Gloom similar games & best alternatives

Gloom

PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Mac • 2017

Should you play it?

Afflicted by severe amnesia, you drift deep into the Common Dream. You scour for the lost pages of the Necronomicon, while clinging on to any little purpose you have left. Faced with mad dreamers, horrible abominations and eldritch deities, you feel drawn to the dark Abyss deep within.

What works
  • Challenging and rewarding combat
  • Atmospheric art style and music
  • Intriguing lore and story via item descriptions
  • Addictive roguelike replayability
  • Good value for price
Things to keep in mind
  • Limited content and short game length
  • Linear level design with little exploration
  • Clunky or slow controls reported by some
  • Lack of multiplayer or social features
  • Some rng frustration and repetitive runs

What to play next

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

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Omensight: Definitive Edition

  • Crossing Souls

  • Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion: HD Renovation

  • STAR WARS™: Bounty Hunter™

  • Lethe - Episode One

  • 3030 Deathwar Redux - A Space Odyssey

  • Overture

  • bit Dungeon II

  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Lethe - Episode One

  • Endoparasitic 2

  • Wick
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Competence

    Cyber Shadow
  • Fantasy

    Sunken Engine
  • Autonomy

    Steredenn: Binary Stars

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).

Gloom: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Exploration, Expression, Leadership.

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 have control over weapon choices, upgrades, and play style despite randomized levels and weapons, allowing personal decision-making and adaptation."

    Capsule for Steredenn: Binary Stars Steredenn: Binary Stars

    "Players have control over their combat style, weapon choice, and item pickups in each run, allowing personal decision-making despite the linear level design."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

    5

    "The game is challenging and requires skill mastery, precise timing, and learning enemy patterns to progress."

    Capsule for Cyber Shadow Cyber Shadow

    "The game is challenging and requires mastering enemy patterns, stamina management, and precise timing, providing strong skill-based feedback."

  • Competition

    Game with the same Competition vibe

    -3

    "Focus is on individual progression and personal improvement rather than direct competition; no mention of ranked modes or leaderboards."

    Capsule for Trinity Fusion Trinity Fusion

    "Focus is on individual progression and learning rather than direct competition; no mention of ranked modes or leaderboards."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

    4

    "Players report addictive 'just one more run' feeling with high replayability and short game sessions encouraging habitual play."

    Capsule for Slipways Slipways

    "Players report addictive 'one more run' motivation and habitual replay despite permadeath and short runs."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

    -5

    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

    Capsule for The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut

    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players experiment with many weapon combinations, classes, and builds, though within a defined structure of classes and perks."

    Capsule for Roboquest Roboquest

    "Players experiment with different weapons, item combinations, and builds each run, though within predefined structures."

  • Domination

    Game with the same Domination vibe

    -5

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solo and self-focused."

    Capsule for Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale

    "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is solo and self-focused."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

    4

    "The dark, mysterious story and immersive atmosphere provide strong escapism from real life."

    Capsule for Yesterday Origins Yesterday Origins

    "The dark, atmospheric world and lore provide immersive escapism from real life."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and intrinsic motivation, enjoying the challenge and theme."

    Capsule for Slaughter Horse 2 Slaughter Horse 2

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation, enjoying the challenge and lore."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

    4

    "Variety of weapons, characters, relics, and tactical combat encourage experimentation"

    Capsule for Relic Hunters Zero: Remix Relic Hunters Zero: Remix

    "High degree of experimentation with weapons, items, and strategies encouraged by roguelike randomness."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    -2

    "Mostly linear levels with limited environmental exploration; focus is on combat encounters rather than discovery."

    Capsule for Slave Zero X Slave Zero X

    "Levels are linear and repeated, with limited environmental exploration; focus is on enemy encounters and item discovery."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

    -3

    "Minimal character customization; art style is fixed and simple."

    Capsule for Slash/Jump Slash/Jump

    "Minimal character customization or visual expression; art style is fixed and simple."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    5

    "Strong Lovecraftian and supernatural themes create an imaginative and fictional experience."

    Capsule for Sunken Engine Sunken Engine

    "Strong Lovecraftian and dark fantasy themes create an imaginative fictional experience."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -5

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

    Capsule for Katana ZERO Katana ZERO

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

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

    4

    "Players develop skills and knowledge over many runs, learning enemy patterns and item effects."

    Capsule for Ring of Pain Ring of Pain

    "Players improve skills and knowledge of enemy patterns and item effects through repeated runs."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; some frustration may cause stress but no physical engagement."

    Capsule for Crossing Souls Crossing Souls

    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; challenging difficulty may cause stress but no physical engagement."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -4

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement during runs; not suited for idle or background play."

    Capsule for Patch Quest Patch Quest

    "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement during runs; not suited for idle or background play."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

    -5

    "No social or emotional relationship-building features."

    Capsule for Black Myth: Wukong Black Myth: Wukong

    "No social or emotional relationship-building features."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

    -5

    "No leadership or group management roles; solo gameplay only."

    Capsule for Star of Providence Star of Providence

    "No leadership or group management roles; solo gameplay only."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    3

    "Progression occurs within runs via item acquisition and leveling, but no meta-progression between runs."

    Capsule for Jupiter Hell Jupiter Hell

    "Progression occurs within runs via item pickups and upgrades; no persistent progression between runs except tokens."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

    -1

    "While the game is rewarding, it induces tension and frustration due to difficulty; some players find it stressful."

    Capsule for Cuphead Cuphead

    "While some find the game rewarding, the high difficulty and tension reduce relaxation and flow states."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Enjoyable visuals, atmospheric music, and satisfying combat feedback provide sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for The Mobius Machine The Mobius Machine

    "Atmospheric visuals and music provide sensory stimulation; combat feedback is satisfying though not flashy."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -4

    "Achievements exist but social recognition or popularity is minimal; focus is on individual gameplay."

    Capsule for Vietnam ‘65 Vietnam ‘65

    "Achievements exist but social recognition or popularity is minimal; game is underappreciated and niche."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    4

    "Narrative elements and lore are integrated into gameplay and exploration, providing immersion."

    Capsule for NEO Scavenger NEO Scavenger

    "Lore and narrative are conveyed through item descriptions and optional reading, creating narrative immersion."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Resource management, combat tactics, and skill choices require strategic thinking."

    Capsule for Soulash Soulash

    "Combat and item choices require strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and resource management."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

    3

    "Permadeath and random dangers create suspense and tension during runs."

    Capsule for Dungeons of Dredmor Dungeons of Dredmor

    "High difficulty and risk of permadeath create suspense and tension during runs."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Players feel the game offers good value for price, especially on sale, due to story and gameplay."

    Capsule for Advent Rising Advent Rising

    "Players feel the game offers good value for its price, especially on sale, with satisfying gameplay and lore."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

    4

    "Combat involves melee and ranged attacks, defeating enemies and bosses."

    Capsule for Verho - Curse of Faces Verho - Curse of Faces

    "Combat involves melee and ranged attacks, defeating enemies and bosses with violent actions."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

    4

    "Players must avoid damage and manage health carefully to survive runs."

    Capsule for Revita Revita

    "Players must avoid death and manage stamina and health carefully to survive through runs."

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Last update: 01/06/2026