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Games like South Scrimshaw, Part One

Nathan O. Marsh · 2023 · Windows, Linux

Steam: 99 % positive of 1,642 reviews, as of Oct 28

South Scrimshaw is the story of a newborn whale in a vast alien ocean. It is a richly illustrated experimental visual novel, written in the style of a nature documentary.

24 games that play like South Scrimshaw, Part One and 24 that look like it. Closest by gameplay: In Other Waters, Harold Halibut and Subnautica.

Player tags

  • Sci-fi
  • Linear
  • Hand-drawn
  • Atmospheric
  • Underwater
  • Alternate History
  • Cinematic
  • Lore-Rich
Map region: Atmospheric Story Games
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Steam reviews

What players say

Overwhelmingly positive: players call this short, beautifully illustrated speculative biology documentary a standout, mainly for its art and worldbuilding, with the computer-generated narration the main complaint.

Many players praise the hand-drawn illustrations and the documentary style, which makes the alien whale species and their biology feel believable. Reviewers enjoy the scientific detail, the lore and the emotional pull of following a young whale calf, and many say they finished it in one or two hours and are waiting for part two. Some describe it as a self-paced visual novel or movie rather than a game, with no real mechanics. The most common complaint is the computer-generated narration; several players say it hurts immersion, while others accept it and note that voices can be muted. A few wish the story had more tension, or that the audio settings were clearer. The reviews reflect Steam's very high approval rating, and the criticism is minor by comparison.

Praised

  • Hand-drawn art

    Players describe the watercolour-style illustrations as beautiful, detailed and worth looking at slowly.

    Many players
  • Documentary style

    Reviewers say the nature-documentary narration and format make the alien world feel real and absorbing.

    Many players
  • Speculative worldbuilding

    Players praise the detailed alien biology, creatures and lore, which they find original and well researched.

    Many players
  • Anticipation for part two

    Players say they are eager for the sequel and hope it is released soon.

    Many players

Criticised

  • Computer-generated narration

    Players find the computer-generated voices distracting or immersion-breaking and wish for human voice actors.

    Many players
  • Thin story and mechanics

    Players say the story lacks tension and there are no real game mechanics, so it feels more like reading.

    A few players
  • Audio settings and sync

    Reviewers report that the audio controls are unclear and that the story does not progress on its own while other things are running.

    A few players
Who it suits
Suits players who enjoy speculative evolution, nature documentaries, or visual novels and want a short, quiet, story-driven experience.
Who should skip it
Players who want gameplay, challenge or strong narrative tension, or who dislike computer-generated voices, should skip it.

Summarised by AI from 80 Steam reviews (English, helpful and recent), as of Oct 28, 2026.

Best matches

Plays and looks like South Scrimshaw, Part One

Close to it by gameplay and by look, so it appears in both lists below.

By gameplay

Plays like South Scrimshaw, Part One

Matched from Steam descriptions and player tags. The tags under each game are the ones both games share.

More matches

  1. Analogue: A Hate Story94 % positive of 1,700Shared: Sci-fi · Story Rich · Visual Novel
  2. ATRI -My Dear Moments-98 % positive of 21,600Shared: Sci-fi · Emotional · Story Rich
  3. NAIAD94 % positive of 595Shared: Linear · Nature · Story Rich
  4. Loddlenaut97 % positive of 3,931Shared: Sci-fi · Underwater · Aliens
  5. OPUS: The Day We Found Earth87 % positive of 1,424Shared: Sci-fi · Emotional · Space
  6. SEASON: A letter to the future93 % positive of 1,843Shared: Cinematic · Nature · Emotional
  7. Iron Lung91 % positive of 10,259Shared: Sci-fi · Underwater · Submarine
  8. Voices from the Sea91 % positive of 1,257Shared: Linear · Story Rich · Visual Novel
  9. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist96 % positive of 4,487Shared: Sci-fi · Hand-drawn · Story Rich
  10. Ceiba93 % positive of 263Shared: Sci-fi · Hand-drawn · Cinematic
  11. Stellar Code96 % positive of 460Shared: Sci-fi · Space · Story Rich
  12. 海蓝星之梦97 % positive of 230Shared: Sci-fi · Alternate History · Space

By look

Looks like South Scrimshaw, Part One

Matched from screenshots. Each card shows the screenshot closest to the look of this game.

More matches

  1. How Fish Is Made94 % positive of 5,757
  2. Cat Museum92 % positive of 840
  3. Whimsy94 % positive of 334
  4. The Mooseman88 % positive of 1,017
  5. The Mammoth: A Cave Painting92 % positive of 1,181
  6. Teacup95 % positive of 799
  7. ABZU92 % positive of 22,080
  8. Mutazione94 % positive of 1,134
  9. Slice of Sea90 % positive of 525
  10. Hoa89 % positive of 2,583
  11. Among Ripples67 % positive of 1,452
  12. Papetura91 % positive of 1,158

At a glance

What games like South Scrimshaw, Part One have in common

  • The tags they share most often with South Scrimshaw, Part One: Sci-fi (15 of 24), Underwater (11) and Story Rich (9).
  • They came out between 2012 and 2026, 6 of them after South Scrimshaw, Part One (2023).
  • Best rated by Steam players: ATRI -My Dear Moments- (98 % positive of 21,600).

How these matches work

Matches come from embeddings of Steam descriptions, player tags and screenshots, computed offline. “Plays like” compares what the games are about and how players tag them; “Looks like” compares their screenshots. The share of positive reviews is based on Steam user reviews.

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