Choose Owlboy
Choose Owlboy if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 2,379 Steam reviews back the pick.
Owlboy vs Nine Lives Ninja: Explore!
Owlboy and Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Owlboy (2016) is 8 years older than Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! (2024). Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than Owlboy (85.8% 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 Nine Lives Ninja: Explore!
Choose Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! if it's currently about 95% cheaper on the Steam Store. Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! launched in 2024.
Both Owlboy and Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Owlboy |  Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.8% positive (2,379 reviews) | 94.4% positive (18 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | D-Pad Studio | JX Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Owlboy (2016) is 8 years older than Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! (2024).
- Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! scores higher on Steam reviews (94.4% positive) than Owlboy (85.8% positive).
- Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! is currently ~95% cheaper on Steam than Owlboy (0.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Owlboy is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! has no Deck rating yet.
Owlboy vs Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! — FAQ
- Should I play Owlboy or Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! first?
- If you want chronology, Owlboy (2016) came out before Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! (2024). 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 Owlboy and Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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 Owlboy run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Owlboy is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Nine Lives Ninja: Explore! doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.