Fran Bow is a creepy and adventure-driven video game developed and produced by a Swedish Indie games studio, Killmonday. The story-driven horror game features unique hand-drawn 2D animation and 2D art.
Many users love the immersive nature of this point-and-click game, featuring multiple puzzles with different levels of difficulty, based on a story of a girl experiencing a mental disorder.
The game is highly interactive, with over 50 unique characters with distinct personalities.
Fran Bow is one of many adventure-packed games worth trying. Similar games include Strangeland, Four Travelers, and Tiny Bunny among many others.
However the best game like Fran Bow is Little Misfortune. The game has an exciting storyline with unique ending scenes and only takes three hours to play.
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Why Look for Fran Bow Alternatives?
While I might say good things about Fran Bow, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially gamers who don’t like point-and-click games. Some users find its visual aesthetic complex, and the games take longer to start on the load screen.
Puzzle-wise, the game is as tricky as any adventure-based game. But if you are looking for a game that will not interfere with your computer speed, you should look elsewhere.
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Best Games Like Fran Bow
1. Little Misfortune
Little Misfortune is a game like Fran Bow based on an interactive story starring Misfortune Ramirez Hernandez, an imaginary eight-year-old. It portrays Ramirez as a little girl on a mission to find the prize of Eternal Happiness to gift her mum.
Ramirez is led by her newly found friend Mr. Voice in an adventure through the woods to unravel hidden mysteries with a little lousy lack waiting to unfold. Little Misfortune features less gameplay than Fran Bow.
You might not get the point-and-click feel you get from Fran Bow; instead, you only need to move Misfortune left and right while occasionally tapping a button that pops up whenever the app prompts you to interact with characters.
The best part of Little Misfortune is the eight-year-old protagonist, who is weird and strange in how she reacts to what is presented. She has a quirky affect, making things into a charming yet silly experience.
Little Misfortune’s goofy visual style perfectly suits its unconventional and dark narrative. The Little Misfortune game is available on Google PlayStore and AppStore for $8.99 and $6.99, respectively.
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2. If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers
Another game like Fran Bow is a tale of dark and troubling things. If On A Winter’s Night is an adventure game with an exciting storyline. The game revolves around the journey of four characters attending a masquerade ball on a train.
The game’s happenings date back to the 1920s. It uniquely blends horror and mystery with troubling things in four acts.
The Silent Room, the first act, takes place in a luxurious hotel room in Rome. In the Silent Room, Carlo patiently waits for his lover Patrick, but the tension of meeting in hiding does not go away.
The next act features a slowly vanishing woman, Lady Winterbourne, who lost her husband in a tragic accident. Lady Winterbourne is only interested in the bottle of laudanum in her cabinet and not in the flock of letters from pretenders who are only interested in her vast fortune.
The Nameless Ritual features Dr. Jordan Samuels, who is constantly ridiculed and belittled by his peers. In his attempt to avenge his tormentors, Dr. Jordan resorts to occult sciences.
The final act is the story of Laylah, who, despite the strict nature of her boss, yearns to get distracted from her daily routine.
You can get If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers on Steam for $3.99.
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3. Tiny Bunny
Tiny Bunny is an exciting game and novel with a non-linear horror storyline. The game starts when everything falls asleep in winter, except for one forest.
You will notice something wandering along the forest’s snow-covered paths, lurking behind black trees, and collecting whatever it wants.
You will likely choose Tiny Bunny over Fran Bow for its stylish design in black and white. The initially scary soundtrack and oppressive atmosphere might pierce you to the core, but that is the beauty of unraveling the horrifying secrets of this immersive game.
As mentioned earlier, Tiny Bunny follows a horror storyline. As the character wanders the forest, it leaves behind strange rumors of sounds of faces looking into your window calling you into the thicket.
The mysterious prints in the snow and multiple “child missing” posters intensifies things while those who hear the ghostly voices have no choice but to wait for their fate in the cold embrace of horror.
The Tiny Bunny story happens in a little-known and quiet village lost in the Siberian forest. The game’s protagonist is Anton, who recently moved to the village with his family. Anton is forced to witness and take part in unsettling events.
In this village, children go missing, police are rendered powerless, and search teams are unsuccessful in finding any trace of activities in the forest. Every choice you make in the game affects the storyline.
You can purchase Tiny Bunny on Steam for $12.99.
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4. Strangeland
Strangeland is a surreal psychological horror that can be an excellent replacement for Fran Bow. The classic point-and-click adventure game integrates a captivating storyline with engaging puzzles.
The game happens in a place like any other, as carnivals occupy a twilight territory. Strangeland features a rich thematic story about loss, identity, self-doubt, and redemption.
Its eccentric cast includes a slideshow freak, an animatronic fortune-teller, and a trio of masqueraders. Its integrated in-character hint system makes things smooth and exciting for you.
You assume the role of a nameless character, wearing an untied jacket and trying to make sense of the unease and surreal environment. You must gather sophisticated tools to win strange allies and overcome multiple obstacles.
Amidst the uncertainties, death has no grip on you, allowing you to easily wield the slippery immortality to gain an edge over your enemies.
Like any adventure game with a linear experience, Strangeland will enable you to choose your path and find your own meaning in single-solution puzzles.
It will take about five hours to complete Strangeland and is replayable, thanks to multiple choices, puzzle solutions, and different endings. It features breathtaking pixel art in 640 by 360 to let you enjoy gaming like in 1999.
There are dozens of rooms to explore, with various versions as the carnival grows and gets twisted. You will love its professional voiceovers and hours of original music.
You can get Strangeland on Steam or GOG.com for $14.99.
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5. Midnight Scenes: The Nanny
Midnight Scenes: The Nanny is another great substitute for Fran Bow that can be best described as short and sweet. It can easily pass for a coffee break activity as the game lasts 40 minutes.
The game is an exciting and intense tale of two siblings, Oliver and Tina, facing bizarre situations in pursuit of their nanny, who disappeared in the middle of the night.
Like Fran Bow, Midnight Scenes features adventure-packed horror tales. The game was created by Octavi Navarro, an artist on games such as Thimbleweed Park and Photographs, who also designed critically acclaimed games, including The Supper and The Librarian.
Be very afraid as you explore and interact with the surroundings. On the brighter side, you will be captivated by its colorful pixel art based on 1980s aesthetics.
You can buy Midnight Scenes: The Nanny from Steam for $3.99.
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6. Children of Silentown
Children of Silentown is a story of a young girl, Lucy, who grew up in a deep forest village co-inhabited by monsters. The dark adventure game focuses on why people keep disappearing from the town.
The game features a unique yet unsettling 2D art style that perfectly fits its dark and mysterious theme. Music is crucial in this game as singing will help Lucy in times of need.
Children of Silentown features multiple quirky characters, including animals you will interact with. Be nice to these characters, especially the animals, before they unexpectedly disappear.
You can also play minigames with other children, but primarily your job is to accompany Lucy and her friend on this quest.
Like any other child, the echoing roars rob Lucy of sleep, and she no longer finds her dreams a safe and free place. Keep exploring the town and its mysterious and dangerous surroundings.
In your pursuit, you will meet the village’s quirky inhabitants, solve puzzles, and master minigames. Watch out for a very mean cat that has been programmed to disturb Lucy.
As you explore Silentown with the help of search hits, do not enter the forest. As the adult townsfolk would say, the forest always takes away people who do not obey the town rules. Be flexible in combining various items to attain outstanding results.
Get Children of Silentown on Steam for $19.99.
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7. Isolomus
If you are looking for a short handcrafted horror experience in a game, look no further than Isolomus. Like Fran Bow, Isolomus is a surrealist point-and-click adventure game that explores themes of social isolation and psychological horror.
Playtime is about 20 to 30 minutes, but the experience lasts a lifetime. Isolomus has two endings, but one is worse than the other.
Isolomus differs slightly from Fran Bow, features no text, and all graphics and animations are handmade from plasticine.
The game is relatively new on Nintendo Switch. Michael Rfdshir created it and its gameplay involves touching your screen to interact with a few characters. It also involves dragging things around in a point-and-click manner.
Yes, the game is short but very surreal and disturbing. You cannot get it out of your head. It is presented in stop-motion animation with plasticine figures.
You will interact with people, buildings, and other creatures as you explore the game. Everything looks run down and gloomy and plasticine has never been creepier.
You can purchase the Isolomus game on Steam for $0.99 or on Nintendo Switch for $1.99.
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8. Mothered
Mothered is also a horror and adventure-packed game that uses the point-and-click technique. Unlike Fran Bow, Mothered is a first-person role-playing game set in a familiar yet creepy unnatural representation of home.
In the game Mothered, you will resume the role of a young girl who just arrived to stay with her mother after a successful surgery. The game is set over seven days and revolves around sickness, abuse, and death.
When she arrives home, Liana only finds a creepy mannequin claiming to be her mother. As the game progresses, you will discover more about your role. Liana has two choices: to help her mother go back to how things were or repeat past mistakes.
Mothered is a dense yet engaging narrative that reveals itself every morning, afternoon, evening, and night. The tense atmosphere that uses an uncanny gimmick to tell a story immerses you in the game as you will keep guessing to the end.
You can download Mothered on Nintendo Switch for $9.99 or get it from Steam for the same price.
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9. Bugsnax
If you are looking for a Fran Bow replacement that can play on PS5 for free look no further than Bugsnax. Bugsnax is creative with creepy characters, which are adorable, and plays out as a murder mystery.
Like Fran Bow, Bugsnax is adventure-packed. The game takes you on a whimsical journey to Snaktooth Island, home to half-bug and half-snack creatures, called Bugsnax. You are invited to the game by an intrepid explorer named Elizabeth Megafig.
But on arrival, your host cannot be seen and her camp is in shambles while her followers are scattered all over the island tired and hungry. It is now your responsibility to solve the mysteries on the Island by first finding out what could have happened to Elizabeth.
Find out what Bugsnax are, where they came from, and why they taste so good. Your significant tasks include hunting, discovering, and capturing all 100 unique species of Bugsnax using multiple contraptions and bait.
As the game continues, track down and reunite the inhabitants of Snaxburg Island as you explore the unique Biomes of Snaktooth Island.
Follow the lead to unravel Liz’s band of misfits and mysteries on the Island. You can customize the look of your new friends by stuffing them with Bugsnax countless times.
Take a break for a minute and indulge in side quests that lead you off the beaten path to test your enduring skills against the fearsome and supersized Bugsnax. Take a back seat and relax, as you can still complete challenges from your mailbox.
Overall, Bugsnax is a beautiful combination of puzzle adventure, charm, mystery, and incredible emotional depth. It features a well-curated storyline full of endearing bizarre moments. The only downside of this game is that it might feel repetitive.
You can buy Bugsnax on Steam for $24.99. Bugsnax + Octodad + the Soundtrack bundle will cost you $42.71, but if you are only interested in the game and the soundtrack bundle, you will pay $31.48.
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10. Lily’s Well
Last on the list of the best games like Fran Bow is Lily’s Well. This free game takes place on a rainy night during Spring 2005. Lily is left alone at home after Grandpa puts her to sleep. Suddenly, a cry for help through her window awakens her.
The cry for help comes from the well, and now she has to think fast about how she will carry out her rescue mission. Quickly she reaches for a rope and throws it down to the well to save the poor soul trapped inside.
Lily’s Well is a horror game that lets you control the little girl, Lilly. You can explore her home and the surrounding property to find different objects you can use for a rope.
There are multiple fates of Lily that you can discover in the game based on the length of the rope and the materials used.
Lily’s Well is available on Steam for free, but the developer accepts support for what you think is fair for the game.
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Final Words
These are the ten exciting games you can try today.
They are similar in their functionalities, except for their prices. Try out the free games before committing.
Though if you are looking for a game accessible on the go, I highly recommend Little Misfortune. The game only takes three hours, or even less if you rush it, making it a great companion in transit.
