Follow the meaning similar games & best alternatives

Follow the meaning

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2024

Should you play it?

Follow the meaning is a surreal point-and-click puzzle adventure. Join detective Paul Trilby as he works to unravel the mysteries of a peculiar town, seemingly ruled by the local Hospital. Over the wall and behind tightly shut gates, a dark secret lies in wait…

What works
  • Beautiful hand-drawn art style
  • Engaging and surreal story
  • Well-balanced and creative puzzles
  • Relaxing atmosphere and soundtrack
  • Good replay value with hidden cats and achievements
Things to keep in mind
  • Short game length
  • Puzzles sometimes too easy
  • Limited depth in story and endings
  • Lack of challenge for experienced players
  • Minimal social or multiplayer features

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Papetura

  • Candle

  • LUNA The Shadow Dust

  • Lost in Play

  • Deponia Doomsday

  • Milo and the Magpies

  • Cleo - a pirate's tale

  • Children of Silentown

  • Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Cleo - a pirate's tale

  • Foolish Mortals

  • Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Fantasy

    Cube Escape Collection

  • Autonomy

    Aggelos

  • Escapism

    Etherborn

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • 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 for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • 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 (hidden on purpose).

Follow the meaning: 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 Fantasy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression, Intimacy.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

    Game with the same Autonomy vibe

    4

    "Players freely explore the world, choose their path, and decide when and how to use abilities and items; some backtracking and puzzle solving involved."

    Capsule for Aggelos Aggelos

    "Players freely explore the environment, solve puzzles at their own pace, and choose how to interact with the game world."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    3

    "Puzzles provide moderate challenge and require problem solving, but are generally accessible and not overly difficult."

    Capsule for King's Quest King's Quest

    "Puzzles provide moderate challenge and require problem-solving, though generally accessible and not overly difficult."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -5

    "No competitive elements or comparison to others; focus is on individual puzzle solving and story exploration."

    Capsule for last seen online last seen online

    "No competitive elements or comparison to others; focus is on personal puzzle solving and story exploration."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    2

    "Players often replay the game to find all cats and achievements, but the game is short and not designed for very long habitual play."

    Capsule for A Building Full of Cats A Building Full of Cats

    "Players often replay the game to find all hidden cats and achieve 100% completion, indicating some habitual engagement."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

    Capsule for Cookie Clicker Cookie Clicker

    "Single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players engage in creative problem solving and exploration within surreal and unique puzzle designs, though within predefined game structures."

    Capsule for Cube Escape Collection Cube Escape Collection

    "Players engage in creative puzzle solving and exploration within a surreal, imaginative world."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; experience is personal and introspective."

    Capsule for GRIS GRIS

    "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; experience is personal and introspective."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "The surreal, dreamlike atmosphere and abstract story provide a strong escape from reality."

    Capsule for Etherborn Etherborn

    "The surreal, dreamlike atmosphere and story provide an immersive escape from reality."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment of puzzles and story."

    Capsule for Wanderer Wanderer

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment of puzzles and story."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    3

    "Players experiment with puzzle solutions and explore environment to uncover secrets and alternate endings."

    Capsule for INSIDE INSIDE

    "Players try different puzzle solutions and explore the environment to uncover secrets and alternate endings."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    4

    "Game encourages discovering new areas, hidden secrets, and navigating surreal environments."

    Capsule for SKIBIDI GYATROOMS SKIBIDI GYATROOMS

    "Encouraged to discover hidden cats, secrets, and new areas within the surreal game world."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    -3

    "Limited customization or self-expression; players interact with fixed art and story."

    Capsule for When The Past Was Around - Prologue When The Past Was Around - Prologue

    "Limited customization; players interact with predefined art and story elements without personal modification."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    5

    "Strong presence of surreal, dreamlike, and imaginative fiction with abstract story elements and bizarre characters."

    Capsule for Cube Escape Collection Cube Escape Collection

    "Strong surreal and imaginative fiction elements, including dreamlike settings and unusual characters."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -4

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

    Capsule for Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Sherlock Holmes Chapter One

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

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    3

    "Players develop problem-solving skills and understanding of story through puzzles and exploration."

    Capsule for Call of the Sea Call of the Sea

    "Players develop problem-solving skills and gain understanding of the story and puzzles."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -5

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click puzzle games."

    Capsule for My Brother Rabbit My Brother Rabbit

    "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click puzzle games."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and progress; not designed for passive or background play."

    Capsule for Underground Blossom Underground Blossom

    "Requires focused attention to solve puzzles and progress; not designed for passive or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -4

    "Limited social or emotional connection with others; experience is introspective and solitary."

    Capsule for Genesis Noir Genesis Noir

    "Limited social or emotional connections; experience is introspective and individual."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management elements present."

    Capsule for Trover Saves the Universe Trover Saves the Universe

    "No leadership or group management elements present."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Progression through puzzle completion, unlocking story elements, achievements, and collectibles."

    Capsule for Moncage Moncage

    "Progression through puzzle completion, story advancement, and collecting hidden cats and achievements."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    4

    "Calm atmosphere, soothing music, and balanced puzzle difficulty promote relaxation."

    Capsule for Escape From Mystwood Mansion Escape From Mystwood Mansion

    "Calm, soothing atmosphere with balanced puzzle difficulty promotes relaxation and flow."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Enjoyable hand-drawn visuals and soothing music provide pleasant sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for She Remembered Caterpillars She Remembered Caterpillars

    "Enjoyable hand-drawn visuals and atmospheric music provide pleasant sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for God of War God of War

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

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    4

    "Engaging narrative with lore, character development, and plot twists."

    Capsule for Thief: Deadly Shadows Thief: Deadly Shadows

    "Engaging narrative with twists, character monologues, and surreal storytelling."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    2

    "Puzzles require some logical thinking and planning but are generally straightforward."

    Capsule for Samorost 3 Samorost 3

    "Puzzles require some logical thinking and planning but are generally straightforward."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    1

    "Some suspense from mystery elements, but overall a calm and steady experience."

    Capsule for New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition New York Mysteries: Secrets of the Mafia Collector's Edition

    "Some suspense and mystery elements, but overall a calm and contemplative experience."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players feel the game offers good value for price, especially given quality and replayability."

    Capsule for Trash of the Titans Trash of the Titans

    "Players feel the game offers good value for its price, given its quality, art, and replayability."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    -5

    "No violence; gameplay centers on puzzle solving and exploration."

    Capsule for A Fisherman's Tale A Fisherman's Tale

    "No violence; gameplay centers on puzzle solving and exploration."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    -5

    "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable and safe game environment."

    Capsule for Superliminal Superliminal

    "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable and safe game environment."

Last update: 01/06/2026