Backfirewall_ similar games & best alternatives
Backfirewall_
2023
Related articles
Quick resume
Hello and welcome to Backfirewall_, a first-person tragicomic adventure set inside a smartphone. You are the update assistant. Solve wacky puzzles to counter the update and save the previous operating system from deletion. The fate of the System is in your hands!
Global score
92/100
Genres
Adventure, Casual, Indie, Puzzle
Similar games
Pros
- Engaging and emotional story
- Creative and humorous writing
- Unique and imaginative setting
- Accessible and fun puzzles
- Strong voice acting and sound design
Cons
- Lack of replayability features like chapter select
- Some bugs and optimization issues
- Missable collectibles requiring full playthrough
- Short game length
- Minor control and ui frustrations
Motivations
-
Autonomy
Game with the same Autonomy vibe
4"Players freely explore the phone's contents and decide how to investigate, reflecting high personal control and decision-making."
Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story
"Players have control over their actions and decisions, exploring the smartphone world and choosing how to interact with characters and puzzles."
-
Competence
Game with the same Competence vibe
2"Puzzles are generally easy to moderate, providing some skill challenge but not highly difficult or complex."
A Fisherman's Tale
"Puzzles are creative and satisfying but generally easy to moderate in difficulty, providing a sense of effectiveness without high challenge."
-
Competition
Game with the same Competition vibe
-4"Focus is on personal story progression and puzzle solving without competitive elements or player comparison."
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma
"Focus is on personal story progression and puzzle solving without competitive elements or player comparison."
-
Continuation
Game with the same Continuation vibe
3"Players express strong attachment to characters and story, with desire to replay for different outcomes."
Tales from the Borderlands
"Players express strong attachment to characters and story, with desire for replay to explore alternate endings and collectables."
-
Cooperation
Game with the same Cooperation vibe
-3"Gameplay is single-player narrative focused with limited collaboration; social aspects are through story interactions rather than player cooperation."
BUSTAFELLOWS
"Gameplay is primarily single-player and narrative-driven with limited social or cooperative interaction."
-
Creativity
Game with the same Creativity vibe
4"Each screen presents unique puzzles and mechanics; the game constantly invents new situations and challenges."
Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio
"Game features unique setting, inventive puzzles, and creative world-building inside a smartphone OS."
-
Domination
Game with the same Domination vibe
-5"No evidence of exerting control over others; interactions are balanced and respectful."
Say No! More
"No evidence of exerting control over others; interactions are balanced and respectful."
-
Escapism
Game with the same Escapism vibe
4"Players use the game to immerse in nostalgic, humorous, and challenging fictional worlds."
Angry Video Game Nerd I & II Deluxe
"Players use the game to immerse in a fictional, imaginative world with humor and emotional storytelling."
-
Expectation
Game with the same Expectation vibe
-4"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or pressure."
Dogpile
"Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation or pressure."
-
Experimenting
Game with the same Experimenting vibe
3"Players try different puzzle solutions and story choices, exploring multiple endings and strategies."
Catherine Classic
"Players explore different puzzle solutions and alternate story paths, encouraged by multiple endings and secrets."
-
Exploration
Game with the same Exploration vibe
4"Strong emphasis on discovering new areas of the phone and piecing together hidden story elements."
Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story
"Game rewards discovering hidden areas, collectables, and story elements throughout the smartphone environment."
-
Expression
Game with the same Expression vibe
2"Some personalization through solution design, but limited character or environment customization."
Kaizen: A Factory Story
"Some character and environment personalization through choices and interactions, though limited customization."
-
Fantasy
Game with the same Fantasy vibe
4"Imaginative fiction with meta elements, character-driven story, and surreal desktop adventures."
Outcore: Desktop Adventure
"Strong imaginative fiction with anthropomorphized OS and apps, meta humor, and surreal narrative."
-
Fellowship
Game with the same Fellowship vibe
-3"Primarily a solo experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement described."
Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition
"Primarily a solo experience with minimal social or community engagement described."
-
Growth
Game with the same Growth vibe
3"Players develop problem-solving skills through puzzles and learn story progression."
The Last Dream: Developer's Edition
"Players develop problem-solving skills and gain knowledge through puzzles and story progression."
-
Health
Game with the same Health vibe
-5"No physical activity or health-related gameplay elements."
Half-Life 2
"No physical activity or health-related gameplay elements."
-
Idle
Game with the same Idle vibe
-3"Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and follow narrative; not a casual or background game."
Who's Lila?
"Requires focused attention and engagement to solve puzzles and follow story; not a casual or background game."
-
Intimacy
Game with the same Intimacy vibe
3"Players develop emotional attachment to characters and experience meaningful social bonds within the narrative."
Homicipher
"Players form emotional attachments to characters and experience meaningful narrative connections."
-
Leadership
Game with the same Leadership vibe
-5"No leadership or management roles; player follows tasks and story without directing others."
Happy's Humble Burger Farm
"No leadership or authority roles; player follows story and interacts without directing others."
-
Progression
Game with the same Progression vibe
3"Players collect items, achievements, and unlock bonus content, showing clear progression through story and extras."
Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala
"Players collect items, achievements, and unlock story content, showing clear progression through the game."
-
Relaxation
Game with the same Relaxation vibe
3"Game balances humor and light challenge to create a relaxing and enjoyable flow state."
Catgirl
"Game balances light challenge with humor and story to create a relaxing and enjoyable flow state."
-
Sensation
Game with the same Sensation vibe
3"Enjoyable visuals, voice acting, and sound design provide pleasant sensory stimulation."
CraftCraft: Fantasy Merchant Simulator
"Enjoyable audio-visual design, voice acting, and humor provide positive sensory stimulation."
-
Status
Game with the same Status vibe
-4"Achievements and collectibles exist but social recognition or popularity is not a core focus."
Super Fancy Pants Adventure
"Achievements and collectibles exist but social recognition or popularity is not a core focus."
-
Story
Game with the same Story vibe
5"Strong narrative immersion with well-developed characters, emotional plot, and multiple endings."
Perfect Gold - Yuri Visual Novel
"Strong narrative immersion with well-developed characters, emotional depth, and multiple endings."
-
Strategy
Game with the same Strategy vibe
2"Puzzles require some planning and problem solving but are generally straightforward and accessible."
LEGO® Voyagers
"Puzzles require some problem solving and planning but are generally straightforward and accessible."
-
Thrill
Game with the same Thrill vibe
1"Some suspense and emotional tension in story, but gameplay is low-risk and controlled."
UNREAL LIFE
"Some emotional tension and suspense in story, but gameplay is mostly controlled and low risk."
-
Value
Game with the same Value vibe
4"Players report high entertainment value, humor, and replayability relative to price."
Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome
"Players report high perceived value for price due to story, humor, and replayability."
-
Violence
Game with the same Violence vibe
-5"No combat or destructive gameplay; focus on narrative and puzzle solving."
Eternal Threads
"No combat or destructive gameplay; focus on constructive puzzle solving and narrative."
-
Survival
Game with the same Survival vibe
-4"No survival mechanics or threat avoidance; stable gameplay environment."
Contract With The Devil
"No survival mechanics or threat avoidance; stable gameplay environment."
Analysis
A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Exploration, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Fellowship.
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.
Where to buy
Last update: 30/04/2026