Man of Medan is a horror title from Supermassive Games where you play as a group of young people whose boat trip takes a turn for the worse. The game provides a compelling narrative, where your actions and choices can make a big impact on how everything plays out.
As Man of Medan is a unique game, you might be wondering if there are any others quite like it that are worth checking out. Lucky for you, there are several of them, and these are the most notable ones.
Updated July 8, 2022 By Ben Jessey: Man of Medan's developer Supermassive games is currently in the spotlight due to the recent release of The Quarry. The popularity of that game has convinced plenty of people to check out the studio's other titles, like Man of Medan.
But what about if you've already played through the game multiple times? Then you may fancy a different title, but one that is somewhat similar. If that is what you want, ten of the best examples were already on this list. And now, we've added a few more.
13 Little Hope
Little Hope is the second entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology after Man of Medan. As a result, it is very similar to its predecessor in regard to gameplay and tone. So, if you liked Man of Medan, it's very likely you'll appreciate this one, too.
Where it differs from Man of Medan is in the story. This game is about a group of students and their teacher getting stuck in a place called Little Hope. Unfortunately, this town is filled with horrors, and the protagonists' lives are in your hands.
12 The Letter - Horror Visual Novel
Like Man of Medan, The Letter is a game where your choices matter as your decisions heavily impact the story. Another similarity it has to the Supermassive title is the inclusion of several different playable characters.
These folks are dealing with a curse that plagues the Ermengarde Mansion. If they survive the ordeal or not depends on your actions. It all plays out in the form of an interactive visual novel. The formatting doesn't diminish the horror.
11 The Quarry
The Quarry has all the classic hallmarks of a Supermassive game. It has plenty of choices, horror elements, and multiple protagonists played by some well-known actors, such as Justice Smith and Brenda Song.
The story revolves around a group of camp counselors who work at Hackett's Quarry summer camp. On their last night there, the protagonists find themselves in serious danger. Whether they manage to survive it or not is based on your choices. Its gameplay is very similar to that of Man of Medan.
10 Until Dawn
Until Dawn is also developed by Supermassive and released in 2015 exclusively for the PS4. Until Dawn's cast features well-known actors like Rami Malek and Hayden Panettiere and is a clear precursor to Man of Medan both in terms of gameplay and storytelling style.
It is worth noting that due to these similarities it could mean that Until Dawn might feel a bit unrefined when compared to Man of Medan. But overall the game is well worth your time and a great homage to classic slasher films.
9 The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead was an episodic game that started in 2012 and was based on the extremely popular zombie comic book series of the same name. Each batch of episodes was released in seasons, and the now-closed Telltale Games developed the game.
Like Man of Maden, The Walking Dead is a third-person narrative-driven game with minimal gameplay and a focus on player choice. If the idea of jumping into a multi-season series sounds a bit overwhelming, the title's first season is pretty self-contained and serves as a fantastic origin story of one of gaming's best-ever zombie survivors, Clementine.
8 Hidden Agenda
Hidden Agenda is another Supermassive game. Like Man of Medan and Until Dawn, Hidden Agenda is a third-person adventure game, but its scares come in the crime thriller variety.
Additionally, Hidden Agenda differs from past Supermassive titles because the game incorporates a multiplayer voting system for the decisions in the game. This feature allows more players to have a direct influence over the story and is likely where many of the ideas for the multiplayer in Man of Medan came from.
7 Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is the first game in the Zero Escape franchise and combines Saw-esque puzzle rooms with visual novel-style storytelling. The game also gives you one of its multiple endings depending on the choices made throughout the story like Man of Medan.
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors was originally released for the Nintendo DS, but if you are interested in playing the game, it will probably be easier to pick up the PS4 or PC re-release.
6 Vampyr
Moving away from the Man of Medan in terms of gameplay, Vampyr is a third-person action game, but it still places importance on player choice and how it affects the story. You are placed in the role of Jonathan Reid, a doctor who has been turned into a vampire and must now learn how to live with this sudden change.
Vampyr primarily takes place in the game's open world, as this is where you can collect information on various NPCs to decide which characters Dr. Reid will feed on to stay alive throughout the game.
5 Heavy Rain
In many ways, Heavy Rain was one of the first games to really popularize the interactive drama genre that Man of Medan also fits into. Heavy Rain does swap the more fantastical horror elements seen in many Supermassive titles and instead focuses on a true crime story centered around catching the Origami Killer.
The game was first released on PS3 in 2010 but don't worry if you do not have the last-gen system as the title has been re-released for the PS4 and PC.
4 Oxenfree
Once again moving away from the interactive drama style of gameplay, Oxenfree is a 2.5D adventure game with a story centered around the supernatural occurrences of a mysterious island. Oxenfree's main cast of characters is made up of a group of friends who have decided to travel to the island to throw a party.
The game's writing is heavily inspired by popular coming-of-age films and mostly is delivered through conversations between characters. You control Alex and are able to influence the game through their dialogue choices.
3 Gone Home
Gone Home's legacy tends to be summed up as the game that popularized the walking simulator genre. And it is one of the more scary ones as it includes some fantastic horror elements based around the relatable creepy feeling of being alone in a house at night.
The game does differ from Man of Medan when it comes to the importance of player choice, but Gone Home still provides you with a great deal of agency as the story plays out at the pace at which you explore the environment.
2 What Remains Of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch is an adventure game that explores the deaths of various members of the Finch family through short gameplay segments with a variety of mechanics and art styles. Ypu begin these segments by exploring the Finch house in first-person as Edith Finch who is seeking more information about her family.
Fans of Man of Medan may initially be hesitant to try a game with so many different styles of gameplay. But learning more about the Finch family's story and the engrossingly creepy tone of the game should keep you interested.
1 The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person horror adventure game centered around the disappearance of a child named Ethan Carter. You play as Paul Prospero who is investigating what happened to Ethan and begins to uncover disturbing paranormal activity surrounding the town the boy is from.
The game emphasizes player choice like Man of Medan but does this through the game's world rather than story decisions. From the start, the open world is free to explore, and doing so reveals not only the game's story but also how you can interact with the world.