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The Bottom of the Well similar games & best alternatives

The Bottom of the Well

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2016

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Quick resume

Play as Alice who has just had an unsettingly life-like dream about the end of the world, and is retelling it to her friend. A single play-through might take as little as 20 minutes, but experiencing all the possible paths Alice can take through the ruins of her city will take you many hours.

Global score

85/100

Genres

Role-playing (RPG), Free To Play, Adventure, Visual Novel

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    Pros

    • Free to play
    • Engaging narrative with multiple endings
    • High replayability
    • Customizable character stats
    • Atmospheric art and music

    Cons

    • Short playthroughs
    • Repetitive early dialogue
    • Lack of save points
    • Some ui and skip function issues
    • English language only

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players make meaningful choices that affect story outcomes and character relationships, indicating high personal control over actions."

      Capsule for Tiny Bunny Tiny Bunny

      "Players customize Alice's stats and make meaningful choices that affect the story and outcomes, indicating high personal control over actions."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Game involves strategic decision-making and managing multiple stats, requiring thoughtful choices and some skill to optimize outcomes."

      Capsule for I Am Your President: Prologue I Am Your President: Prologue

      "The game involves strategic decision-making and managing character stats to survive, requiring skillful choices rather than repetitive tasks."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "The game is single-player focused with no mention of leaderboards or player comparison; emphasis is on personal exploration and story."

      Capsule for Duck Season PC Duck Season PC

      "The game focuses on individual narrative experience and personal exploration without any indication of player comparison or leaderboards."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "High replayability with many endings encourages multiple playthroughs and long engagement."

      Capsule for Choice of Robots Choice of Robots

      "High replayability with multiple endings encourages repeated playthroughs to discover new outcomes and the true ending."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single-player visual novel with no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay elements."

      Capsule for Class of '09 Class of '09

      "Single-player visual novel with no multiplayer or cooperative elements; gameplay is entirely individual."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players customize character stats and make choices that alter story paths, enabling creative exploration of narrative possibilities."

      Capsule for Soul Gambler Soul Gambler

      "Players create different Alice characters with varied stats and experiment with choices, enabling creative exploration of story paths."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and cooperative in tone."

      Capsule for 80 Days 80 Days

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and cooperative in tone."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Post-apocalyptic immersive story provides escape from real life; players engage deeply with fictional narrative."

      Capsule for The Descendant The Descendant

      "The immersive apocalyptic dream narrative provides a strong escape from reality and engages players in a fictional world."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in exploration and story; no obligation or external pressure noted."

      Capsule for Dreaming Sarah Dreaming Sarah

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in story and exploration; no obligation or external pressure noted."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      4

      "Trial and error gameplay encourages trying different choices to discover outcomes and achievements."

      Capsule for Disturbed Disturbed

      "Trial and error gameplay with multiple choices and character builds encourages players to experiment with different strategies."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      3

      "Branching storylines and multiple endings encourage discovery of new content and narrative paths."

      Capsule for Heads Will Roll: Reforged Heads Will Roll: Reforged

      "Multiple branching storylines and endings promote discovery of new narrative paths and secrets."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Character customization through stats and equipment allows some self-expression."

      Capsule for Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time

      "Character customization of stats and choice of preset Alices allows some degree of self-expression within the narrative."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      3

      "The game features a fictional, surreal world with metaphysical themes and imaginative storytelling."

      Capsule for Nihilumbra Nihilumbra

      "The game is a fictional, surreal narrative inspired by Alice in Wonderland with apocalyptic and dreamlike elements."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual experience."

      Capsule for Tomb Raider: Underworld Tomb Raider: Underworld

      "No social or community features; gameplay is solitary and focused on individual experience."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players develop understanding of characters and story through multiple playthroughs and endings."

      Capsule for Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome

      "Players learn from repeated playthroughs and develop strategies to reach the true ending, reflecting personal development."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986

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

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused reading and decision-making; not designed for passive or background play."

      Capsule for Amnesia™: Memories Amnesia™: Memories

      "Requires focused reading and decision-making; not designed for passive or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Interactions with characters are limited to scripted dialogue; no close social relationships formed."

      Capsule for Blaster Master Zero 2 Blaster Master Zero 2

      "Interactions are limited to scripted dialogue between Alice and her friend; no deep social or emotional connections formed by players."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; player controls only their own character."

      Capsule for The Legend of Tianding The Legend of Tianding

      "No leadership or group management elements; player controls only their own character."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Character leveling, item acquisition, and story advancement provide a sense of progression."

      Capsule for Ash of Gods: Redemption Ash of Gods: Redemption

      "Character stats and inventory items accumulate and influence story progression, reflecting growth and acquisition."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Calm, contemplative atmosphere with soothing music balances the emotional tension of the story."

      Capsule for Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story

      "Atmospheric music and narrative create immersive tension balanced with calm moments, though the theme is often dark and suspenseful."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      1

      "Pleasant piano soundtrack and simple visuals provide mild sensory stimulation."

      Capsule for Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice Sometimes: Success Requires Sacrifice

      "Simple black, white, and red art style with piano music provides moderate sensory stimulation appropriate to the mood."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or popularity mechanics; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

      Capsule for VOIN VOIN

      "No social recognition or popularity mechanics; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative focus with immersive story, branching plots, and character development."

      Capsule for Orwell: Ignorance is Strength Orwell: Ignorance is Strength

      "Strong narrative focus with multiple branching plots, character dialogue, and immersive storytelling."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      4

      "Requires planning and problem solving to balance stats and unlock desired endings."

      Capsule for NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD

      "Players must plan character stats and choices carefully to survive and unlock the true ending, involving problem solving."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      3

      "Suspenseful apocalyptic setting and sudden events create tension and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for Sixtieth Kilometer Sixtieth Kilometer

      "Tense apocalyptic setting and risk of death create suspense and emotional engagement."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      5

      "Free game with rich content and replayability offers excellent value for time invested."

      Capsule for Drinks With Abbey Drinks With Abbey

      "Free game with rich content, multiple endings, and replayability offers excellent return on time investment."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      1

      "Contains deaths and survival threats but no graphic violence; violence is narrative-driven rather than gameplay focus."

      Capsule for Dyscourse Dyscourse

      "The game involves death and survival but no graphic combat or destruction; violence is implied rather than explicit."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      5

      "Core gameplay is about managing resources and decisions to survive nuclear fallout."

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      "Core gameplay revolves around surviving nuclear apocalypse through resource management, choices, and character stats."

    Analysis

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

    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.

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 30/04/2026