of colorful settings as Nicole travels deeper and deeper into her own dreams. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sleepy Sheep.

Embark on a mysterious journey with Alexandra, who moves to a charming Swiss countryside house. As Alex begins to settle down, she begins to notice strange happenings around her, like what she believes to be vivid dreams about the house's past. Alex will soon find herself forced to uncover the truth, living a bizarre adventure to find out more. Through the memories, Alex will realize that the dist… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Droste Effect.

78%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:story

100% User Score Based on 29 reviews

Listen to the beat to navigate obstacles and escape the mansion in this mini-metroidvania inspired by Peranakan culture! Talk to strange and funny ghosts, and help them with their problems. Fill your journal with what you learn and see. You may just uncover the secret behind the mansion... If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to After School Afterlife.

Holiday horror comes home... and it's sitting right above your fireplace. Holiday Harry is an homage to killer doll slashers and classic holiday horror films. Alex inherits her grandmother's house after her passing and decides to throw a Christmas party for her friends. However, Holiday Harry has party plans of his own... Survive a night of terror—and try to defeat Holiday Harry, if you can… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Holiday Harry.

Catalina's Horror Adventure After Catalina's mother takes her to an abandoned arcade, our protagonist finds herself trapped in a strange and terrifying dimension that seems to have been inhabited by humans decades ago. We are left alone, and our goal is to escape and find our mother. During our terrifying adventure, we will encounter many varied and dark places, monstrous inhabitants, two… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Catalina's Horror Adventure.

76%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, music

97% User Score Based on 30 reviews

Awakening Sarah is an immersive adventure game that invites you to embark on a mesmerizing journey through the depths of dreams. Play as Sarah, a young girl with an extraordinary gift - the ability to delve into her own dreams and unravel the mysteries that lie within. As Sarah awakens in a mysterious dream world, she finds herself confronted with surreal places and enigmatic puzzles that reflect… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Awakening Sarah.

85%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

95% User Score Based on 40 reviews

A babysitting job gone wrong has left Anna Turner trapped in an unfamiliar and uncanny home. Discover the horrors within and figure out a means of escape before it's too late in House of the Vigil. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to House of the Vigil.

96%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, grinding

96% User Score Based on 285 reviews

Trench Face is a horror turn based war RPG featuring exploration-based dungeons, with hanging monsters lurking around each corner. Every enemy varying in strengths and weaknesses. Escape the trench with your life. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Trench Face.

70%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, graphics

96% User Score Based on 24 reviews

Reindeer Story is a 2D Adventure RPG! Run, Jump and Battle through 6 chapters of this Wintery Epic! Fight foes in turn based battles with a real-time element, dodge enemies attacks in the Battle Zone and retaliate with Z-Skills! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Reindeer Story.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

95% User Score Based on 392 reviews

Amy’s brother is dead. She hadn't even seen him in years. Thomas has always been a little eccentric. Obsessed with lucid dreaming and the concept of other worlds. All a little too fantastical for a small town vet like Amy herself. But then Amy comes across his journals. And what at first seems like the ramblings of a troubled mind slowly begin to seem more and more plausible. Maybe her broth… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken.

56%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics

78% User Score Based on 23 reviews

The sun has vanished, and darkness corrodes the world. Great sages rise to reclaim the sun, only to meet their demise. In the midst of this chaos, an angel named Helvetica is summoned. She claims to be "an angel that surpasses even the gods" and initially repels the distorted sun goddess. However, in order to restore the sun, she must capture the goddess. The goddess curses her, causin… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Gehenna.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

98% User Score Based on 2,564 reviews

"After falling asleep on the last train, I woke up in a bizarre place called Saihate Station..." An exploration/horror/adventure game about the codependent, love-hate relationship between two men. The main characters Haru Akinashi and Shion Tatsunami are both 26 years old and work in the same company. Since Haru joined the company two months earlier, Shion calls him "Senpai.&qu… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Saihate Station.

71%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

73% User Score Based on 48 reviews

Relive the nostalgia with Oyasumii, a horror and exploration game inspired by PSX and N64 classics. Enter liminal spaces and face surreal terrors in an adventure that challenges your skills and sanity. Are you ready to relive the golden age of video games with Oyasumii? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to OYASUMII.

72%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, stability

72% User Score Based on 100 reviews

There's Something In The Ice is a first-person horror game. Plot: In 2015, three scientists at the Antarctic research station Zarya drilled into the ice to a depth of 2 kilometers and took samples to study... As they were returning to base, a severe snowstorm began. Arriving at the base, the scientists went down to the old bunker, as the security protocol told them, to wait it out... Game Featur… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to There's Something In The Ice.

97%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

97% User Score Based on 894 reviews

Hypnagogia is an exploration in themes involving deep dreams, liminal spaces, sleep paralysis demons, and much more. Can you collect all 8 dream crystals and finally wake up? Influenced by the nostalgia-fueled polygonal games from the mid and late 90's, Hypnagogia takes players on a short but intriguing journey through various worlds inspired by real dreams.  Hang out with cats in a relaxin… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Hypnagogia 催眠術.

83%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

86% User Score Based on 1,364 reviews

Critic Score 78%Based on 8 reviews

Battle through the longest night as Leila, the last member of The Vigil. Uncover the truth behind the eternal darkness, Leila's mysterious sister, and the eldritch horrors that stalk her in a world that has forgotten daylight. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Vigil: The Longest Night.

85%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:optimization, stability

85% User Score Based on 251 reviews

A Soviet dream turned nightmare: Explore the now empty halls of a Soviet super submarine and discover what caused its supernatural downfall. Spongy psi-soldier, agile special weapon expert or hacking-savvy gunslinger? Build your own character in this first person dungeon-crawler inspired by immersive RPGs from the 90s. Immerse yourself in the dark corners of the S1-Utopia - a Soviet super wea… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sonar Shock.

71%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

83% User Score Based on 36 reviews

Labyronia has been remade, returning as the definitive version of the first game. Expanding the original story and introducing revamped visuals and gameplay mechanics, this is the best way to experience the popular RPG. To save the world, you must uncover the secrets of the Labyrinths! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The World of Labyrinths: Labyronia.