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Astalon: Tears of the Earth similar games & best alternatives

Astalon: Tears of the Earth

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2021

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Quick resume

Uphold your pact with the Titan of Death, Epimetheus! Fight, climb and solve your way through a twisted tower as three unique adventurers, on a mission to save their village from impending doom!

Global score

90/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Platform, Indie, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • Engaging exploration and map design
    • Multiple characters with unique abilities
    • Challenging but fair combat
    • Retro pixel art and music
    • Extensive content and replayability

    Cons

    • Tedious backtracking especially early on
    • Limited healing mechanics
    • Lack of map markers and some ui issues
    • Some bosses are too easy
    • Upgrade descriptions lacking

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Cooperation, Leadership, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Exploration, Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression.

    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.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      4

      "Players have significant control over exploration, character switching (especially after unlocking on-the-fly switching), and upgrade choices."

    • Competence
      3

      "Game offers skill-based combat and platforming challenges with meaningful feedback and progression through upgrades."

    • Competition
      -4

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

    • Continuation
      4

      "Players report long playtimes, 100% completion, and multiple game modes encouraging habitual and extended play."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative gameplay."

    • Creativity
      3

      "Players discover and use various abilities and upgrades; some customization in character builds and exploration paths."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; purely individual experience."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Players use the game as immersive exploration and distraction with a dark fantasy setting."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and enjoyment; no obligation or external pressure noted."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players explore new areas, try different characters and abilities, and discover secrets."

    • Exploration
      5

      "Game strongly emphasizes discovering new areas, secrets, and unlocking shortcuts in a large map."

    • Expression
      -2

      "Limited character customization; mostly fixed pixel art style and preset aesthetics."

    • Fantasy
      5

      "Strong fantasy theme with mythical creatures, magic, and imaginative fiction."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "No social or community features; solo play only."

    • Growth
      4

      "Players learn game mechanics, improve skills, and develop characters through upgrades."

    • Health
      -5

      "Game is sedentary with no physical activity; some players note frustration with limited healing mechanics."

    • Idle
      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; backtracking and combat demand active play."

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "No evidence of close social relationships or emotional sharing."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; single-player experience."

    • Progression
      5

      "Strong emphasis on accumulating upgrades, unlocking abilities, and completing map and item collections."

    • Relaxation
      2

      "Some players find the game chill and enjoyable, but difficulty and backtracking can cause frustration."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Enjoyable pixel art, music, and atmospheric effects provide sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems present."

    • Story
      3

      "Narrative is present and engaging enough to motivate exploration, though not deeply complex."

    • Strategy
      3

      "Requires planning routes, character switching, and tactical combat decisions."

    • Thrill
      2

      "Some suspense from limited healing and death penalties, but overall manageable difficulty."

    • Value
      4

      "Players report good value for time and money with extensive content and replayability."

    • Violence
      3

      "Combat involves defeating enemies and bosses, with some destruction of objects like candles."

    • Survival
      3

      "Players must manage limited health and avoid death to progress, with strategic resource use."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026