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Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor similar games & best alternatives

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2016

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Quick resume

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor is an anti-adventure game about picking up trash in an alien bazaar. Play as the Janitor, an Alaensee girlbeast with a municipally-subsidized trash incineration job and dreams of leaving the planet of Xabran's Rock far behind her.

Global score

73/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator

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    Pros

    • Unique and immersive alien world
    • Strong atmosphere and sound design
    • Thought-provoking themes on poverty and identity
    • Freedom to explore and express
    • Relaxing and contemplative gameplay

    Cons

    • Repetitive and grind-heavy gameplay
    • Confusing navigation without map
    • Some bugs and performance issues
    • Limited social interaction
    • Slow and opaque progression

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      "Players have freedom to explore large space station, choose stealth or distraction tactics, craft items, and decide how to approach threats."

      Capsule for Alien: Isolation Alien: Isolation

      "Players have freedom to explore the spaceport, choose what trash to collect or sell, and decide how to manage resources and routines."

    • Competence

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      "Gameplay involves learning different treatments and managing resources, with some skill in multitasking and prioritization, but overall fairly simple and repetitive."

      Capsule for Monster Care Simulator Monster Care Simulator

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    • Competition

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      "Focus is on personal progress and survival without direct comparison or ranked competition."

      Capsule for Reigns: Game of Thrones Reigns: Game of Thrones

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    • Continuation

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      "Many players report habitual play and repeated return to the game despite grind and occasional frustration."

      Capsule for Dragon Nest Dragon Nest

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    • Cooperation

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      "Gameplay is solitary, centered on personal exploration and puzzle solving with no multiplayer or cooperative mechanics."

      Capsule for Chants of Sennaar Chants of Sennaar

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    • Creativity

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      "Players can creatively decorate and arrange items in the house, expressing personal style within the game."

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    • Domination

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      "Interactions are balanced and roleplay-based without emphasis on exerting control or superiority over other players."

      Capsule for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

      "Interactions are balanced with no exertion of control or superiority over others; the player is marginalized."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

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      "The game offers a relaxing, immersive experience on an alien planet with a focus on emotional connection and escape from real life."

      Capsule for Haven Haven

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    • Expectation

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      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation, enjoying the unique theme."

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    • Experimenting

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      "Players explore mechanics and try different layouts and strategies, though some routines are established."

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    • Exploration

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      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and alien bases."

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    • Expression

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      "Players can customize and upgrade their apartment and restaurant, expressing personal style within the game."

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    • Fantasy

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      "Set in a sci-fi dystopian world with imaginative elements and alien species."

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    • Fellowship

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      "Minimal social connection; players mostly engage individually without strong community bonding."

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      "Social connections are minimal and superficial; the player mostly experiences isolation."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

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      "Players learn navigation, puzzle solving, and game mechanics, though progression is limited."

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    • Health

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      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; themes include mental illness but no physical health engagement."

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    • Idle

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      "Requires attention to navigation and resource management; not suitable for passive or background play."

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    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Limited social connection; interactions with NPCs are minimal and mostly hostile or neutral without emotional depth."

      Capsule for Exanima Exanima

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    • Leadership

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      "No leadership or management roles; player acts individually."

      Capsule for Arctic Eggs Arctic Eggs

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    • Progression

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      "Players accumulate skills, money, and status over time, though progression is slow and sometimes frustrating."

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    • Relaxation

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      3

      "Game provides a chill, immersive atmosphere with some tension from difficulty but overall relaxing gameplay."

      Capsule for Dice With Death Dice With Death

      "Despite some tension, the game offers a chill, contemplative experience with a calming atmosphere."

    • Sensation

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      "Vibrant visuals, sound design, and alien environments provide sensory stimulation and enjoyment."

      Capsule for Beyond Contact Beyond Contact

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    • Status

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      "No social status or recognition mechanics; focus is on individual play."

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    • Story

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      "Narrative is vignette-based and fragmented, focusing on character stories rather than epic overarching plot."

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    • Strategy

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      "Some planning and problem solving involved in navigating levels and managing time and resources."

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    • Thrill

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      "Game lacks suspense or risk; experiences are controlled and predictable."

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    • Value

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      "Players perceive good value for time spent due to engaging gameplay and replayability."

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    • Violence

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    • Survival

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    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Survival, Expression. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Thrill.

    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

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    Last update: 30/04/2026