9 Games Like A Dark Room
Our list of games like A Dark Room features more unique role playing games that predominately use text to tell their story.
A Dark Room has been a popular web based game since 2013 with an iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch release following this initial browser success. The game is simple in design, giving players only a few ways to interact with the world at a time which expand slowly as progress is made. The text based nature of A Dark Room and the interesting method of uncovering additional features results in a unique adventure.
Players start inside a cold and dark room with your only options to stoke the fire in front of you to get it roaring. Soon players will be joined by a stranger, gather a range of resources, explore what lies outside your cold starting room and start your own village. With each unlock in A Dark Room you'll find them shrouded in mystery and story to encourage players forward to the next checkpoint of progression.
The games like A Dark Room below offer a similar level of mystery and unique design with these games following a similar incremental style of gameplay while utilising text for storytelling and discovery. Games featured below are available for multiple platforms including browser, iOS and Android.
Choice of Robots
Choice of Robots is a uniquely text orientated experience that is filled with over 300,000 words of story and world building making it one of the largest text based adventure games currently available. It’s a science fiction themed adventure that blends novel with the interactive and delivers plenty of surprises along the way for players to uncover. Written by Kevin Gold the game is entirely text based with players given complete control over every single element of the game world. As the name s...[Read Review]
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is a unique city building experience that has players control their own group of dwarves in a challenge of survival and strategy that incorporates rogue-like elements. Utilising a unique ASCII art style you’ll be tasked with guiding your dwarven settlement throughout a randomly generated world where the unknown awaits you. Available for free across Windows, Mac and Linux Dwarf Fortress combines simulation, strategy, management and adventure into a single title that has grown...[Read Review]
Space Lich Omega
Space Lich Omega takes inspiration from similar ASCII art based RPG titles like Candy Box and A Dark Room but puts a demon spin on the equation with players venturing deep into the church labyrinth to battle demons and exploring the various paths through the mountain at the same time. Available for free to play within your browser Space Lich Omega is an accessible title that utilises mouse based mechanics as you click to visit locations or the simple buttons on screen that activate certain inter...[Read Review]
Candy Box 2
Candy Box 2 continues the ASCII themed adventure while building on the deep role playing experience of the original to ensure your adventure is both familiar and fresh. Collect your candies, beat quests, upgrade weapons, encounter NPCs, master spells, battle bosses and unlock countless secrets in this sequel that stands out in the idle/incremental game genre for going beyond the basics and wrapping a simple mechanic into a larger RPG world. The core game elements of the original are still there ...[Read Review]
The Ensign
The Ensign serves as the prequel to the classic text based adventure known as A Dark Room from the same developer (Amirali Rajan). Using a similar text approach, ASCII characters for map exploration and mystery the game is an iOS title that is a fitting prequel although doesn’t quite reach the same level of depth as A Dark Room. Set within an unnamed planet players step into the role of an alien who belongs the species known only as the Wanderers who have long been travelling the stars. A ...[Read Review]
Crank
Crank is a simple active based game of progression which revolves around holding down a crank to generate power and slowly upgrade your own power systems and computer software for new mechanics and additional progress. In classic incremental style Crank starts of slowly and builds up over time allowing players to reach new levels of upgrades and unlock additional game features within their browser. Similar to games like A Dark Room Crank is all about discovery of mechanics after starting with a ...[Read Review]
Lifeline
Experience an interesting and unique storytelling adventure in Lifeline, a game that has you responding to a seemingly real person on the other side of your phone or computer. Serving as the first of a number of entries in a text based game franchise players will explore the story of Taylor as they help them survive a ship crash with branching story lines based on two decisions at a time. While the lack of graphics may not sound appealing on first glance once you find yourself in the game and re...[Read Review]
Candy Box
Candy Box is an incremental browser video game that uses the likes of ASCII art to tell a unique story about collecting candy, lollipops, swords and much more. Filled with hidden mechanics, discoveries and cheats for those that don’t want to wait Candy Box has become a popular past time for many and led to the development of Candy Box 2. Players start with a basic game screen with simply a save button and counter for candy which slowly increases with time. Soon an option to eat your candie...[Read Review]
The Gold Factory
The Gold Factory is an incremental game that pays homage to the games that inspired it right on its credits page and features the same ASCII art game world as those inspirations. Borrowing ideas from the likes of the exceedingly popular Candy Box and A Dark Room this title takes the genre in some interesting and fun directions that make it well worth a playthrough for fans of this niche genre. Players start within the ASCII art world with only a factory and the cloudy skies above them. In time p...[Read Review]