Choose Research Story
Choose Research Story if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Research Story launched in 2025.
Research Story vs Onyx
Research Story and Onyx both land in Indie, Simulation, RPG 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 Indie, Simulation, RPG on Steam. Onyx (2024) is 1 year older than Research Story (2025). Onyx is currently ~94% cheaper on Steam than Research Story (0.86 USD vs. 14.99 USD). 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 Onyx
Choose Onyx if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 94% cheaper on the Steam Store. Onyx launched in 2024.
Both Research Story and Onyx sit in Indie, Simulation, and RPG on Steam, 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
 Research Story |  Onyx | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, RPG, Casual | Indie, Simulation, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 0.86 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.2% positive (234 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Petal Cat Games | Dark Matter |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation, RPG on Steam.
- Onyx (2024) is 1 year older than Research Story (2025).
- Onyx is currently ~94% cheaper on Steam than Research Story (0.86 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Research Story is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Onyx has no Deck rating yet.
Research Story vs Onyx — FAQ
- Should I play Research Story or Onyx first?
- If you want chronology, Onyx (2024) came out before Research Story (2025). 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 Research Story and Onyx similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Simulation, RPG 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 Research Story run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Research Story is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Onyx doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.