IMHO.

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart vs Childhood Friends

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart and Childhood Friends both land in Adventure, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Adventure, Casual on Steam. The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart (2019) is 2 years older than Childhood Friends (2021). Both sit near 80% positive on Steam (The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart: 78 reviews, Childhood Friends: 20). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart

Choose The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart launched in 2019.

Choose Childhood Friends

Choose Childhood Friends if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Childhood Friends launched in 2021.

Both The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart and Childhood Friends sit in Adventure and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (79.5% vs 80% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart vs Childhood Friends — Steam metadata comparison
The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart — Steam game coverThe Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the HeartChildhood Friends — Steam game coverChildhood Friends
Released20192021
GenresAdventure, CasualAdventure, Casual
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price19.99 USD19.99 USD
Steam reviews79.5% positive (78 reviews)80% positive (20 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersTOKYOTOONOrcsoft

Side by side

The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart vs Childhood Friends — FAQ

Should I play The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart or Childhood Friends first?
If you want chronology, The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart (2019) came out before Childhood Friends (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart and Childhood Friends similar?
They overlap on Adventure, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
Does The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart run on Steam Deck?
Yes — The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Childhood Friends doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart vs Childhood Friends · imho.run