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The Wild at Heart similar games & best alternatives

The Wild at Heart

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch • 2021

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Quick resume

Wield an ever-growing herd of quirky creatures to rebuild broken paths, battle perilous beasts, and solve peculiar puzzles in a rich, interconnected world. Join two young runaways as they unravel the mysteries of a lost realm in this nostalgic storybook fantasy!

Global score

95/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Strategy, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • Beautiful art and music
    • Engaging puzzles and exploration
    • Relaxing and cozy atmosphere
    • Meaningful story and characters
    • Accessible gameplay with difficulty options

    Cons

    • Combat is simplistic and sometimes tedious
    • Night cycle can feel artificial and restrictive
    • Some bugs and control clunkiness reported
    • Story pacing and depth could be improved
    • Limited replayability after completion

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have freedom to explore, build, craft, and choose playstyle with adjustable difficulty and custom settings."

      Capsule for Grounded Grounded

      "Players have freedom to explore, choose difficulty modes, and decide how to use Spritelings and resources."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      3

      "Combat and puzzles provide skill challenges and feedback, though combat can become repetitive and easy at times."

      Capsule for Shadows Over Loathing Shadows Over Loathing

      "Engaging puzzles and some combat challenges provide skill tests and feedback, though combat is relatively simple."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -4

      "Focus is on personal exploration and puzzle solving without competitive elements or leaderboards."

      Capsule for Supraland Supraland

      "Focus is on personal exploration and puzzle solving without competitive elements or leaderboards."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "Players report long play sessions, addiction to exploration and progression, and habitual engagement."

      Capsule for Serin Fate Serin Fate

      "Many players report long play sessions, addiction to exploration, and desire to complete achievements."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -3

      "Gameplay centers on a fixed party of characters controlled by the player, with no multiplayer or cooperative play."

      Capsule for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

      "Gameplay centers on individual control of characters and Spritelings, with no multiplayer or team play."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      3

      "Players creatively solve puzzles and experiment with mechanisms, though within predefined game structures."

      Capsule for The House of Da Vinci 3 The House of Da Vinci 3

      "Players experiment with different Spritelings and strategies to solve puzzles and explore, though within set mechanics."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "Interactions are cooperative and equal; no evidence of exerting control or superiority over others."

      Capsule for Old Market Simulator Old Market Simulator

      "Interactions are cooperative and equal; no evidence of exerting control or superiority over others."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as a relaxing, immersive escape with charming visuals and soothing music."

      Capsule for Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure

      "Players use the game as a relaxing, immersive escape with beautiful art and soothing music."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation."

      Capsule for Ragnarock Ragnarock

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment rather than obligation."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

      "Players try different puzzles and hidden object mechanics, exploring various gameplay elements."

      Capsule for Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest Collector's Edition Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest Collector's Edition

      "Players try different Spritelings and approaches to puzzles, exploring new areas and mechanics."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      5

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and backtracking with new skills."

      Capsule for Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

      "Strong emphasis on discovering new areas, secrets, and backtracking with new abilities."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Some customization in color schemes and map settings, but limited avatar or environment personalization."

      Capsule for Mini Motorways Mini Motorways

      "Some customization in choosing Spritelings and marking maps, but limited avatar or environment personalization."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Imaginative fictional world with mystical elements, magic, and lore."

      Capsule for Book of Travels Book of Travels

      "Imaginative world with magical creatures, whimsical story, and fantasy elements."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

      "Primarily a solo experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

      Capsule for Glittermitten Grove Glittermitten Grove

      "Primarily a solo experience with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      3

      "Players develop puzzle-solving skills and learn game mechanics progressively."

      Capsule for Moncage Moncage

      "Players learn puzzle solutions, character abilities, and game mechanics progressively."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for THE ENIGMA MACHINE THE ENIGMA MACHINE

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

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

      "Requires focused attention on puzzles and exploration; not designed for idle or background play."

      Capsule for Islands of Insight Islands of Insight

      "Requires focused attention on puzzles, exploration, and resource management; not idle or background play."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Limited emotional connection mainly through story and characters, but no social or close relationships formed."

      Capsule for Helen's Mysterious Castle Helen's Mysterious Castle

      "Limited emotional connection mostly through story and characters, but no close social relationships."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Players lead a party of characters, making decisions on composition and tactics, guiding the group through challenges."

      Capsule for The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC

      "Players lead and manage groups of Spritelings to solve puzzles and combat enemies."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      4

      "Players collect items, upgrades, and unlock new abilities to advance through the game."

      Capsule for Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition

      "Players collect resources, unlock new Spritelings, and gain upgrades to advance."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      4

      "Many reviews highlight relaxing music, peaceful gameplay, and stress relief."

      Capsule for TheoTown TheoTown

      "Many reviews highlight relaxing music, art, and chill gameplay despite some tension from night cycle."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Enjoyable visual and auditory aesthetics provide sensory pleasure and emotional engagement."

      Capsule for Machinarium Machinarium

      "Enjoyable visual and auditory aesthetics provide sensory pleasure and emotional engagement."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; focus is on personal experience."

      Capsule for Hello Neighbor Alpha 2 Hello Neighbor Alpha 2

      "No social recognition or competitive ranking; focus is on personal experience."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      3

      "Narrative is engaging, humorous, and philosophical but secondary to gameplay; players uncover lore through exploration."

      Capsule for Ctrl Alt Ego Ctrl Alt Ego

      "Narrative is meaningful and integrated with gameplay, though some find it light or incomplete."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Players use logic and reasoning to solve puzzles and plan actions."

      Capsule for The Curse of Monkey Island The Curse of Monkey Island

      "Players use logic and planning to solve puzzles and manage Spritelings effectively."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      1

      "Some tension in timed boss fight, but overall gameplay is calm and low-risk."

      Capsule for A Castle Full of Cats A Castle Full of Cats

      "Some tension from night cycle and boss fights, but overall gameplay is calm and low risk."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      4

      "Players feel the game offers good content and enjoyment for the price."

      Capsule for Spirittea Spirittea

      "Players feel the game offers good content, length, and enjoyment for the price."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Combat exists but is limited and less emphasized; focus is more on puzzle solving and exploration."

      Capsule for In Verbis Virtus In Verbis Virtus

      "Combat exists but is light and non-gory; focus is more on puzzle-solving and exploration."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      2

      "Some resource management and combat survival elements, but generally low risk and forgiving"

      Capsule for Rune Factory 4 Special Rune Factory 4 Special

      "Nighttime threats and resource management add survival elements, but consequences are forgiving."

    Analysis

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

    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

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026