In Stars And Time Thumbnail

In Stars And Time similar games & best alternatives

In Stars And Time

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 • 2023

Related articles

Quick resume

Live with the ever-present burden of being trapped in a time loop only you can know about in this turn-based RPG. Create a better future for you and your friends. Find hope where there is none left. Pray to the stars and free yourself from time.

Global score

97/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Indie

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep emotional story and characters
    • Innovative time loop mechanics
    • Engaging turn-based combat
    • Strong lgbtq+ representation
    • High replayability and exploration

    Cons

    • Repetitive gameplay due to time loops
    • Some players find backtracking tedious
    • Combat can feel shallow or easy
    • Dialogue-heavy may not suit all
    • Minor bugs reported

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have significant freedom to explore, experiment with dialogue and timing, and influence events in multiple ways within the time loop structure."

      Capsule for Elsinore Elsinore

      "Players have freedom to explore, experiment with time loops, and make choices affecting story progression and character interactions."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Combat involves strategic rock-paper-scissors mechanics requiring skill and pattern recognition; some grinding and optimization needed especially in post-game."

      Capsule for Monster Hunter Stories Monster Hunter Stories

      "Combat involves strategic turn-based rock-paper-scissors mechanics with some challenge, but also accessible and not overly difficult."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on personal story experience and exploration rather than competing against others."

      Capsule for NieR:Automata™ NieR:Automata™

      "Focus is on personal story experience and exploration rather than competing against others."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      5

      "Highly addictive with many players reporting long sessions, repeated playthroughs, and strong attachment."

      Capsule for Peggle Deluxe Peggle Deluxe

      "Highly addictive with players reporting long sessions, emotional investment, and repeated playthroughs."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      3

      "Gameplay involves working with party members whose abilities improve through bonding, emphasizing teamwork in combat."

      Capsule for Eternights Eternights

      "Party-based gameplay with teamwork elements and collaborative combat mechanics."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players experiment with different dialogue choices and story paths, though within predefined narrative structures."

      Capsule for Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim™ Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim™

      "Players experiment with time loops and explore different dialogue and story branches, though within a structured narrative."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "Interactions emphasize mutual respect and emotional connection rather than control or superiority."

      Capsule for Date Everything! Date Everything!

      "Interactions emphasize equality, mutual respect, and emotional connection rather than control or superiority."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      5

      "Strong emotional immersion and narrative engagement provide escape from real-life through story and characters."

      Capsule for The Walking Dead: The Final Season The Walking Dead: The Final Season

      "Strong emotional immersion and narrative depth provide escape from real-life through story and character engagement."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest and emotional connection to characters and story."

      Capsule for Life is Strange: Before the Storm Life is Strange: Before the Storm

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest and emotional connection to story and characters."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      4

      "Game encourages trying new puzzle solutions, exploring different areas, and testing mechanics."

      Capsule for La-Mulana 2 La-Mulana 2

      "Game encourages trying new approaches to puzzles, exploring dialogue variations, and testing time loop mechanics."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      4

      "Players discover new map areas, secrets, and story elements through progressive exploration."

      Capsule for Stuck In Time Stuck In Time

      "Players explore environments repeatedly with new discoveries and subtle changes in each loop."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      3

      "Customization is limited but players can express themselves through choices and interactions affecting story."

      Capsule for Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue Project Kat - Paper Lily Prologue

      "Character customization is limited but players express themselves through choices and interactions affecting story."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "Game features imaginative fiction with time travel, fantasy settings, and RPG tropes."

      Capsule for Evoland Legendary Edition Evoland Legendary Edition

      "Game features imaginative fiction elements including time loops and fantasy RPG setting."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      4

      "Strong sense of community and emotional connection with characters and shared experiences."

      Capsule for Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

      "Strong sense of community and found family themes with deep character relationships."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      4

      "Players experience character development and emotional growth through story progression."

      Capsule for ATRI -My Dear Moments- ATRI -My Dear Moments-

      "Players experience character development, story progression, and personal emotional growth."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity elements."

      Capsule for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires player attention; some long unskippable dialogue sequences reduce active engagement."

      Capsule for Break the Game Break the Game

      "Requires focused attention and engagement, though some QoL features allow skipping repeated dialogue."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      5

      "Strong emotional connections and parasocial relationships with characters are central to experience."

      Capsule for Love Is All Around Love Is All Around

      "Emotional closeness and deep relationships between characters and player are central."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      2

      "Player leads party members in combat and exploration, making strategic decisions."

      Capsule for Jesus Christ RPG Trilogy Jesus Christ RPG Trilogy

      "Player leads party decisions and combat strategy, though within a collaborative group."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Players accumulate items, upgrades, and unlock new story chapters and content."

      Capsule for DELTARUNE DELTARUNE

      "Players accumulate items, upgrades, and unlock story content through loops."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Game balances tension and humor, providing moments of flow and catharsis but also suspense and emotional strain."

      Capsule for BUSTAFELLOWS BUSTAFELLOWS

      "Game balances emotional tension with moments of humor and charm, providing catharsis."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Appealing art, animations, and sound provide sensory enjoyment."

      Capsule for Faeria Faeria

      "Appealing art, music, and expressive animations provide sensory enjoyment."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on personal emotional experience rather than social recognition or status."

      Capsule for Until Then Until Then

      "Focus is on personal emotional experience rather than social recognition or competition."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Narrative immersion and character-driven plot are the core of the game experience."

      Capsule for Angel Wings Angel Wings

      "Narrative immersion and character-driven plot are core to player experience."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Puzzle solving and some combat require planning and problem solving, though not highly complex."

      Capsule for Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

      "Combat and puzzle solving require planning and problem solving, though not overly complex."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      2

      "Emotional tension and suspense in story outcomes provide mild thrill."

      Capsule for Cabin Fever Cabin Fever

      "Emotional suspense and narrative tension create a sense of thrill."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      5

      "Players report high value for time invested due to depth, replayability, and content richness."

      Capsule for Gothic II: Gold Edition Gothic II: Gold Edition

      "Players report high value for time invested due to story depth and replayability."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Combat exists but is minimal and not a core focus; more emphasis on exploration and narrative than destruction."

      Capsule for Disillusion ST Disillusion ST

      "Combat exists but is not focused on destruction; emphasis on story and relationships."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      1

      "Some resource and health management in combat, but overall low-risk environment."

      Capsule for Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered

      "Some resource and health management in combat, but overall low-risk environment."

    Analysis

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

    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