Games Like Essays on Empathy

The Red Strings Club is a cyberpunk narrative experience about fate and happiness featuring the extensive use of pottery, bartending and impersonating people on the phone to take down a corporate conspiracy.

Why similar: Cyberpunk 38.2%, Pixel Graphics 14.9%, Point & Click 14%, Dystopian 9.1%, Visual Novel 8.7%

2064: Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk point-and-click adventure set in Neo-San Francisco. Team up with Turing, the world's first sapient machine, to unravel a conspiracy that threatens to shake an entire society

Why similar: Cyberpunk 17.8%, Interactive Fiction 17.4%, Point & Click 14%, Visual Novel 12.3%, Emotional 8.2%

A short exploration game about poking around a convenience store and finding a gift with the help of its owner. But sometimes the perfect gift finds you.

Why similar: Adventure 86.3%, Casual 9%, Atmospheric 4.7%

I have some memories of saying goodbye that I don't want to forget, so I turned them into 11 minigames and backed them up in this collection.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 38.3%, Emotional 17.8%, Atmospheric 13.1%, Point & Click 10.7%, Adventure 10%

A collection of surreal tales, each connected to a stored-away object from childhood. Pick one to follow the moon, feed a hungry lizard or build a peculiar cabinet.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 21.1%, Point & Click 20.1%, Stylized 13.1%, Emotional 12.2%, Puzzle 9%

A visual novel about emotional survival in an automated world. Play as Lina, the last human cab driver. It’s your first night driving the lonely streets of Los Ojos, and your best friend has just disappeared. Stay on the road. Stay on the search. Stay human.

Why similar: Cyberpunk 18.9%, Interactive Fiction 18.7%, Point & Click 15.1%, Visual Novel 13.9%, Emotional 8.9%

Emily is Away Too is a brand new story featuring new characters and multiple different endings. Message your friends, surf the web and choose your path through this branching narrative.

Why similar: Visual Novel 31.4%, Pixel Graphics 23.9%, RPG 19.5%, Casual 14.3%, Adventure 7.1%

When the truth is buried, go underground. Step into this new take on text-based adventure from the award-winning team behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume. A short story that hands you the fate of the world above, as a detective looking for answers on the Subsurface Circular.

Why similar: Visual Novel 27.8%, Cyberpunk 23.5%, Point & Click 22.8%, Futuristic 13.5%, Adventure 6.3%

Coffee Talk is a coffee brewing and heart-to-heart talking simulator about listening to fantasy-inspired modern peoples’ problems, and helping them by serving up a warm drink or two.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.7%, Visual Novel 25%, Emotional 15.1%, Pixel Graphics 14.8%, Atmospheric 10.3%

It's not what you say, it's how you say it. We should talk is a short-form narrative game that will make you think carefully about the words you choose. Can your relationship survive the night?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 34.9%, Visual Novel 26.5%, Emotional 19.8%, Atmospheric 10%, Casual 8.7%

Is this a nascent ego—or just a nasty bug? Crash headfirst into cuddles, comfort, and maybe even love in this short visual novel about robots and the human heart.

Why similar: Artificial Intelligence 28.4%, Visual Novel 15%, Cyberpunk 14.9%, Emotional 10.8%, Comedy 10.5%

"May all stories find their best endings." "Depersonalization" is an anthology-style game featuring standalone chapters and diverse story genres. We continuously collect and create a wide variety of stories, ultimately housing them in a library that transcends the flow of time.

Why similar: RPG 33.8%, Pixel Graphics 32.9%, Puzzle 19.3%, Casual 10.8%, Adventure 3.1%

Tender is a narrative game that explores connection and rejection in the era of swipe culture. It’s a story told by and through the modern interface for finding love.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 33.2%, Visual Novel 22.2%, RPG 15.8%, Futuristic 12.2%, Casual 9.3%

‘We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe’ is a socially engaged, text-based RPG about a journalist looking for his big break by uncovering the plights of refugees travelling from Africa to Europe. It is a story inspired by true events.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 35.7%, Emotional 20.8%, Drama 17.4%, RPG 11.4%, 2D 7.8%

Inspired by JCS videos and similar Interrogation analysis. Match evidence with statements. Play good cop/bad cop. Make choices. Learn what makes people tick. Unravel the mystery.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 27.3%, Point & Click 21.6%, Visual Novel 18.5%, Puzzle 11.7%, RPG 10.8%

Emily <3 is a brand new story set on an old-new social media. Customize your facenook profile, send some friend requests and determine the outcome of your senior year.

Why similar: Typing 34.2% ★, Visual Novel 19.5%, Emotional 18.5%, RPG 10.7%, Casual 7.3%

No Longer Home is a game about letting go of the life you've built due to circumstances beyond your control. Immerse yourself in the lives of Bo and Ao and learn about their dreams, frustrations and fears. Welcome the magic of the everyday and somewhat extraordinary.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.8%, Point & Click 18.5%, Emotional 12.8%, Visual Novel 12.6%, Drama 10.4%

This is a cyberpunk-themed pixelated psychological horror, romance, and adventure game. Amidst a chance encounter in the rain and a forced gathering, an unexpected journey unfolds—a humorous romance and adventure story between you, a robot, and your furry companions.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 24.1%, Visual Novel 15.2%, RPG 12.2%, Drama 10.5%, Pixel Graphics 8.1%

Be the tax collector of a shady city hall in this narrative-driven resource management game. Talk to debtors, manage a team, make difficult choices, and challenge the city's moral decay. It's their money, but it's your job.

Why similar: Point & Click 47.4%, Puzzle 25.1%, Casual 14.1%, Adventure 13.4%

A short and surreal meta-narrative experience. Explore the gallery and find a way to push The Button...

Why similar: Comedy 33.8%, Adventure 24.2%, Puzzle 23.9%, Atmospheric 18.1%

MINDS BENEATH US is an emotional sci-fi narrative game. Through the eyes of a humble individual, experience a mad world where humans are exploited as computing devices for AI. Listen to the concerns of those you meet and offer guidance. Together, face challenges and confront an uncertain destiny.

Why similar: Cyberpunk 20.1%, Dystopian 20%, Point & Click 14.4%, Visual Novel 14.3%, RPG 8.9%

Presented by the team behind critically acclaimed "Moncage", this is a transformative adventure exploring the art of waiting. Clear the game by doing nothing, but discover the power of acceptance and patience in numerous situations from birth to death. Learn to embrace life as you wait.

Why similar: Comedy 24.9%, Drama 19.8%, Visual Novel 19.5%, Puzzle 18.2%, Adventure 9.9%

Short Stories Collection of Class Tangerine is a collection of five Visual Novels by indie-game team "Class Tangerine".

Why similar: Visual Novel 50.2%, Casual 26.3%, Adventure 23.4%

A visual novel about what it means to be human. A story about loneliness, self-identification, and the meaning of existence.

Why similar: Artificial Intelligence 28%, Interactive Fiction 17.2%, Visual Novel 15.4%, Cyberpunk 14.1%, Emotional 13.5%

A comedic RPG about the cynical and hilarious realities of social interaction, personal growth, and confronting your inner demons.

Why similar: RPG 36.9%, Comedy 21.6%, Adventure 17.5%, Pixel Graphics 15.9%, 2D 8.2%

This is a modern adventure of young adults seeking love and meaning. Return to 2011's Castor Yard, tap on your keyboard, and make those letters dance: Use your online persona to make meaningful decisions for your clients and yourself.

Why similar: Typing 44.3% ★, Visual Novel 14.9%, Interactive Fiction 14.4%, Drama 10.3%, Pixel Graphics 6.9%

The story is set in future Tokyo, where human’s endless desires have consumed finite resources. In this world that is gradually approaching its end, the streamer girls continue to sing, while embracing dreams and despair in their hearts...

Why similar: Cyberpunk 19%, Dystopian 18.2%, Visual Novel 16.6%, Emotional 12.7%, Drama 10.4%

Classic Zork meets Existential Crisis. A modern text adventure that explores themes of control, isolation and mental health while levelling up the genre with beautiful pixel art.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 31.2%, Artificial Intelligence 27.7%, Puzzle 11%, Atmospheric 10.2%, Pixel Graphics 9.9%

A short point & click narrative adventure inspired by the real life experience of a struggling solo indie game developer. A story about everything and hence nothing at all. Discover what truly matters to you.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 20.6%, Abstract 19.6%, Point & Click 18%, Visual Novel 11.6%, Stylized 9.6%

The Trolley Solution is a compilation of point-and-click minigames based on the famous thought experiment originally proposed by Philippa Foot.

Why similar: Point & Click 53.1%, Comedy 35.5%, Casual 8.3%, Adventure 3.2%

In Drafting Tales you are new writer working from your apartment. Your goal is to become a well-known and successful author!

Why similar: Casual 48.7%, Comedy 36.5%, 2D 14.8%

This surprising first-person story tells the tale of a heist gone wrong. Encounter high-flying schemers, lovelorn criminals, and more stray kittens than you can shake a stick at.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 48.8%, Comedy 24.5%, Atmospheric 13.3%, Adventure 9.2%, Casual 4.2%

Trolley Problem, Inc. is a darkly comedic narrative game based on real-world philosophical papers, in which you are asked to make a series of impossible choices from two awful answers. Wrestle with your moral compass, decide the fate of millions – and compare your choices with the rest of the world.

Why similar: Artificial Intelligence 59.7%, Comedy 28.1%, Casual 12.2%

Six stories about the most important things. And elves, gnomes, robots, aliens, adventure, and love.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 27.6%, Cyberpunk 21.8%, Visual Novel 20.3%, Comedy 10.6%, Pixel Graphics 8%

A Pizza Delivery is a narrative exploration game with puzzle elements focused on connecting with people. Share pizza with charming characters to uncover their stories—and your own. Drive and explore a strange, meditative world filled with secrets.

Why similar: Emotional 24%, Drama 20.8%, Stylized 17.5%, Puzzle 16.3%, Adventure 10.9%

Justice.exe is a dialogue-heavy dystopian legal drama in which you defend sentient AI in court. Discover key story elements in dialogue, build your case by studying arguments, and engage the opposing counsel in wits, charisma and skullduggery. Small choices might alter the fate of your clients.

Why similar: Dystopian 19.9%, Interactive Fiction 18.4%, Cyberpunk 16.7%, Point & Click 16.3%, Puzzle 7.8%

Rumu is an intimate, narrative-driven adventure that follows the path into sentience of a robot vacuum cleaner.

Why similar: Artificial Intelligence 29.6%, Point & Click 20.5%, Emotional 15.9%, Drama 10.7%, Puzzle 7.9%

The Test: Reality Check is one of multiple installments in an ongoing social experiment that can be classified as an atmospheric, psychological-simulation with horror elements. Dive deep into your own psyche to find answers to questions you've kept locked away, hidden from yourself for far too long.

Why similar: Visual Novel 44.8%, RPG 29.4%, 2D 13.8%, Casual 12%

Are you looking for a new job that will give meaning to your life? The Innovality family is ready to welcome you! Between smart innovation and spontaneous conference calls, grow into a valued team member in a cutting-edge startup!

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 54%, Comedy 34.8%, Point & Click 6.6%, Adventure 4.7%

It’s 2065, and you are an interrogator-model android tasked with rooting out deviants among your own kind. You must probe for lies, monitor and exploit emotional spikes, earn the trust of your subjects, and make the final call: release, or destroy?

Why similar: Cyberpunk 24.7%, Dystopian 18.1%, Point & Click 12.8%, Emotional 12.3%, Visual Novel 11.4%

"What if you're born into this world without your permission?" DIVINATION is a very short visual novel where you act as a fortune teller in a futuristic world. Talk and listen to people's stories, then foresee their future using the runes they had drawn.

Why similar: Cyberpunk 28.9%, Point & Click 23.7%, Dystopian 22.4%, Visual Novel 21%, 2D 4%

A narrative adventure about the momentum and whiplash of young adulthood. Explore the big city through 18-year-old Mara's eyes. Collect items, nurture ideas, and experience complex relationships while attempting to find your place in the world.

Why similar: Point & Click 21.7%, Interactive Fiction 20.6%, Visual Novel 15.1%, Emotional 14.6%, Comedy 13.2%

Wanderlust: Travel Stories is a bridge between literature and gaming. Step into the shoes of modern travelers—explore their desires, hopes and fears, and shape how their stories unfold. Make this journey your own.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 33.1%, Point & Click 26.5%, Visual Novel 23.7%, Adventure 9.6%, Casual 7.1%

Discover a digital realm shrouded in mystery. Sequel to an award-winning narrative driven hacking simulator puzzle game. Play as an AI assistant in a major corporation. Deploy intricate social engineering tactics and expose hidden truths in a world of ambition and high-tech deception.

Why similar: Dystopian 34.7%, Point & Click 26.4%, Drama 14.9%, RPG 11.7%, 2D 5%

Play a series of tiny games based on well-known classics, each with a unique twist and connected to each other. Race cars, hit golf balls, uncover mines, and more in this experimental action/puzzle game.

Why similar: Puzzle 34.3%, Stylized 21.2%, Pixel Graphics 18.4%, 2D 16.6%, Casual 9.5%

Guilt Free is a visual novel crossed with a point and click made to offer perspective on mental health and eating disorders. Navigate a couple's rocky relationship and encounter "flaws" or "quirks" that may actually be symptomatic behaviors.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 26.1%, Visual Novel 19.4%, Point & Click 17%, Drama 15.5%, Emotional 14.7%

Anxiety Puppy is a 2D interactive narrative game that focuses on anxiety. In the game, anxiety is personified as a little puppy. Players will explore its story and try to coexist with it. Go find its traces and give it a hug.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.3%, Drama 17.6%, Visual Novel 16.4%, Emotional 13.1%, Point & Click 10.7%

A thoughtful and deeply personal title with stripped-down mechanics. The lack of dialogue or text allows you to create your own narrative through your time with four characters. Each short story will allow players to be swept away by the haunting lyrics of over twenty original, nostalgic songs.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 26.6%, Point & Click 22.3%, Drama 17%, Emotional 13.3%, Pixel Graphics 8.9%

Welcome to a world of intrigue and suspicion. Where humans and robots contend with escalating tensions and mutual distrust. And where gangster felines scheme their way to the top of the food chain. Welcome to the Tales of the Neon Sea!

Why similar: Cyberpunk 22.7%, Dystopian 19.6%, Point & Click 19.5%, Emotional 11.2%, Pixel Graphics 9.6%

An emo-inspired narrative rhythm game exploring growing pains, addiction, romance and music. Scream with Ash as he makes the transition from baby bat to elder emo, guide him through his crash outs and help him navigate his (teenage) dirtbag life through music.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 37.1%, Visual Novel 27.3%, Emotional 16.4%, Stylized 14.4%, 2D 4.7%

An interactive novel about identity, roleplay, and dreams.

Why similar: Typing 28.6% ★, Interactive Fiction 15.2%, Abstract 15%, Visual Novel 11.1%, Cyberpunk 10.5%

A tribute to a friend who has passed — and to the adventures we still need to live. A story-driven adventure about a young polyglot traversing mystical islands and using the power of words to confront his own fate and save a world tamed by darkness.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 22.7%, Point & Click 17.4%, Emotional 17.4%, Pixel Graphics 11.7%, RPG 10.7%

A short meta story about the struggles of procrastination, and never finishing the things you start. Help motivate me, and give me the confidence I need to finish something.

Why similar: Visual Novel 31.9%, Emotional 19.4%, Casual 16.1%, Pixel Graphics 15.9%, Atmospheric 8.6%

A strange journey throughout an elaborate labyrinth awaits, featuring hundreds of characters and happenings as you try to gather items that once brought happiness to others.

Why similar: Abstract 50.5%, Visual Novel 29.6%, Adventure 10.5%, Atmospheric 9.4%

An experimental, minimalistic microgame about loneliness. Originally released as a Flash game in 2010 that was featured by Extra Credits.

Why similar: Abstract 29.4%, Point & Click 18.2%, Emotional 14.8%, Stylized 11.9%, Pixel Graphics 7.4%

In 120 Yen series, each season has a unique heroine. By using the four seasons of Japan to tell the story of two people meeting and getting along through the keyword "120 yen".

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 28.3%, Visual Novel 20.3%, Emotional 15.8%, RPG 12.8%, Drama 8.1%

Emporium is a short interactive vignette. Exploring notions of escapism, loss and a fragmented sense of self in the wake of a personal tragedy.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 46.4%, Casual 22.1%, Adventure 19.2%, Atmospheric 12.2%

You're the bouncer of the Green Door club, where every decision matters. Reject the unworthy of partying with clever retorts, explore a neon-lit city, and immerse yourself in the Berlin-like city's underground techno scene. The beat is pumping—are you in?

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 29.3%, Cyberpunk 26.1%, Futuristic 16.8%, Pixel Graphics 11.7%, Atmospheric 9.2%

This video game realized how boring it had been and now is trying its best to fix that.

Why similar: Interactive Fiction 34%, Emotional 23.2%, Drama 16.9%, Pixel Graphics 12.6%, 2D 7.7%

VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a booze em' up about waifus, technology, and post-dystopia life.

Why similar: Cyberpunk 25.6%, Dystopian 20.5%, Visual Novel 17%, Point & Click 15.6%, Pixel Graphics 9.6%