Rakuen similar games & best alternatives
Rakuen
2017
Related articles
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
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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."
Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh
"Players explore two worlds, solve puzzles, and choose actions freely within a narrative framework."
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Competence
Game with the same Competence vibe
1"Puzzles are generally easy and accessible, providing some skill challenge but mostly straightforward solutions."
Monument Valley 2
"Puzzles are generally easy and accessible, with minimal challenge but some problem-solving involved."
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Competition
Game with the same Competition vibe
-5"No competitive elements; focus is on personal story experience and emotional engagement without comparison to others."
Kemono Teatime
"No competitive elements; focus is on personal story experience and emotional engagement."
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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."
REFLEXIA Prototype ver.
"Players often replay or revisit the game for emotional impact and achievement completion."
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Cooperation
Game with the same Cooperation vibe
-5"Single player experience focused on individual exploration and story."
Farewell North
"Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and story progression."
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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."
The Last Door: Season 2 - Collector's Edition
"Players engage in puzzle solving and exploration but within predefined story and world design."
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Domination
Game with the same Domination vibe
-5"No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; cooperative and empathetic tone."
Venba
"No elements of control or superiority over others; cooperative and empathetic tone."
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Escapism
Game with the same Escapism vibe
4"Strong immersion in a fantasy world with emotional storytelling offers escape from reality."
Röki
"Strong emotional and narrative immersion provides escape from real-life through fantasy and story."
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Expectation
Game with the same Expectation vibe
-4"Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story and emotional experience."
To the Moon
"Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story and emotional experience."
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Experimenting
Game with the same Experimenting vibe
1"Some exploration and puzzle experimentation, but mostly linear progression."
Find Yourself
"Some exploration and puzzle experimentation, but mostly linear narrative progression."
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Exploration
Game with the same Exploration vibe
3"Exploration of colorful worlds and discovery of collectibles and secrets is a key part of gameplay."
Here Comes Niko!
"Exploring two worlds and uncovering story elements and collectibles is a key part of gameplay."
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Expression
Game with the same Expression vibe
-3"Limited customization; players experience a fixed narrative and character presentation."
In Between
"Limited customization; players experience a fixed story and character presentation."
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Fantasy
Game with the same Fantasy vibe
4"Strong fantasy elements with monster transformations, magic, and imaginative creatures."
Planet Centauri
"Strong fantasy elements with parallel magical world and imaginative creatures."
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Fellowship
Game with the same Fellowship vibe
1"Emotional connection to characters and community within story, but limited social multiplayer interaction."
The Walking Dead
"Emotional connection to characters and community room collectibles, but no multiplayer social features."
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Growth
Game with the same Growth vibe
3"Players learn puzzle solutions, game mechanics, and develop emotional understanding through narrative progression."
OneShot
"Players learn story details, solve puzzles, and develop emotional understanding."
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Health
Game with the same Health vibe
-5"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."
THE ENIGMA MACHINE
"Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."
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Idle
Game with the same Idle vibe
-3"Requires focused attention on story and puzzles; not designed for background or idle play."
Venba
"Requires focused attention on story and puzzles; not suited for background or idle play."
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Intimacy
Game with the same Intimacy vibe
3"Strong emotional connections form with characters and their stories, evoking empathy and attachment."
Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ / Soldats Inconnus : Mémoires de la Grande Guerre™
"Strong emotional bonds formed with characters and story, evoking empathy and connection."
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Leadership
Game with the same Leadership vibe
-5"No leadership or management roles; player follows a linear narrative."
Among the Sleep - Enhanced Edition
"No leadership or management roles; player follows a linear narrative."
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Progression
Game with the same Progression vibe
2"Progression through completing puzzles and collecting items to advance the story."
Four Last Things
"Progression through story arcs, puzzle completion, and collecting items for community room."
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Relaxation
Game with the same Relaxation vibe
3"Generally calm pacing with moments of tension; suitable for relaxed play sessions."
Kathy Rain
"Generally relaxing with gentle pacing, though some emotional tension is present."
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Sensation
Game with the same Sensation vibe
2"Enjoyable art and music provide sensory pleasure, though stimulation is moderate and steady."
100 hidden frogs
"Enjoyable music and art provide sensory pleasure, but stimulation is moderate and calm."
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Status
Game with the same Status vibe
-5"No social status or recognition systems; experience is personal and introspective."
Mouthwashing
"No social status or recognition systems; experience is personal and introspective."
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Story
Game with the same Story vibe
5"Core motivation is narrative immersion with complex, interwoven plots and character-driven storytelling."
The Invisible Hours
"Central motivation is deep narrative immersion with emotional and thematic storytelling."
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Strategy
Game with the same Strategy vibe
-2"Minimal strategic challenge; puzzles are simple and solutions often hand-held."
Beasts of Maravilla Island
"Minimal strategic challenge; puzzles require some thought but are straightforward."
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Thrill
Game with the same Thrill vibe
-2"Some unsettling and creepy moments, but overall a controlled and gentle emotional experience."
Dropsy
"Some tense or eerie moments, but overall controlled and gentle emotional tone."
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Value
Game with the same Value vibe
4"Highly praised for emotional impact and quality relative to game length and price."
Lost Words: Beyond the Page
"Highly praised for emotional payoff and quality relative to game length and price."
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Violence
Game with the same Violence vibe
-5"No violence or combat; focus on constructive and emotional interactions."
NEKOPARA Vol. 4
"No violence or combat; focus on constructive and emotional interactions."
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Survival
Game with the same Survival vibe
-5"No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable and safe game environment."
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