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March of the Living similar games & best alternatives

March of the Living

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac • 2016

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Quick resume

Roguelike-like inspired by FTL and popular zombie fiction. Guide a group of survivors to a rumoured safe haven.

Global score

71/100

Genres

Adventure, Indie, Strategy

Similar games

    Pros

    • Engaging narrative with meaningful choices
    • High replayability with randomized maps and events
    • Challenging tactical combat and resource management
    • Atmospheric audio and pixel art style
    • Strong survival theme and tension

    Cons

    • Combat can be clunky and micromanagement-heavy
    • Limited character customization and expression
    • Some repetitive events after multiple playthroughs
    • Lack of multiplayer or social features
    • Steep learning curve and punishing difficulty

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Leadership, Survival, Violence, Strategy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Cooperation, Fellowship. 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 make meaningful choices affecting story and gameplay outcomes, with freedom to decide actions and strategies."

    • Competence
      3

      "Game requires skillful resource management, tactical combat, and strategic decision-making, though combat can feel clunky."

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus is on individual survival and story progression without competitive or ranked elements."

    • Continuation
      4

      "High replayability with randomized maps and events encourages repeated playthroughs despite difficulty and permadeath."

    • Cooperation
      2

      "Players manage a group of survivors cooperating to survive, but no multiplayer or external cooperation."

    • Creativity
      1

      "Limited character customization but player choices and party composition allow some creative approaches."

    • Domination
      -5

      "Interactions emphasize survival and mutual respect rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

    • Escapism
      5

      "Strong immersion in a fictional zombie apocalypse world provides escape from real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by interest in story and survival challenge, not obligation."

    • Experimenting
      4

      "Randomized events and multiple choices encourage trying new strategies and exploring different outcomes."

    • Exploration
      4

      "Procedurally generated maps and diverse locations promote discovery and curiosity-driven play."

    • Expression
      -3

      "Minimal avatar customization; expression mainly through choices and party management rather than visual personalization."

    • Fantasy
      4

      "Set in a fictional zombie apocalypse with narrative elements and improbable events."

    • Fellowship
      1

      "Some social interaction with NPC survivors and party members, but no strong community or multiplayer aspects."

    • Growth
      3

      "Players learn and improve survival skills, combat tactics, and decision-making through repeated play."

    • Health
      -4

      "Primarily sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health benefits."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires focused attention and micromanagement during combat and resource management."

    • Intimacy
      -4

      "Limited emotional connections mainly through text-based story; no deep relationship building."

    • Leadership
      3

      "Player leads and manages a group of survivors, making strategic decisions for the party."

    • Progression
      3

      "Players accumulate items, weapons, and survivors, progressing through maps and storylines."

    • Relaxation
      -3

      "Gameplay involves sustained tension, resource pressure, and challenging combat situations."

    • Sensation
      2

      "Atmospheric audio and pixel art provide moderate sensory stimulation and emotional engagement."

    • Status
      -4

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; gameplay is a personal survival experience."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with branching storylines, character backgrounds, and impactful choices."

    • Strategy
      4

      "Requires tactical combat, resource management, and planning to survive and progress."

    • Thrill
      4

      "High suspense and tension from resource scarcity, combat danger, and permadeath."

    • Value
      3

      "Good perceived value for price with many hours of gameplay and replayability."

    • Violence
      4

      "Combat involves killing zombies and hostile humans with firearms and melee weapons."

    • Survival
      5

      "Core gameplay centers on managing resources, avoiding infection, and staying alive in a hostile world."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026