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To Be or Not To Be

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2015

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Quick resume

Guide Hamlet, Ophelia and Hamlet Sr. to hundreds of hilarious deaths in Ryan North's chooseable-path edition of Shakespeare's Hamlet!

Global score

90/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie

Similar games

    Pros

    • Clever and humorous writing
    • High replayability with many endings
    • Strong narrative immersion
    • Engaging parody of hamlet
    • Well-executed choose-your-own-adventure format

    Cons

    • Limited gameplay mechanics
    • Some repetition in text
    • Checkpoint system can be inconvenient
    • Narration synchronization issues
    • Price may be high for some players

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      5

      "Players make frequent choices that direct the story and outcomes, embodying high personal control and freedom."

      Capsule for The Henry Stickmin Collection The Henry Stickmin Collection

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    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      1

      "Engagement is primarily through reading and decision-making with some challenge in choosing correct options for good endings."

      Capsule for Cinderella Phenomenon - Otome/Visual Novel Cinderella Phenomenon - Otome/Visual Novel

      "Engagement is primarily through reading and decision-making with minimal skill challenge, but exploring many endings offers some cognitive engagement."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of competitive elements; focus is on personal exploration and narrative experience without comparison to others."

      Capsule for Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1

      "No evidence of competitive elements; focus is on personal narrative exploration without comparison to others."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      4

      "High replayability with multiple endings, secrets, and branching paths encourages habitual and repeated play sessions."

      Capsule for Look Outside Look Outside

      "High replayability with many endings and branching paths encourages habitual and extended play sessions."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single-player experience focused on individual choices; no multiplayer or cooperative gameplay."

      Capsule for A Game About A Game About

      "Single-player experience focused on individual choices; no cooperative gameplay or social collaboration."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      4

      "Highly creative with unique, varying art styles and surreal humor; players explore different story branches."

      Capsule for Air Marty Air Marty

      "Players creatively shape the story through choices, exploring alternative narratives and humorous reinterpretations."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and personal."

      Capsule for Doodle Date Doodle Date

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative and personal."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      3

      "Humorous and absurd setting provides a fun escape from reality."

      Capsule for Rock of Ages Rock of Ages

      "Provides humorous and imaginative escape from reality through parody and absurd scenarios based on Hamlet."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest in story, humor, and characters; no obligation or pressure"

      Capsule for One Thousand Lies One Thousand Lies

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest in humor, Shakespeare, or choose-your-own-adventure style; no obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      5

      "The game encourages trying different choices and exploring many story branches."

      Capsule for Choice of Robots Choice of Robots

      "Strong emphasis on exploring different story branches, testing choices, and discovering diverse outcomes."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      4

      "Players explore multiple story branches and uncover hidden endings and narrative secrets."

      Capsule for BAD END THEATER BAD END THEATER

      "Players discover numerous story paths and endings, uncovering secrets and alternative narratives."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      2

      "Limited character customization, but players express themselves through dialogue choices and narrative decisions."

      Capsule for NORCO NORCO

      "Limited character customization, but players express themselves through narrative choices and role selection."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Engages players in a surreal, eerie narrative with imaginative fiction and mysterious themes."

      Capsule for The Past Within The Past Within

      "Engages players in imaginative fiction with ghosts, time travel, and absurd reinterpretations of Shakespeare's Hamlet."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Resident Evil 7 Biohazard

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

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      2

      "Players learn about characters and story through multiple playthroughs, gaining deeper understanding and insight."

      Capsule for Oxenfree Oxenfree

      "Players learn about Hamlet's story and literary humor, gaining knowledge and insight through multiple playthroughs."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary text-based gameplay with no physical activity involved."

      Capsule for Front Office Football Eight Front Office Football Eight

      "Sedentary text-based gameplay with no physical activity involved."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -3

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

      Capsule for Our Life: Beginnings & Always Our Life: Beginnings & Always

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

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional social interactions."

      Capsule for GRIME II GRIME II

      "No evidence of forming close relationships or emotional social interactions."

    • Leadership
      Insufficient data

      No nearest game available

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Players unlock multiple endings, achievements, and in-game content, reflecting progression."

      Capsule for ERROR143 ERROR143

      "Players unlock multiple endings, achievements, and artwork, reflecting accumulation and advancement."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Humorous and lighthearted tone provides a relaxing and enjoyable experience."

      Capsule for Four Last Things Four Last Things

      "Humorous and lighthearted tone provides a relaxing and enjoyable reading experience."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      1

      "Visual and auditory elements provide moderate sensory stimulation appropriate for a visual novel."

      Capsule for BAD END BAD END

      "Some sensory stimulation from music and artwork, but overall moderate sensory input typical of visual novels."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

      Capsule for Bad North: Jotunn Edition Bad North: Jotunn Edition

      "No social recognition or status systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with branching storylines, character backgrounds, and impactful choices."

      Capsule for March of the Living March of the Living

      "Strong narrative immersion with branching storylines, character perspectives, and meta-commentary."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      1

      "Minimal strategic challenge; choices affect story but require little complex planning."

      Capsule for Hatoful Boyfriend Hatoful Boyfriend

      "Limited strategic challenge; choices affect narrative but do not require complex planning or problem solving."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      0

      "Low stakes combat and comedic tone provide mild excitement but no strong suspense or risk."

      Capsule for MAHOUTEQ! MAHOUTEQ!

      "Humor and parody provide light excitement but no sustained suspense or risk."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Players perceive good value in terms of playtime, humor, and nostalgia, especially on sale."

      Capsule for Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Dry Twice

      "Players perceive good value from humor, replayability, and literary content, especially at sale prices."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Violence is depicted in story but not enjoyed as gameplay; focus is on narrative."

      Capsule for Half-Life: A Place in the West Half-Life: A Place in the West

      "Violence is present in narrative but portrayed humorously and not emphasized as gameplay focus."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -4

      "No survival mechanics or threat avoidance; stable environment with no resource management."

      Capsule for CONCLUSE CONCLUSE

      "No survival mechanics or threat avoidance; story-driven without resource or life management."

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Expression, Continuation, Experimenting.

    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