Choose Vessel
Choose Vessel if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Vessel launched in 2012.
Vessel vs Waking Mars
Vessel and Waking Mars both land in Action, Indie 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 Action, Indie on Steam. Both released in 2012. Waking Mars scores higher on Steam reviews (91% positive) than Vessel (89.7% positive). 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 Waking Mars
Choose Waking Mars if you want an Adventure experience. Waking Mars launched in 2012.
Both Vessel and Waking Mars sit in Action and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (89.7% vs 91% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Vessel |  Waking Mars | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2012 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.7% positive (282 reviews) | 91% positive (532 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Strange Loop Games | Tiger Style |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Both released in 2012.
- Waking Mars scores higher on Steam reviews (91% positive) than Vessel (89.7% positive).
- Vessel is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Waking Mars (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Waking Mars is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Vessel has no Deck rating yet.
Vessel vs Waking Mars — FAQ
- Which is better, Vessel or Waking Mars?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Vessel sits at 89.7% positive (282 reviews), Waking Mars at 91% (532). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Are Vessel and Waking Mars similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie 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.