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Portal Stories: Mel

40 Games like Portal Stories: Mel that you should try

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Ranking compiled by Lluis Enric Mayans, Founder & Head of ContentHow this is calculatedOrdered by an attribute-similarity model, not editorial opinion.

Looking for games like Portal Stories: Mel? We analyzed its gameplay DNA — puzzle design, punishing difficulty and melee combat — against over 6,700 titles. These 40 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. The Talos Principle leads with 73/100, followed by the rest of the list.

iRank89/ 100

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GenrePuzzleSubgenreLogic Puzzle
Tags
HardcoreNarrativeSoloMultiplayer
Year 2015Dev Prism Studios
Stores

Quick answer

The closest game to Portal Stories: Mel is The Talos Principle — scoring 73/100 on our similarity scale. The Room Three and I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar follow close behind.

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Top games similar to Portal Stories: Mel

40 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Portal Stories: Mel. Each one has been evaluated across 10 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.

#1The Talos Principle
The Talos Principle
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeHardcoreSci-FiFirst Person
Steam👍 95%· 33KIGDB87· 12OC87· 58
Year 2014Dev Croteam · Devolver DigitalOn PS4 · Linux · Android

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with exploration and discovery and visual third person, while skipping melee combat

Genre100Tone100Setting100Game mode87Visuals73
#2The Room Three
The Room Three
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeSci-FiFirst PersonDark
Steam👍 95%· 13K
Year 2015Dev Fireproof GamesOn Android · PC · iOS

✓ Shared with Portal Stories: Mel: puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: horror tension, dark, oppressive atmosphere and fantasy world, while skipping punishing difficulty

Genre100Visuals100Game mode87Setting64Tone55
I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeFirst Person
Steam👍 96%· 1.3K
Year 2021Dev Schell GamesPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS

✓ Nearly identical: puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus.

≠ Missing: punishing difficulty.

Well, Agent, it looks like the Zoraxis organisation is up to their old tricks with a new scheme for world domination. It's up to you to expose their diabolical plot and put a stop to it.

Released 6 years after Portal Stories: Mel.

Genre100Visuals100Game mode87Tone60
Sam & Max Hit the Road
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeSci-Fi2DPixel Art
Steam👍 95%· 1.0KRAWG👍 88%· 85IGDB83· 3
Year 1993Dev Lucasfilm · Disney InteractivePlaytime ~1hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Shared with Portal Stories: Mel: puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: visual 2d and visual pixel, while skipping punishing difficulty

Grab your nightstick, squeal like a siren, and Hit the Road with Sam & Max, Freelance Police, as they attempt to crack their toughest case.

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 22 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Setting100Game mode87Tone66Visuals0
Syberia II
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeSci-FiThird Person
Steam👍 86%· 3.0K
Year 2004Dev Microïds Canada · 1C CompanyOn PC · PlayStation 3 · Linux

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings visual third person, while skipping punishing difficulty

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 11 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Setting100Game mode87Tone60Visuals0
#6Jazzpunk
Jazzpunk
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloMeleeFirst PersonCyberpunkExploration
Steam👍 94%· 8.1KIGDB83· 8OC75· 35
Year 2014Dev Necrophone Games · Adult Swim GamesOn Linux · PC · Mac

✓ If you enjoyed Portal Stories: Mel, expect puzzle design, adventure storytelling and melee combat

≠ Stands apart with setting cyberpunk, exploration and discovery and visual pixel, while skipping punishing difficulty

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: setting.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

Genre100Combat100Game mode87Visuals76Setting0
Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeFirst PersonCasualExploration
Steam👍 91%· 293RAWG👍 79%· 29
Year 2002Dev HeR InteractivePlaytime ~5hOn PC

✓ If you enjoyed Portal Stories: Mel, expect puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual, exploration and discovery and visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Nancy Drew®: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake is a first-person perspective, point-and-click adventure game. The player is Nancy Drew and has to solve a mystery. Explore rich environments for clues, interrogate suspects, and solve puzzles and mini-games.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 13 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Visuals91Game mode86Tone50
Deponia
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeSci-Fi2D
Steam👍 87%· 14KRAWG👍 76%· 727MC74IGDB78· 2
Year 2012Dev Daedalic EntertainmentPlaytime ~4hOn PC · PS · Xbox

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Quest, very close to the original canon of the genre. The game has a minimum of hints, and puzzle solving is often very unobvious. The plot of the game moves forward with the actions of the main character - Rufus, who lives on the planet of Deponia, long ago turned into a dump.

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

Genre100Setting100Game mode87Tone66Visuals0
Blackwell Unbound
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeDark2DPixel Art
Steam👍 94%· 774
Year 2007Dev Wadjet Eye GamesOn Linux · Android · PC

✓ If you enjoyed Portal Stories: Mel, expect puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings dark, oppressive atmosphere, visual 2d and visual pixel, while skipping punishing difficulty

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 8 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode87Tone57Visuals0
Nancy Drew: The Deadly Device
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeCasualExploration
Steam👍 91%· 92
Year 2012Dev HeR InteractivePlaytime ~6hOn PC · Apple Macintosh

✓ If you enjoyed Portal Stories: Mel, expect puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with vibe casual and exploration and discovery, while skipping punishing difficulty

Fear lingers in a remote laboratory after a physicist's suspicious demise. A police investigation resulted in nothing except a case as cold as the secretive personalities and steel walls that enshroud a top-secret Tesla-inspired facility.

On reception: its Steam reviews are very positive, against overwhelmingly positive for Portal Stories: Mel.

Genre100Game mode86Tone50
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeCasual2D
Steam👍 97%· 723RAWG👍 93%· 41
Year 1994Dev Humongous Entertainment · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Android · Apple Macintosh

✓ Shared with Portal Stories: Mel: puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Where it differs: brings vibe casual and visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Freddi Fish 1: The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds Join detective Freddi Fish and her best friend Luther as they take on their latest case: finding Grandma Grouper’s kelp seeds that feed the fish under the sea.

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals and tone.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 21 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode86Tone42Visuals0
Patrick's Parabox
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloHardcoreCasualIsometric2D
Steam👍 99%· 5.5KRAWG👍 89%· 35OC87· 11
Year 2022Dev Patrick TraynorPlaytime ~3hOn PC · Apple Macintosh · Linux

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and punishing difficulty

≠ Stands apart with vibe casual, visual isometric and visual 2d, while skipping strong narrative focus

Patrick's Parabox is an award-winning puzzle game that explores a unique recursive system of boxes within boxes within boxes within boxes. Learn to manipulate the world's structure by pushing boxes into and out of each other.

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals and tone.

Released 7 years after Portal Stories: Mel.

Genre100Game mode87Tone49Visuals0
Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeCasualIsometric2D
Steam👍 98%· 1.3KRAWG👍 90%· 30
Year 1996Dev Humongous Entertainment · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Its own twist: vibe casual, visual isometric and visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Sam is an ordinary kid who, with the help of his red cape, turns into "superhero" Pajama Sam. In No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside, Pajama Sam journeys into the land of darkness (his closet) to face his fears.

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals and tone.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 19 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode87Tone42Visuals0
Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloNarrativeCasual2D
Steam👍 95%· 698
Year 1997Dev Humongous Entertainment · Nightdive StudiosPlaytime ~4hOn PC · iOS · Android

✓ Like Portal Stories: Mel, it's known for puzzle design, adventure storytelling and strong narrative focus

≠ Stands apart with vibe casual and visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Humongous Tees Now Available!Official Humongous Entertainment T-shirts featuring Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, Freddi Fish, and Putt-Putt are now available on Amazon. About the GameWill kids be forced to endure a fate worse than eating dry cereal!?

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals and tone.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 18 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode86Tone41Visuals0
Full Throttle
PuzzleLogic Puzzle
SoloSci-FiPost-Apocalyptic2D
IGDB87· 1
Year 1995Dev LucasArtsOn PC · Mac

✓ If you enjoyed Portal Stories: Mel, expect puzzle design, adventure storytelling and setting scifi

≠ Where it differs: brings post-apocalyptic world and visual 2d, while skipping punishing difficulty

Where it drifts furthest from Portal Stories: Mel: visuals.

It predates Portal Stories: Mel by 20 years, with what that implies technically.

Genre100Game mode86Setting68Visuals0

Complete list of Portal Stories: Mel alternatives

The full catalog of games sharing gameplay DNA with Portal Stories: Mel, ordered from highest to lowest similarity score. Use the filters above to narrow down by genre, setting or game mode and find the alternative that best fits your playstyle.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best game similar to Portal Stories: Mel?
The closest game to Portal Stories: Mel is The Talos Principle, scoring 73/100 on our similarity scale. They share 7 gameplay attributes, including puzzle design, adventure storytelling and single-player focus. It's the most faithful alternative currently available.
What are the top games like Portal Stories: Mel?
The three closest games to Portal Stories: Mel are: 1. The Talos Principle (73/100, 7 shared attributes) 2. The Room Three (65/100, 6 shared attributes) 3. I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar (63/100, 5 shared attributes). All share Portal Stories: Mel's most important gameplay attributes, ranked out of 40 candidates across 10 dimensions.
Is The Room Three similar to Portal Stories: Mel?
Yes — The Room Three scores 65/100 similarity to Portal Stories: Mel. They share 6 attributes, including puzzle design and adventure storytelling. There are some notable differences in pacing or mechanics.
What Puzzle games are similar to Portal Stories: Mel?
The best Puzzle games similar to Portal Stories: Mel are The Talos Principle, The Room Three, I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar and Sam & Max Hit the Road. All share the Puzzle genre alongside other key Portal Stories: Mel attributes like puzzle design, adventure storytelling and single-player focus.
How is similarity to Portal Stories: Mel calculated?
We compare Portal Stories: Mel against every game in our catalog using 10 gameplay attributes: genre, atmosphere, world structure, play modes, combat style, and more. Each category is weighted differently — genre matters more than visual style, for instance. The result is a 0-100 score reflecting how closely a game replicates the Portal Stories: Mel experience, not just whether it shares the same genre label.