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The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories similar games & best alternatives

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories

PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 • 2018

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Quick resume

J.J. scours Memoria Island to find her best friend, who has gone missing during a camping trip. In order to save her best friend, she puts her own body and life on the line, reviving infinitely, as she presses forward. Why did she go missing? What is going on in this world?

Global score

89/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Indie, Platform, Puzzle

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    Pros

    • Powerful and emotional story
    • Unique and creative gameplay mechanics
    • Strong lgbtq+ representation
    • Immersive sound design and visuals
    • Meaningful character development

    Cons

    • Clunky and sometimes frustrating controls
    • Some tedious or poorly checkpointed sections
    • Short game length
    • Awkward voice acting
    • Limited replayability for some players

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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    • Competence

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      "Puzzles require logical thinking and some skill, but difficulty is moderate and some platforming is frustrating."

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    • Competition

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      "Focus is on personal story progression and puzzle solving without competitive or ranked elements."

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      "Focus is on personal story and puzzle solving without competitive or ranked elements."

    • Continuation

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      "Some players report being pulled in to complete multiple playthroughs for full story and costumes, though others find repeated playthroughs tedious."

      Capsule for Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story

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    • Cooperation

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      "Single-player experience focused on individual progression and narrative."

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    • Creativity

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      "Game features creative puzzle design, meta humor, and unique narrative structure encouraging out-of-the-box thinking."

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    • Domination

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      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; cooperative and equal participation not applicable."

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    • Escapism

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      "Players immerse in a surreal, psychological horror narrative to escape real life, reflecting on deep emotional themes."

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    • Expectation

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

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    • Experimenting

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      "Players explore new mechanics and puzzle solutions as the game introduces novel challenges progressively."

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    • Exploration

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      "Players explore detailed environments and collect hidden items, though the world is mostly linear."

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      "Players discover hidden collectibles and story elements, though environments are mostly linear."

    • Expression

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      "Outfit customization allows some avatar personalization and visual expression."

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    • Fantasy

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      "Surreal and abstract representations of trauma create imaginative, fictionalized experiences."

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    • Fellowship

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      "Experience is solitary with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

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    • Growth

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      "Players develop problem-solving skills and emotional understanding through complex narrative and puzzles."

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    • Health

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      "Gameplay involves sedentary play with some depiction of drug use and mental health struggles rather than physical activity."

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    • Idle

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      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement to solve puzzles and progress."

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    • Intimacy

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      "Strong emotional connection to characters and story, fostering empathy and personal reflection."

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      "Strong emotional connection to characters and story, fostering empathy and personal reflection."

    • Leadership

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      "No leadership or group management roles; purely single-player experience."

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    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

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      "Players collect items and unlock outfits, progressing through story chapters and puzzles."

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    • Relaxation

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      "Gameplay is often stressful and frustrating, causing tension rather than relaxation."

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    • Sensation

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      "Sound design and visuals create strong sensory and emotional impact."

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    • Status

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      "Focus on personal experience rather than social recognition or status."

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    • Story

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      "Narrative immersion is central, with deep emotional themes and character-driven storytelling."

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    • Strategy

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    • Thrill

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    • Value

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      "Players perceive strong emotional and narrative value despite short playtime."

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    • Violence

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    • Survival

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    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Competition. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Expression. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

    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

    Last update: 30/04/2026