What Duskwood players want afterwards is almost always the same thing, and it is not 'another puzzle game'. It is the feeling of being inside the conversation: someone writes to you, you answer, and what you say matters.
It also explains the most common frustration with Duskwood — the wait between episodes, and the way dialogue choices can feel like pressing buttons rather than investigating.
The five titles below each answer part of that gap. None is a clone, which is just as well.
Five games close to Duskwood
| Game | What it is | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| SimulacraKaigan Games, 2017 | A phone found in the street — Anna's, and Anna is missing. Live-action video, multiple endings. | The same pull, but in one sitting and with no wait for the next episode. |
| ReplicaSomi, 2016 | An agent forces you to search a stranger's phone to prove he is a terrorist. | Far shorter and far bleaker: two hours, and a political thesis where Duskwood puts suspense. |
| Sara Is MissingKaigan Games, 2016 | The short prototype that started the genre: a damaged phone, a missing woman, an AI. | Duskwood's ancestor: same conventions, free, an hour, worth playing to see where this came from. |
| A Normal Lost PhoneAccidental Queens, 2017 | A lost phone whose owner, Sam, you piece together message by message. | If it was attachment to the characters that held you in Duskwood, it is strongest here. |
| BustedFumei, 2026 | A woman hands you her partner's cloned phone and asks you fifteen questions. | No replies to pick and no waiting: one case a week, fifteen questions each time. |
If it was the wait between episodes that got to you
Duskwood ships episodically and the pace depends on the studio. Busted solves that differently: a new case is published every week and lands straight in the app, with no update to download.
The deeper difference is the answer. In Duskwood you choose what you say from a list. In Busted there is no list: you are asked a precise question and you type what you found in the phone. When you get it wrong, nobody catches you.
In exchange, Busted has no character writing to you over days and no relationship built across weeks. It is an investigation, not a correspondence.
Eight questions free, no account and no card.
Download BustedFrequently asked questions
Is there a Duskwood sequel?+
Everbyte ships Duskwood in episodes and has announced further content, but there is no separate 'Duskwood 2'. Players chasing the same feeling usually turn to Simulacra, or to phone detective games that publish regularly, like Busted.
Is there a game like Duskwood without multiple choice?+
Busted. You are asked a question and you type the answer yourself: a first name, an address, a time. No reply list, and the game never points you at an app.
Is Duskwood free?+
Duskwood downloads free and then sells episodes or hints. Busted works differently: the first eight questions of one case are free, then a subscription unlocks the rest and every other case.
