The Big Journey similar games & best alternatives

The Big Journey - the-big-journey_1.avif
The Big Journey - the-big-journey_2.avif
The Big Journey - the-big-journey_3.avif
The Big Journey - the-big-journey_4.avif
The Big Journey - the-big-journey_5.avif
The Big Journey - the-big-journey_6.avif

The Big Journey

PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch • 2018

Should you play it?

A cat who's hungry for good food and excitement.

What works
  • Charming and colorful art style
  • Relaxing and accessible gameplay
  • Cute characters and story
  • Good replay value with collectibles and achievements
  • Pleasant soundtrack
Things to keep in mind
  • Control issues and occasional unresponsiveness
  • Some bugs and glitches reported
  • Repetitive level design
  • Motion sickness potential due to screen tilting
  • Bonus levels can be frustratingly difficult

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Smushi Come Home

  • Caravan SandWitch

  • Carto

  • Great God Grove

  • A Building Full of Cats 2

  • Seal World

  • Cozy Caravan

  • Haven Park

  • Ritual of Raven
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Great God Grove

  • Seal World

  • Ritual of Raven
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Escapism

    Yoku's Island Express
  • Relaxation

    Crayon Physics Deluxe
  • Autonomy

    TTV2

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

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 for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • 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).

The Big Journey: A very typical example of its motivational profile. 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, Expression, Intimacy.

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 control their movement freely to navigate through levels, requiring personal decisions on timing and direction."

    Capsule for TTV2 TTV2

    "Players control the environment tilt and jump timing, allowing freedom in how to navigate levels, encouraging experimentation."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    2

    "Requires some skill in quick-time events and decision making, but overall gameplay is simple and accessible with limited mechanical complexity."

    Capsule for The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

    "Gameplay is accessible with some skill needed for timing and collecting stars; controls can be frustrating but skillful play is rewarded."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on individual survival and personal progress without direct player-vs-player competition."

    Capsule for Monstrum Monstrum

    "Focus is on personal progress and completion challenges without direct player-vs-player competition."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    2

    "Players often replay levels to improve scores and unlock stars, with some returning multiple times despite the short main campaign."

    Capsule for Leo’s Fortune - HD Edition Leo’s Fortune - HD Edition

    "Players often replay levels to collect all stars and achievements, though some find late-game frustration reduces continued play."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

    Capsule for Blasphemous Blasphemous

    "Single-player experience with no multiplayer or cooperative elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Customization of cat characters and cosmetics is available, allowing for personal expression and modification."

    Capsule for Cat Warfare Cat Warfare

    "Players can unlock different cat skins and take in-game photos for Catstagram, adding personal expression and creativity."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for Lost Nova Lost Nova

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

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "Relaxing, charming world and music provide a pleasant escape from real life stress."

    Capsule for Yoku's Island Express Yoku's Island Express

    "Relaxing, charming world and music provide a stress-relieving escape from real life."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily for enjoyment and relaxation, not due to obligation or external pressure."

    Capsule for Moonlighter Moonlighter

    "Players engage voluntarily for enjoyment and relaxation, not due to obligation or external pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Encourages trying movement mechanics, exploring levels, and discovering secrets."

    Capsule for Super Kiwi 64 Super Kiwi 64

    "Encourages trying different approaches to collect items and explore hidden paths; physics-based movement invites experimentation."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Levels contain hidden collectibles and secret areas encouraging curiosity-driven exploration."

    Capsule for Unruly Heroes Unruly Heroes

    "Levels contain hidden areas, collectibles, and secret paths encouraging curiosity-driven exploration."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    3

    "Unlockable costumes and cat pictures allow some degree of self-expression and personalization within the game."

    Capsule for Cats Love Boxes Cats Love Boxes

    "Customization via unlockable cat skins and in-game photo sharing allows player self-expression."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    3

    "Set in a whimsical, storybook world with anthropomorphic animals and gentle fantasy elements."

    Capsule for Teacup Teacup

    "Whimsical, storybook world with anthropomorphic animals and imaginative settings."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    1

    "Some social interaction through story and character relationships, but primarily a solo experience without community features."

    Capsule for Love is All Around: Echoes of Yesterday Love is All Around: Echoes of Yesterday

    "Some social features like Catstagram and meeting animal friends, but primarily a solo experience."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    2

    "Players improve skills and timing to achieve better times and stars, indicating learning and personal development."

    Capsule for Ball at Work: The Ultimate Speedrun Platformer! Ball at Work: The Ultimate Speedrun Platformer!

    "Players improve skill in timing and navigation; collecting stars and achievements offers learning and mastery."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    Capsule for Car Manufacture Car Manufacture

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity involved."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention and precise control; not suitable for background play."

    Capsule for Last Horizon Last Horizon

    "Requires focused attention to control physics and timing; not suited for background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    1

    "Some emotional connection to characters and pets, but limited deep relationship building."

    Capsule for Cozy Caravan Cozy Caravan

    "Light social interactions with animal characters, but no deep relationship building."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements present."

    Capsule for FORM FORM

    "No leadership or group management elements present."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Players collect items, unlock cats, and gain upgrades, showing clear progression."

    Capsule for Catlateral Damage Catlateral Damage

    "Players collect items, unlock new cats and levels, and earn achievements, showing clear progression."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calming music and gentle gameplay create a relaxing experience for many players."

    Capsule for Crayon Physics Deluxe Crayon Physics Deluxe

    "Overall experience is calming and soothing with gentle music and non-threatening gameplay."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Colorful visuals and lively soundtrack provide enjoyable sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for Broken Universe - Tower Defense Broken Universe - Tower Defense

    "Bright colorful visuals and cheerful soundtrack provide enjoyable sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -3

    "Achievements exist but social recognition or competition is minimal."

    Capsule for WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY® WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY®

    "Achievements exist but social recognition or competitive ranking is minimal or absent."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    2

    "Lighthearted narrative about a lost cat finding home with charming characters and dialogue."

    Capsule for Little Kitty, Big City Little Kitty, Big City

    "Simple, charming narrative about a cat searching for his dumpling chef friend, with light character interactions."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    1

    "Some planning and problem solving in platforming and collectibles, but mostly straightforward gameplay."

    Capsule for Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy

    "Some planning needed to collect all items and complete challenges, but overall straightforward gameplay."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    -2

    "Low risk and tension; gameplay is relaxing rather than suspenseful."

    Capsule for Mika and The Witch's Mountain Mika and The Witch's Mountain

    "Low risk and tension; gameplay is relaxing rather than suspenseful."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    3

    "Considered good value especially on sale, with extensive content and replayability."

    Capsule for Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

    "Good value for price especially on sale; enjoyable content and replayability."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violent content; gameplay focuses on exploration, collection, and friendly interactions."

    Capsule for Seal World Seal World

    "No violent content; gameplay focuses on collecting and exploration."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival or threat mechanics; player cannot die or fail permanently."

    Capsule for LOOM™ LOOM™

    "No threat of failure or death; player cannot lose lives and can retry indefinitely."

Last update: 11/07/2026