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The Shivah similar games & best alternatives

The Shivah

PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, Mac, Android, Linux • 2013

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Quick resume

Russell Stone is a Jewish Rabbi at a poor synagogue in New York City. He is a devout man with a problem. Membership is way down and he lacks the funds to keep his synagogue open. Things are looking very bleak, and he has grown progressively more cynical and bitter with the passage of time.

Global score

81/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Point-and-click

Similar games

    Pros

    • Unique jewish cultural setting
    • Engaging narrative with moral dilemmas
    • Multiple endings and replayability
    • Classic point-and-click style
    • Affordable price especially on sale

    Cons

    • Very short gameplay length
    • Some puzzles rely on trial and error
    • Limited inventory and exploration
    • Voice acting quality inconsistent
    • Final sequence can be frustrating

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      3

      "Players make meaningful dialogue choices affecting story outcomes and character fates, indicating personal control over decisions."

      Capsule for While We Wait Here While We Wait Here

      "Players choose dialogue tone and moral decisions affecting story outcomes, allowing personal control within a narrative framework."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      2

      "Puzzles are generally easy and logical, with some unique deduction mechanics, providing moderate challenge and feedback."

      Capsule for Moebius: Empire Rising Moebius: Empire Rising

      "Puzzles involve logical deduction and clue combination, but are generally simple and few, with some trial-and-error elements."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure

      "Focuses on personal investigation and story progression without competitive or ranked elements."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      1

      "Short game encourages replay for multiple endings, but limited content and length reduce long-term habitual play."

      Capsule for The Little Red Lie The Little Red Lie

      "Short game with multiple endings encourages replaying, but limited length may reduce habitual long-term engagement."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single-player experience focused on individual investigation and decision-making without multiplayer or teamwork."

      Capsule for Daemonologie Daemonologie

      "Single-player experience focused on individual investigation and decision-making without multiplayer or teamwork."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Players can choose dialogue options and personality traits, but gameplay follows structured narrative and environments with limited creative modification."

      Capsule for Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition

      "Players can choose dialogue responses and explore clues, but gameplay follows a linear narrative with limited creative construction."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "Interactions emphasize balanced dialogue and decision-making rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

      Capsule for Gamedec - Definitive Edition Gamedec - Definitive Edition

      "Interactions emphasize balanced dialogue choices and moral dilemmas rather than asserting control over others."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      3

      "Provides immersive escape into a classic detective story and period setting."

      Capsule for Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders

      "Provides immersion in a unique noir detective story with Jewish cultural themes, offering an escape from reality."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in story and themes, not due to obligation or external pressure."

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

      "Players engage voluntarily for interest in story and themes, not due to obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      2

      "Players try different dialogue choices and minor variations, but overall gameplay is repetitive and linear."

      Capsule for Little Misfortune Little Misfortune

      "Multiple dialogue tones and endings encourage trying different approaches, though overall gameplay is structured."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      1

      "Limited spatial exploration but players discover clues and secrets within a confined environment."

      Capsule for The Red Stare The Red Stare

      "Limited locations and short length restrict exploration, but players investigate clues and dialogue options."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Limited character customization; expression mainly through choice of dialogue rather than avatar personalization."

      Capsule for MetaWare High School (Demo) MetaWare High School (Demo)

      "Minimal character customization; expression mainly through dialogue choices rather than visual or avatar personalization."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      -2

      "Story is a detective mystery with some surreal elements but mostly grounded in realistic crime investigation."

      Capsule for Crime Secrets: Crimson Lily Crime Secrets: Crimson Lily

      "Story grounded in realistic, noir detective setting with Jewish cultural context rather than high fantasy or improbable events."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "Solo narrative experience without social or community features."

      Capsule for The Descendant The Descendant

      "Solo experience focused on individual narrative without social or community features."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players develop understanding and insight into the story and characters, encouraging reflection and personal interpretation."

      Capsule for Marie's Room Marie's Room

      "Players develop understanding of story, moral dilemmas, and character motivations, encouraging reflection and learning."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click adventures with no physical activity elements."

      Capsule for The Longest Journey The Longest Journey

      "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click adventures with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention on puzzles and dialogue; not suited for casual or background play."

      Capsule for Blackwell Unbound Blackwell Unbound

      "Requires focused attention on dialogue and puzzles; no background or casual play elements."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -3

      "Limited social interaction; emotional engagement is with story and characters rather than social relationships."

      Capsule for Papers, Please Papers, Please

      "Emotional engagement through story and character depth, but limited social interaction or relationship building."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -4

      "No leadership or group management; player acts independently in investigation."

      Capsule for Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure

      "Player leads own investigation but does not manage or direct others; no leadership mechanics."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      2

      "Progression through story and unlocking different endings; no item collection or upgrades."

      Capsule for The Inn-Sanity The Inn-Sanity

      "Progression through story and unlocking endings; limited inventory and item collection."

    • 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

      "Calm, contemplative pacing with atmospheric music and narrative focus supports relaxed engagement."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      1

      "Basic pixel art and voice acting provide moderate sensory stimulation; not focused on intense audiovisual effects."

      Capsule for Comedy Quest Comedy Quest

      "Simple pixel art and voice acting provide moderate sensory stimulation without intense audiovisual effects."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements are mostly personal."

      Capsule for Knytt Underground Knytt Underground

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; achievements exist but are personal rather than social."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative focus with multiple endings and moral choices central to gameplay."

      Capsule for Greyfox RPG Greyfox RPG

      "Strong narrative focus with multiple endings, character development, and moral dilemmas central to gameplay."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      2

      "Requires thoughtful decision-making and problem solving in dialogue choices, though puzzles are minimal."

      Capsule for Quarantine Circular Quarantine Circular

      "Requires logical thinking and puzzle solving, especially in dialogue choices and clue connections."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      1

      "Mild suspense from moral choices and atmosphere, but low risk and tension."

      Capsule for Tormentum - Dark Sorrow Tormentum - Dark Sorrow

      "Some suspense in mystery and moral choices, but overall low risk and controlled emotional tone."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Good value for price given narrative quality and unique experience despite short length."

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

      "Affordable price and short length provide reasonable value; praised for story quality relative to cost."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -4

      "Minimal violence; focus on investigation and dialogue rather than combat or destruction."

      Capsule for Lamplight City Lamplight City

      "Minimal violence; focus on dialogue and investigation rather than combat or destruction."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -4

      "No survival mechanics or threats; stable environment focused on narrative and puzzles."

      Capsule for OneShot OneShot

      "No survival mechanics or threats; stable environment focused on narrative exploration."

    Analysis

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

    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