Shanghai Summer similar games & best alternatives

Shanghai Summer - shanghai-summer_1.avif
Shanghai Summer - shanghai-summer_2.avif
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Shanghai Summer - shanghai-summer_5.avif
Shanghai Summer - shanghai-summer_6.avif

Shanghai Summer

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch • 2024

Should you play it?

Shanghai Summer is an adventure game set in the millennium. Our protagonist, Baichuan, goes through a series of "anomalies" over the length of twelve days. In his pursuit of the truth, he found that his hopes and regrets from the past finally seem to converge. Will he be able to "fix" it for good?

What works
  • Emotional and reflective narrative
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art style
  • Atmospheric and fitting soundtrack
  • Multiple endings and branching storylines
  • User-friendly flowchart for story navigation
Things to keep in mind
  • Short gameplay length
  • Translation issues in some languages
  • Limited gameplay mechanics and interactivity
  • Some find story pacing slow or confusing
  • Lack of voice acting and animation depth

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Your Diary +

  • 千面 Melancholy Love

  • Bai Qu: Hundreds of Melodies

  • Rakuen

  • Mr. Saitou

  • 夜永 Eternal Love

  • Speed Dating for Ghosts

  • Stay! Stay! Democratic People's Republic of Korea!

  • SEASON: A letter to the future

Search more ->

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • A Story Beside

  • Moonless Moon

  • Midnight Ramen
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Story

    OPUS: Prism Peak
  • Escapism

    Serena
  • Growth

    Love in Summer

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • 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 (hidden on purpose).

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

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    3

    "Players can explore various locations, solve puzzles, and make some dialogue choices, though story progression is mostly linear."

    Capsule for Nancy Drew®: Danger on Deception Island Nancy Drew®: Danger on Deception Island

    "Players can explore locations freely within the 12-day story, choose dialogue options, and revisit story points via a flowchart, allowing personal pacing and decision-making."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    -2

    "Gameplay is mostly walking and simple interactions with minimal challenge or skill tests."

    Capsule for The Town of Light The Town of Light

    "Gameplay is simple, mostly walking and interacting with NPCs and objects; minimal challenge or skill testing."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for CLANNAD CLANNAD

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

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    2

    "Players often spend multiple hours exploring endings, but some find it short and not highly replayable."

    Capsule for Please, Don't Touch Anything 3D Please, Don't Touch Anything 3D

    "Players often engage for a few hours to explore multiple endings; some find the story compelling enough to replay."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and narrative; no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

    Capsule for Syberia: The World Before Syberia: The World Before

    "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and narrative; no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    2

    "Players creatively explore different dialogue choices and story branches, but within a fixed narrative structure."

    Capsule for Motesolo : No Girlfriend Since Birth Motesolo : No Girlfriend Since Birth

    "Players piece together story fragments and choose dialogue paths; limited creation but some narrative exploration."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are equal and narrative-driven."

    Capsule for Krypta FM Krypta FM

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are equal and narrative-driven."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Players immerse in a dark, emotional story to escape real life, reflecting on psychological themes."

    Capsule for Serena Serena

    "Strong theme of escaping reality through dreams and alternate timelines; players immerse in emotional and nostalgic story."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for emotional and narrative experience without external pressure or obligation."

    Capsule for Love Alone Death Love Alone Death

    "Players engage voluntarily for emotional and narrative experience without external pressure or obligation."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Multiple endings and branching choices encourage trying different options and exploring alternate storylines."

    Capsule for 好久不见 - Long Time No See 好久不见 - Long Time No See

    "Multiple endings and branching storylines encourage trying different choices and exploring alternate timelines."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Players explore multiple locations and interact with numerous NPCs and objects to uncover puzzles and story."

    Capsule for Darkestville Castle Darkestville Castle

    "Players explore various locations in Shanghai and interact with NPCs and objects to uncover story details."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    1

    "Limited character customization; expression mainly through choice of dialogue and narrative path."

    Capsule for 1 to 1 humanoid edible toys 1 to 1 humanoid edible toys

    "Limited character customization; some self-expression through choice of dialogue and story paths."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    2

    "Narrative includes symbolic and surreal elements, but grounded in psychological and emotional realism rather than high fantasy."

    Capsule for Deathless Death Deathless Death

    "Narrative includes dreamlike, parallel worlds and surreal elements, blending reality with fantasy."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    1

    "Narrative focuses on interpersonal relationships but gameplay is solo without community features."

    Capsule for Tiny Shadows Interwoven Hearts Tiny Shadows Interwoven Hearts

    "Narrative focuses on relationships and social connections, but gameplay is solo without community features."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Themes of personal development, emotional maturity, and resolving past regrets are central to the narrative."

    Capsule for Love in Summer Love in Summer

    "Themes of personal development, confronting past regrets, and emotional growth are central to the story."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for Source of Madness Source of Madness

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

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention on story and dialogue; not designed for background or idle play."

    Capsule for Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode

    "Requires focused attention on story and dialogue; not designed for background or idle play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    3

    "Emotional depth in character relationships and story fosters feelings of closeness and empathy."

    Capsule for Mouse Painting Master Mouse Painting Master

    "Emotional depth in character relationships and personal stories fosters feelings of closeness and empathy."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or management roles; player follows narrative without directing others."

    Capsule for Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout Fears to Fathom - Ironbark Lookout

    "No leadership or management roles; player follows narrative without directing others."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    2

    "Progression through story advancement and unlocking multiple endings and achievements."

    Capsule for Misadventures of Laura Silver Misadventures of Laura Silver

    "Progression through story advancement and unlocking multiple endings; some collection of cards and achievements."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calm, slow-paced gameplay with soothing music and atmosphere promotes relaxation."

    Capsule for LUNA The Shadow Dust LUNA The Shadow Dust

    "Calm, slow-paced gameplay with soothing music and atmosphere promotes relaxation and reflection."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    2

    "Visual art and music provide sensory enjoyment, though not highly stimulating or intense."

    Capsule for Trajectory of summer flower Trajectory of summer flower

    "Pleasant visual art and music provide sensory enjoyment, though not intense or highly stimulating."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

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

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Strong narrative focus with emotional depth, character-driven storytelling, and multiple endings."

    Capsule for OPUS: Prism Peak OPUS: Prism Peak

    "Strong narrative focus with emotional depth, multiple endings, and character-driven storytelling."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    -3

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay centers on dialogue choices and exploration."

    Capsule for The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence

    "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay centers on exploration and dialogue choices."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    -4

    "Low suspense or risk; story is contemplative and calm rather than thrilling."

    Capsule for The Dearest Person The Dearest Person

    "Low suspense or risk; story is contemplative and calm rather than thrilling or tense."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    1

    "Generally considered good value for a short, well-made visual novel, though some feel price is slightly high."

    Capsule for 天降锦鲤 ~ My Lucky Koi 天降锦鲤 ~ My Lucky Koi

    "Generally considered fair value for a short, emotionally impactful visual novel, though some find price high for length."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violence or combat; focus on emotional and narrative experience."

    Capsule for Blackwood Crossing Blackwood Crossing

    "No violence or combat; focus on narrative and emotional exploration."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival or threat elements; stable, low-risk environment."

    Capsule for Coffee Talk Coffee Talk

    "No survival or threat elements; stable, low-risk environment."

Last update: 19/07/2026