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Downward: Enhanced Edition similar games & best alternatives

Downward: Enhanced Edition

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 • 2017

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Quick resume

Downward is a first-person open-world parkour based platform adventure set in the medieval ruins of a post-apocalyptic planet Earth. Make your way through breath-taking landscapes, face ancient guardians and unravel the deep mystery that lies behind the disappearance of humanity.

Global score

71/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Platform

Similar games

    Pros

    • Beautiful and immersive open world
    • Engaging parkour mechanics
    • Active and responsive developers
    • Multiple endings and replayability
    • Good value for price

    Cons

    • Vague and minimal story
    • Some bugs and glitches
    • Combat is simplistic and shallow
    • Controls can be clunky at times
    • Performance issues on some hardware

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to choose builds, weapons, and explore the large open map at their own pace with multiple paths and approaches."

      Capsule for GRIME II GRIME II

      "Players have freedom to explore open world maps with multiple paths and choose their own pace and approach to objectives."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Combat and parkour require skill and timing; players receive feedback and can improve, though some mechanics can be clunky."

      Capsule for Assassin's Creed 2 Assassin's Creed 2

      "Parkour mechanics require skill and precision; challenges and puzzles increase difficulty and provide feedback on player performance."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on personal exploration and challenge rather than competing against others, though leaderboards exist but are minor."

      Capsule for PixelJunk™ Eden PixelJunk™ Eden

      "Focus is on personal exploration and skill mastery rather than competing against others; leaderboards exist but are secondary."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      3

      "Players report spending multiple hours and replaying to improve scores and complete challenges, indicating habitual engagement."

      Capsule for Painkiller Overdose Painkiller Overdose

      "Players report spending many hours exploring, replaying for multiple endings and challenges, indicating habitual engagement."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Game is primarily single-player with no cooperative multiplayer or teamwork elements."

      Capsule for Touhou Blooming Chaos 2 Touhou Blooming Chaos 2

      "Game is primarily single-player with no cooperative multiplayer or teamwork elements."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players can find and use different weapons and upgrades, and choose paths in levels, but core gameplay is straightforward."

      Capsule for Insanity's Blade Insanity's Blade

      "Players can customize a home base and use abilities creatively to explore, but core gameplay follows designed paths."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are single-player focused."

      Capsule for 20 Minutes Till Dawn 20 Minutes Till Dawn

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are single-player focused."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game to relax, enjoy immersive environments, and escape real-life stress through flowing parkour gameplay."

      Capsule for Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst Mirror's Edge™ Catalyst

      "Players use the game to relax, explore beautiful worlds, and escape real-life stress through immersive parkour gameplay."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and enjoyment; no indication of obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for My Friendly Neighborhood My Friendly Neighborhood

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and enjoyment; no indication of obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "The game encourages exploration of new areas, use of tools, and uncovering secrets beyond routine searching."

      Capsule for A Tower Full of Cats A Tower Full of Cats

      "Game encourages trying new parkour moves, exploring different planets/world states, and discovering hidden areas."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and hidden collectibles across diverse and large environments."

      Capsule for Tomb Raider: Underworld Tomb Raider: Underworld

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, collectibles, and alternate paths in open world environments."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Some character progression and build customization through equipment and familiars, but limited avatar personalization."

      Capsule for Crown Trick Crown Trick

      "Some customization of home base and character progression, but limited avatar or environment personalization."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Set in a fantasy world with magic, mythical creatures, and imaginative environments."

      Capsule for Archvale Archvale

      "Set in a fantasy/sci-fi post-apocalyptic world with magical elements, mythical creatures, and imaginative settings."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual experience."

      Capsule for Insurmountable Insurmountable

      "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual experience."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players learn game mechanics, improve park design skills, and manage complex systems."

      Capsule for Jurassic World Evolution 3 Jurassic World Evolution 3

      "Players learn and improve parkour skills, unlock abilities, and gain knowledge of game mechanics over time."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

      Capsule for THE ENIGMA MACHINE THE ENIGMA MACHINE

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires active attention and engagement during exploration and platforming."

      Capsule for Seal World Seal World

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement with parkour and exploration challenges."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional social interactions within the game."

      Capsule for Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional social interactions within the game."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience only."

      Capsule for Ziggurat 2 Ziggurat 2

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player experience only."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Players collect orbs, upgrade spells, unlock abilities, and progress through the map and story."

      Capsule for Alwa's Legacy Alwa's Legacy

      "Players collect orbs and items to upgrade skills and abilities, unlocking new gameplay options and areas."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Players find the game relaxing and enjoyable, with a good balance of challenge and flow."

      Capsule for Ampersat Ampersat

      "Players find the game relaxing and enjoyable despite some challenging sections; good balance of flow."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Visuals and sound design provide pleasant sensory stimulation and enjoyment."

      Capsule for Outpath: First Journey Outpath: First Journey

      "Visuals and sound design provide stimulating sensory experience with beautiful environments and effects."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "Achievements and leaderboards exist but social recognition is not a primary motivator."

      Capsule for Cobalt Core Cobalt Core

      "Achievements and leaderboards exist but social recognition is minimal and not a primary motivator."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      1

      "Story is present but minimal; mostly context for gameplay rather than deep narrative."

      Capsule for Archvale Archvale

      "Story is present but vague and minimal; serves mostly as context for exploration rather than deep narrative."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      2

      "Some puzzle-solving and tactical use of character abilities required, but mostly straightforward gameplay."

      Capsule for SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide

      "Some puzzle solving and tactical use of abilities required, but overall gameplay is straightforward."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Some suspense in combat and exploration, but overall a calm and steady experience."

      Capsule for Sailing Era Sailing Era

      "Some suspense and challenge in parkour and combat encounters, but overall experience is calm and exploratory."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players feel the game offers good value for price with many hours of content and replayability."

      Capsule for Contraband Police Contraband Police

      "Players feel the game offers good value for price with many hours of content and replayability."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Combat is minimal and tactical; focus is on survival and avoidance rather than destruction."

      Capsule for Distrust: Polar Survival Distrust: Polar Survival

      "Combat is minimal and simplistic; focus is on avoidance and exploration rather than destruction."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      1

      "Some resource management and avoiding damage in combat, but overall low risk and forgiving mechanics."

      Capsule for Black Skylands Black Skylands

      "Some resource management and avoiding enemy attacks, but low risk and forgiving mechanics."

    Analysis

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

    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