Rakuen similar games & best alternatives

Rakuen

Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Nintendo Switch • 2017

Should you play it?

A hospitalized Boy comes to terms with his own story by traveling with his Mom to a beautiful fantasy world; ultimately helping his fellow patients find closure by walking a mile in their shoes.

What works

  • Emotional and touching story
  • Beautiful soundtrack
  • Charming pixel art
  • Accessible puzzles
  • Meaningful character development

Things to keep in mind

  • Slow movement speed
  • Limited gameplay complexity
  • Lack of display and control options
  • Some pacing issues
  • Missable achievements requiring replay

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Newfound Courage

  • The Little UNI

  • Mr. Saitou

  • A Story Beside

  • FixFox

  • A Space For The Unbound - Prologue

Less fellowship-oriented

Games that feels like Rakuen but with less of a community feel

  • My Big Sister

  • 永冻之壳 The Shell of Permafrost

  • A Guidebook of Babel

  • Alicemare

  • Space Pilgrim Episode III: Delta Pavonis

  • TRATRITLE

More survival-focused

Games that feels like Rakuen but with a stronger survival pressure

  • The Count Lucanor

  • Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition

  • The Crooked Man

  • Paper Lily - Chapter 1

  • The Forest of Drizzling Rain

  • Meg's Monster

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Rakuen: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Competition, Thrill. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Fellowship, Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression.

Last update: 04/08/2026