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Rakuen similar games & best alternatives

Rakuen

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Mac, Linux • 2017

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Quick resume

A hospitalized Boy comes to terms with his own story by traveling with his Mom to a beautiful fantasy world; ultimately helping his fellow patients find closure by walking a mile in their shoes.

Global score

96/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Role-playing (RPG)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Emotional and touching story
    • Beautiful soundtrack
    • Charming pixel art
    • Accessible puzzles
    • Meaningful character development

    Cons

    • Slow movement speed
    • Limited gameplay complexity
    • Lack of display and control options
    • Some pacing issues
    • Missable achievements requiring replay

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      3

      "Players explore nonlinear environments, solve puzzles, and choose paths with some freedom, though within a structured narrative."

      Capsule for Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh

      "Players explore two worlds, solve puzzles, and choose actions freely within a narrative framework."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      1

      "Puzzles are generally easy and accessible, providing some skill challenge but mostly straightforward solutions."

      Capsule for Monument Valley 2 Monument Valley 2

      "Puzzles are generally easy and accessible, with minimal challenge but some problem-solving involved."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -5

      "No competitive elements; focus is on personal story experience and emotional engagement without comparison to others."

      Capsule for Kemono Teatime Kemono Teatime

      "No competitive elements; focus is on personal story experience and emotional engagement."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      2

      "Some players replay the game annually or multiple times to experience its emotional impact, though it is short and linear."

      Capsule for REFLEXIA Prototype ver. REFLEXIA Prototype ver.

      "Players often replay or revisit the game for emotional impact and achievement completion."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single player experience focused on individual exploration and story."

      Capsule for Farewell North Farewell North

      "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and story progression."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      2

      "Players engage in puzzle solving and exploration with some creative use of items and environment, but within predefined story and structure."

      Capsule for The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition

      "Players engage in puzzle solving and exploration but within predefined story and world design."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; cooperative and empathetic tone."

      Capsule for Venba Venba

      "No elements of control or superiority over others; cooperative and empathetic tone."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Strong immersion in a fantasy world with emotional storytelling offers escape from reality."

      Capsule for Röki Röki

      "Strong emotional and narrative immersion provides escape from real-life through fantasy and story."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story and emotional experience."

      Capsule for To the Moon To the Moon

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story and emotional experience."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      1

      "Some exploration and puzzle experimentation, but mostly linear progression."

      Capsule for Find Yourself Find Yourself

      "Some exploration and puzzle experimentation, but mostly linear narrative progression."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      3

      "Exploration of colorful worlds and discovery of collectibles and secrets is a key part of gameplay."

      Capsule for Here Comes Niko! Here Comes Niko!

      "Exploring two worlds and uncovering story elements and collectibles is a key part of gameplay."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Limited customization; players experience a fixed narrative and character presentation."

      Capsule for In Between In Between

      "Limited customization; players experience a fixed story and character presentation."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Strong fantasy elements with monster transformations, magic, and imaginative creatures."

      Capsule for Planet Centauri Planet Centauri

      "Strong fantasy elements with parallel magical world and imaginative creatures."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      1

      "Emotional connection to characters and community within story, but limited social multiplayer interaction."

      Capsule for The Walking Dead The Walking Dead

      "Emotional connection to characters and community room collectibles, but no multiplayer social features."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players learn puzzle solutions, game mechanics, and develop emotional understanding through narrative progression."

      Capsule for OneShot OneShot

      "Players learn story details, solve puzzles, and develop emotional understanding."

    • 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 focused attention on story and puzzles; not designed for background or idle play."

      Capsule for Venba Venba

      "Requires focused attention on story and puzzles; not suited for background or idle play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      3

      "Strong emotional connections form with characters and their stories, evoking empathy and attachment."

      Capsule for Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ / Soldats Inconnus : Mémoires de la Grande Guerre™ Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ / Soldats Inconnus : Mémoires de la Grande Guerre™

      "Strong emotional bonds formed with characters and story, evoking empathy and connection."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or management roles; player follows a linear narrative."

      Capsule for Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition

      "No leadership or management roles; player follows a linear narrative."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      2

      "Progression through completing puzzles and collecting items to advance the story."

      Capsule for Four Last Things Four Last Things

      "Progression through story arcs, puzzle completion, and collecting items for community room."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Generally calm pacing with moments of tension; suitable for relaxed play sessions."

      Capsule for Kathy Rain Kathy Rain

      "Generally relaxing with gentle pacing, though some emotional tension is present."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      2

      "Enjoyable art and music provide sensory pleasure, though stimulation is moderate and steady."

      Capsule for 100 hidden frogs 100 hidden frogs

      "Enjoyable music and art provide sensory pleasure, but stimulation is moderate and calm."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social status or recognition systems; experience is personal and introspective."

      Capsule for Mouthwashing Mouthwashing

      "No social status or recognition systems; experience is personal and introspective."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Core motivation is narrative immersion with complex, interwoven plots and character-driven storytelling."

      Capsule for The Invisible Hours The Invisible Hours

      "Central motivation is deep narrative immersion with emotional and thematic storytelling."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      -2

      "Minimal strategic challenge; puzzles are simple and solutions often hand-held."

      Capsule for Beasts of Maravilla Island Beasts of Maravilla Island

      "Minimal strategic challenge; puzzles require some thought but are straightforward."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      -2

      "Some unsettling and creepy moments, but overall a controlled and gentle emotional experience."

      Capsule for Dropsy Dropsy

      "Some tense or eerie moments, but overall controlled and gentle emotional tone."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Highly praised for emotional impact and quality relative to game length and price."

      Capsule for Lost Words: Beyond the Page Lost Words: Beyond the Page

      "Highly praised for emotional payoff and quality relative to game length and price."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -5

      "No violence or combat; focus on constructive and emotional interactions."

      Capsule for NEKOPARA Vol. 4 NEKOPARA Vol. 4

      "No violence or combat; focus on constructive and emotional interactions."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Superliminal Superliminal

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

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression, Strategy, Cooperation.

    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