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Life Tastes Like Cardboard similar games & best alternatives

Life Tastes Like Cardboard

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2019

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Quick resume

A game about boredom and self-pity. It's about myself mostly. You walk around and press the 'interact' button. Sorry for making this.

Global score

95/100

Genres

Indie, Role-playing (RPG)

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deeply personal and emotional storytelling
    • Unique and creative art and sound design
    • Free to play
    • Relatable depiction of mental health struggles
    • Immersive and introspective experience

    Cons

    • Slow walking pace and some tedious navigation
    • Minimal gameplay challenge
    • Some confusing puzzles
    • Not suitable for players sensitive to heavy themes
    • Lack of replay incentives beyond exploration

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Intimacy, Survival, Violence, Competition. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression, Strategy, Competence.

    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
      3

      "Players explore the world at their own pace, choosing where to go and what to interact with, though gameplay is simple and walking-focused."

    • Competence
      -2

      "Gameplay involves walking and exploration with some puzzles, but overall low technical challenge and some players found puzzles confusing or tedious."

    • Competition
      -5

      "No evidence of competitive elements; focus is on personal experience and introspection."

    • Continuation
      2

      "Some players spent multiple hours and returned to find secrets, indicating moderate attachment and desire to continue playing."

    • Cooperation
      -5

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

    • Creativity
      4

      "Highly creative presentation with unique art styles, surreal imagery, and experimental sound design."

    • Domination
      -5

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

    • Escapism
      4

      "Strongly focused on emotional immersion and escaping into a surreal, introspective world to explore mental health themes."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and emotional connection, not obligation."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players explore different areas, uncover secrets, and experience varied art and sound styles, encouraging experimentation."

    • Exploration
      4

      "Exploration of new, surreal environments and discovery of hidden content is a core part of the experience."

    • Expression
      -3

      "No character customization or player-driven visual expression; presentation is fixed by the developer's artistic vision."

    • Fantasy
      3

      "Surreal and dreamlike imagery combined with real-life mental health themes creates a blend of imaginative fiction and reality."

    • Fellowship
      -4

      "Experience is solitary and introspective with minimal social interaction."

    • Growth
      2

      "Players gain insight into mental health and emotional states, though gameplay skill growth is minimal."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity elements."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention to explore and engage with narrative; not designed for background play."

    • Intimacy
      3

      "Emotional intimacy through personal and vulnerable storytelling, though no social relationship building."

    • Leadership
      -5

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

    • Progression
      1

      "Some collection of mementos and story progression, but no power accumulation or upgrades."

    • Relaxation
      0

      "Mixed emotional tone with moments of calm and moments of tension; neither strongly relaxing nor stressful overall."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Unique and varied audio-visual presentation provides strong sensory stimulation and emotional impact."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social status or recognition mechanics; experience is private and personal."

    • Story
      5

      "Narrative immersion and emotional storytelling are central to the game experience."

    • Strategy
      -3

      "Minimal strategic or problem-solving demands; some puzzle elements but mostly straightforward exploration."

    • Thrill
      1

      "Some suspenseful and unsettling moments, but overall emotional tone is contemplative rather than thrilling."

    • Value
      5

      "Highly praised for emotional and artistic value, especially given that it is free to play."

    • Violence
      -3

      "No combat; some disturbing imagery but no enjoyment of violence or destruction."

    • Survival
      -5

      "No survival or threat avoidance mechanics; stable, low-risk environment."

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 29/04/2026