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A Golden Wake similar games & best alternatives

A Golden Wake

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Linux • 2014

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Quick resume

The rise and fall story of a real estate agent in 1920s Miami. Based on historical events. From Francisco González, creator of the Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator series, Shardlight, and Lamplight City.

Global score

75/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie, Point-and-click

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    Pros

    • Immersive historical setting
    • Strong narrative and character development
    • Pleasant retro pixel art and jazz soundtrack
    • Interesting dialogue persuasion mechanic
    • Developer commentary adds depth

    Cons

    • Short and linear gameplay
    • Puzzles generally easy and simplistic
    • Limited player agency and impact on story
    • Some abrupt story pacing and underdeveloped characters
    • Lack of quality of life features (e.g. autosave, resolution options)

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      "Players have some choice in dialogue and minor story decisions, but overall the story is linear with limited player control."

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    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      1

      "Puzzles are generally easy and straightforward, with a few requiring some thinking, providing mild skill challenge."

      Capsule for Gibbous -  A Cthulhu Adventure Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure

      "Puzzles are generally easy and straightforward, with some minor challenge in persuasion mechanics."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -5

      "No competitive elements; focus is on single-player narrative experience without comparison to others."

      Capsule for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

      "No competitive elements; focus is on single-player narrative experience."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      1

      "Short game length (~3-4 hours) with some replay value for achievements and speedruns, but not designed for very long habitual play."

      Capsule for On Rusty Trails On Rusty Trails

      "Short game length (~4-6 hours) with some replayability via achievements and commentary, but not designed for long habitual play."

    • Cooperation

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      -5

      "Single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

      Capsule for Stray Stray

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    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Some player choice in dialogue and puzzle solutions, but mostly follows predefined narrative and puzzle structures."

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      "Some player choice in dialogue and puzzle approaches, but mostly follows a predefined story and structure."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative-driven."

      Capsule for DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative-driven."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Immersive historical setting and story provide strong escape from real life."

      Capsule for Assassin's Creed™: Director's Cut Edition Assassin's Creed™: Director's Cut Edition

      "Immersive historical setting and story provide a strong escape from real life."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in story and genre, not due to obligation."

      Capsule for Gemini Rue Gemini Rue

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in story and genre, not due to obligation."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      1

      "Some experimentation with dialogue choices and puzzle attempts, but mostly constrained by linear design."

      Capsule for Dinner with an Owl Dinner with an Owl

      "Some experimentation with dialogue persuasion and puzzle solutions, but mostly linear gameplay."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      -2

      "Limited number of locations and linear progression reduce exploration; some backtracking is required but within a familiar environment."

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      "Limited locations and linear progression reduce exploration; some interaction with environment details."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Minimal character customization; expression mainly through narrative choices."

      Capsule for Sounds of Her Love Sounds of Her Love

      "Minimal character customization or self-expression; focus on narrative and dialogue choices."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      -4

      "Strongly grounded in realistic historical events and scenarios without fictional or fantastical elements."

      Capsule for Through the Darkest of Times Through the Darkest of Times

      "Grounded in realistic historical events and characters, with minimal fictional or fantastical elements."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "Solo play with no social or community features."

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    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      2

      "Players develop understanding of story, characters, and cultural context, gaining narrative knowledge."

      Capsule for Tiny Bunny: Prologue Tiny Bunny: Prologue

      "Players learn about historical context and develop persuasion skills; some character development in story."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click adventures."

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      "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click adventures."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention during play; no background or idle gameplay elements."

      Capsule for Dawn Dawn

      "Requires focused attention; no background or idle play elements."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -3

      "Limited emotional connection through narrative but no social or relationship-building gameplay."

      Capsule for Until Dawn™ Until Dawn™

      "Limited emotional connection mainly through narrative; no social or relationship-building gameplay."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; player follows a set story alone."

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      "No leadership or group management elements; player follows a set story."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      2

      "Progression is narrative-based with story advancement and achievement collection."

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      "Narrative progression and achievement collection provide a sense of advancement."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Atmospheric music and pacing create a relaxed, immersive experience."

      Capsule for Silver Creek Falls: Chapter 1 Silver Creek Falls: Chapter 1

      "Generally calm and immersive experience with light challenge and atmospheric music."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Enjoyable retro visuals and music provide moderate sensory stimulation."

      Capsule for DX-Ball 2: 20th Anniversary Edition DX-Ball 2: 20th Anniversary Edition

      "Enjoyable retro visuals and jazz soundtrack provide moderate sensory stimulation."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or status elements; individual narrative focus."

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      "No social recognition or status systems; individual narrative focus."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with well-developed characters and historical context."

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      "Strong narrative immersion with historical context and character-driven plot."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      0

      "Puzzles require some problem solving but are generally simple; not a major focus."

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      "Puzzles require some reasoning but are mostly straightforward; not a major focus."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      -2

      "Low suspense or risk; story is gentle and slice-of-life oriented."

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      "Low suspense and risk; story-driven with minimal tension or thrills."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      2

      "Generally considered good value for a short, unique experience, especially on sale."

      Capsule for Scanner Sombre Scanner Sombre

      "Good value especially on sale; short but well-crafted experience."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Violence is present in story context but gameplay focuses on investigation and puzzle solving."

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      "Some narrative elements involve crime and mafia, but gameplay is non-violent and puzzle-based."

    • Survival

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      -4

      "No survival or threat mechanics; stable and safe gameplay environment."

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      "No survival or threat mechanics; stable and safe gameplay environment."

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Strategy, Survival, Competence, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Strategy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fantasy.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026