Games like They Will Not Return

A post-apocalyptic tale of lonely robots. They Will Not Return scored 22nd out of 77 entries in the 2018 IFComp. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to They Will Not Return.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay

92% User Score Based on 135 reviews

It is the sound of aridity. It is the sound of dry asphalt and sandy winds. It is the sound of relentless sunshine, as well as the sound of a withering race. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to KARAKARA2.

55%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, music

66% User Score Based on 35 reviews

Sovietpunk is a cyberpunk story set in the setting of the Soviet Union after a global nuclear war. You have to guide the main character through the gloomy tunnels, in which the struggle for life is in full swing. In 2002, a nuclear conflict engulfed the entire world. The surface of the earth became temporarily uninhabitable, all the survivors organized life underground. The government announced t… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Sovietpunk: Chapter one.

67%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:music, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics

100% User Score Based on 18 reviews

You have died, and only you can discover how it happened. Do not worry though, I am here to help you. Let us figure this out together. This mixed media artistic point and click adventure novel will not take you long to complete. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to I Have Died.

Set across two equally bizarre fantasy/post apocalyptic worlds Classic 1990s point and click experience with a modern twist! Estimated playtime: 5-7 hours (over 3 very unique acts) Optional Kluberry™ hint system (because who doesn't love a hint?) Live pixelated performance by 'The Santiago Kings' from Sheffield A variety of unique and original puzzle ideas to tic… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Brownie's Adventure 2.

77%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay

91% User Score Based on 35 reviews

CELL 0 is a prologue to CELL visual novel series. Humans are fragile. STORYThe humanity was destroyed by a quantum artificial intelligence - Omniscient, a global service program, the peak of technological advancement. The extinction occurred within a single day. No records remain of the events, as no survivors exist to recall them. Kenzo’s existence is a result of improbable circumstances. Ar… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to CELL 0: Cyber Entertainment Leisure Lounge.

Features: 1) A compelling and touching story by Workingdog, writer of popular visual novels like My Girlfriend is a Mermaid!? and Dead End 99% 2) Adorable character art and CG work by shnva (Shinova), also known for her work on My Girlfriend is a Mermaid!? and Dead End 99% 3) Fully voiced by professional voice actresses 4) A hearty story, clocking in at 8 to 10 hours New features for this ve… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Lament of a Lifeless Star.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:character development

96% User Score Based on 49 reviews

Code Romantic is a computer science puzzle game wrapped in a science fiction love story. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Code Romantic.

86%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, replayability

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, gameplay

86% User Score Based on 143 reviews

In the battle to save your people, will you serve the gods or overthrow them? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Champion of the Gods.

48%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, stability

48% User Score Based on 54 reviews

Protect Europe from the overpopulation by enforcing the tough Law on life, a life for a birth. Or flip the table and fight the cruel plutocracy to free humanity. Survive the zombie apocalypse, but will your humanity survive in the process? Inherit a corrupt kingdom and survive the court's intrigues. Live the American dream and emigrate from Hong Kong with the help of the Triad. Sadly, nothing is f… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to AIdventure.

51%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, stability

83% User Score Based on 12 reviews

You were preparing for the New Year celebration, decorating the Christmas tree. But with your bad luck, you've slipped and fallen unconscious... When you came back to yourself, you found an incredibly beautiful person next to yourself. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Your little story: Winter.

86%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:character development, gameplay

93% User Score Based on 234 reviews

Critic Score 70%Based on 2 reviews

From renowned visual novel studio Key, which brought you the highly rated visual novel “planetarian~the reverie of a little planet~”, this is “Harmonia”, the latest kinetic novel in the series. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Harmonia.

The Plot Oh no! You've been waylaid returning almost-overdue books to the library. You've always had a slightly irrational fear of book fines, even if they're just a dime, and often that works great to get books read. But your latest misstep you enter into a world full of much odder fears... Well, okay, not a HUGE world. There are only five rooms and six points to score, based on commands to der… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Go-Strange-Ghost Range.

"201 - The Bad Number" is an interactive science fiction game-book set in a post-apocalyptic Mars. In a world where only 200 people remain, each new inhabitant may hasten the end of civilization. You step into this harsh reality and confront a pivotal event—the emergence of the "bad number." Now players must make choices that will impact the future of humanity and the fate of t… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to 201 - The Bad Number.

This is a post-apocalyptic adventure/base building game with real actors. You take on the role of a military aficionada who, purely as a hobby, built an entire refugee safehouse. Who would’ve thought that an apocalypse would actually strike? Now, this simple shelter will survive as the first and final line of defense between you and the teeming swarms of zombies.Game features:·[Pregame: Prior to t… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Apocalypse Love Shelter.

Engaging and gripping story from beginning to end, twists, turns, and despair await!WHAT!? I'VE BEEN ISEKAI'D!?What if one day you suddenly get summoned to Another World without explanation and... die just around the corner? What if after that, a suspicious Goddess tells you that you must do something... but she's so vague to not even explain what? In this Kinetic Novel, follow John Smith, a regu… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to I keep Dying in Another World.

Turret Girl is a romantic visual novel about her struggles to find love and acceptance in a hostile world, with a Match3 Jewels mini-game to break up the action. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Turret Girl.

52%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

73% User Score Based on 22 reviews

Help the little bear to find the way home. What dangers can be hidden in the night streets of a quiet suburb? Who is waiting for him at home, and who is waiting in the dark around the corner? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The story of Bill Bear.

In a world ravaged by decay and despair, where civilization crumbles and hope fades, lies the enigma known only as The Great Apperance. Set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, two young men set out on a journey to find The Great Appearance which manifests itself inside mankind's mind. Story: In the aftermath of an apocalypse that left the world decaying, survivors live in small socie… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Crimson Call.

64%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, optimization

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, story

100% User Score Based on 15 reviews

DEMO VERSION. Pixel-art judgment game about trust and paranoia. Interrogate arrivals, scan for symptoms, and make moral calls as a guard. Let them in, turn them away, or stop the threat. Randomized traits, scarce tools, authoritarian regime, multiple endings. Steampage coming out SOON! https://store.steampowered.com/widget/4133660/ THIS IS A DEMO VERSION OF THE FULL GAME. What's included in… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Get In Get Out.

91%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

91% User Score Based on 54 reviews

Take part in an expansive choose-your-own-adventure horror story, where you’ll uncover the secrets of an anachronistic corporation reigning over a post-truth world. Solve cryptic riddles, make difficult choices, and escape the depths of SMYRNACORP with your mind intact, no matter the cost. With hundreds of possible story routes, multiple endings, interactive puzzles and RPG elements, INHUMAN RESO… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Inhuman Resources.

74%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics

93% User Score Based on 30 reviews

Jack Briar is back to stop Bayliss’ dastardly Disaster once more! Rediscover every room, dino, and puzzle from the original match-3 survival horror comedy RPG metroidvania—now fully reraptored! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 1 Re-Raptored.

78%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

86% User Score Based on 2,016 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 19 reviews

Discover vast landscapes in Caravan SandWitch, a narrative exploration adventure If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Caravan SandWitch.

88%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay

100% User Score Based on 39 reviews

Peaches Interplanetary is a short narrative game set aboard a spaceship turned peach farm. StoryMargot has one dream: to spread fresh peaches to all! For no matter the moon, planet, or asteroid, whether lone ship or crowded station, all throughout the galaxy, everyone deserves a fresh peach! But fresh fruit is a hard thing to find in space. And who else will bring peaches to those in need? It's h… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Peaches Interplanetary.

64%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay

89% User Score Based on 18 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

Explore 4 magical, mysterious lands. Decipher indecipherable crystal visions! Fight an assortment of evil monsters, each more monstrous than the last! About an Elf is a point-and-click-ish, RPG-ish, visual-novel-ish game of gigantawesome proportions. Do you have what it takes to have what it takes? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to About an Elf.

95%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, graphics

95% User Score Based on 60 reviews

Fling with a Tiefling is a short fantasy romance visual novel that follows you, an adventurer whose journey is about to come to an end. With tonight potentially being the last night with your treasured Tiefling companion Karrus, how will you spend it with him? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Fling with a Tiefling.

98%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, gameplay

98% User Score Based on 159 reviews

Imitosis is an experimental 5-minute visual novel. You are a synthetic IMI-X unit that has been brought out of cold storage to respond to a pressing security matter aboard the IMI-29 space station. Thank you for keeping IMI-29 safe. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Imitosis.

68%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay

87% User Score Based on 30 reviews

Stellifier - an otome game inspired by older idols An idol drama game about an older group making a comeback from retirement, featuring a GxB/BxB/non-binary romance! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Stellifier.

72%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, graphics

96% User Score Based on 26 reviews

A romantic visual novel with a touch of fantasy! If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Witch of the Ihanashi.

72%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere

100% User Score Based on 23 reviews

Romantic, fantastical, and eerie, Zero-Sum Heart is a coming-of-age story about love. Enter a magical boarding school on our protagonist's eighteenth birthday as she makes a monumental decision and derails her life. A ritual sacrifice got her everything she ever wanted: an adoring crowd (faceless), a newfound power (dangerous), and a whirlwind romance (one-sided). But without a heart i… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Zero-Sum Heart.

*** NOVEMBER 2023 LEADLIGHT GAMMA NEWS I'm simplifying the delivery methods for the game. There's no longer a standalone Windows installer and there are no longer separate packages for different platforms. The  updated Read Me now lists and links to all interactive fiction interpreter options suitable for the game. For full details of the above, read my devlog post *** PLATFORMS You can play Lead… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Leadlight Gamma.

94%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

94% User Score Based on 2,710 reviews

The player becomes Gu Yi, uses the first-person perspective to immerse himself in meeting six beauties, and embarks on a joyful and sweet love journey with them. Six girls that are charming, innocent, intelligent, wild, sexy, glamorous, who will go to the end with you is up to you to decide. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Love Is All Around.

90%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

90% User Score Based on 802 reviews

A short, choose your own adventure game about two boys surviving the apocalypse. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Nocturnals.

74%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, humor

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, music

86% User Score Based on 37 reviews

Guidelicious is a short, interactive visual novel about waking up in a strange room with a mysterious man. Engage in a fully voice acted story as every powerless move forward leads you closer to the truth of why you're here... hopefully. <1,000 words (10-15 minutes of playtime)! Fully voiced! 1 animated Guide + 1 interactive background! 5 endings! Nameable female protagonist! 9… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Guidelicious.

78%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:character development

94% User Score Based on 34 reviews

Travel across landscapes devastated by a catastrophic climate meltdown, following a small family in search of somewhere habitable. With limited supplies and facing potential death at every turn, your choices will decide their fate. Will they manage to settle down? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to End of Lines.

87%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, replayability

97% User Score Based on 152 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 11 reviews

It begins with a kidnapped captain and a stolen ship. Where it leads next? That’s up to you… In this story-driven adventure game you will explore strange and wonderful communities, uncover a deep conspiracy, and chart a journey through twists and turns, difficulties and delights. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Saltsea Chronicles.

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.

84%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:atmosphere, grinding

85% User Score Based on 684 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

Let's spend the next three real-time days together uncovering the mystery of what went horribly wrong on a derelict generation ship, with the help of a spunky/more-than-slightly-traumatized AI sidekick! A sequel to Analogue: A Hate Story that tells a whole new hate story of its own. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Hate Plus.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, atmosphere

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics

92% User Score Based on 176 reviews

Expose the dark secrets and mysteries of your seemingly idyllic hometown in this romantic thriller! Will you fall in love or fall victim to its horrors? If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Fernweh Saga: Book One.

67%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay

100% User Score Based on 18 reviews

The Last Survey is a narrative essay game about a geologist contracted by a Brazilian mining company to survey rare earth metal reserves. Their research has found that there is not enough metals on the planet to sustain growing industries of green energy and you must deliver these findings to the company's CEO. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Last Survey.

77%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:humor, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability

80% User Score Based on 503 reviews

Critic Score 68%Based on 3 reviews

Join retired salesman rabbit, Hank, and his canine pal, Larry, in part one of this story-driven game series as they use their knowledge of influence and persuasion to make their way through the apocalypse—without having to risk their own skin. With a mixture of dark comedy and the use of real-life influence tactics, this story-driven game puts you behind the wheel of the characters’ choices. Can y… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning.

84%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

80% User Score Based on 430 reviews

Critic Score 100%Based on 1 reviews

The game mechanics were based directly on those used in the tabletop role-playing games Tunnels and Trolls and Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes created by Wasteland developers Ken St. Andre and Michael Stackpole. Characters in Wasteland consequently have various statistics (strength, intelligence and luck among others) that allow them to use different skills and weapons. Experience is gained th… If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Wasteland.

81%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, graphics

Most mentioned negative aspects:music, gameplay

81% User Score Based on 67 reviews

As the latest pilot to arrive in the Battle Mech training grounds a heavy burden is yours, to pilot a mech alongside one of several female co-pilots, with the aim of winning the mech wars and ensuring your country finally has an active role in the combined government. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Battle Girls.

86%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:stability, grinding

86% User Score Based on 438 reviews

In The Bottom of the Well, you play as Alice who has just had an unsettingly life-like dream about the end of the world. She retells her experience to her friend in a huge, branching narrative. Although a single play-through might take as little as 20 minutes, experiencing all the possible paths Alice can take through the ruins of her city will take you many hours. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Bottom of the Well.

81%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, emotional

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, monetization

97% User Score Based on 2,492 reviews

Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet is a Japanese post-apocalyptic visual novel developed by Key and is rated for all ages. The story centers on a middle-aged man who comes across a malfunctioning robot in a dead city. The man, known simply as "the junker", stays with this robot for a time and attempts to fix the projector of the planetarium where the story takes place. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet.

63%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, replayability

66% User Score Based on 197 reviews

Critic Score 58%Based on 6 reviews

The Great Perhaps is a time travel puzzle game about an astronaut returning to Earth destroyed by natural cataclysms. There, among the ruins he finds an unusual artifact - an old lantern, in the light of which you can see glimpses of another time and travel to the past. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to The Great Perhaps.

92%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:graphics, story

Most mentioned negative aspects:replayability, optimization

92% User Score Based on 793 reviews

You return to your old apartment one last time, in search of a sickened raven. You must speak to him, and discover the cause behind the calamity that has spread across the world. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to My Friend is a Raven.

58%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music

Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding

65% User Score Based on 40 reviews

A heavily branching visual novel, featuring love, friendship and life-sim elements in a future destroyed by the sun. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to As We Know It.

7%Game Brain Score

Most mentioned negative aspects:story, grinding

11% User Score Based on 18 reviews

It's speed dating for the railway-tycoon monopolist robber baron! To obliterate your competition, you must marry a suitable partner before time runs out. If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Gilded Rails.