Choose Research Story
Choose Research Story if you want a RPG and Casual experience. Research Story launched in 2025.
Research Story vs Garden of the Sea
Research Story and Garden of the Sea both land in Indie, Simulation 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 on Steam. Garden of the Sea (2024) is 1 year older than Research Story (2025). Garden of the Sea scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Research Story (96.2% 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 Garden of the Sea
Choose Garden of the Sea if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Garden of the Sea launched in 2024.
Both Research Story and Garden of the Sea sit in Indie and Simulation 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 |  Garden of the Sea | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Simulation, RPG, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.2% positive (234 reviews) | 100% positive (22 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Petal Cat Games | Neat Corporation |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- Garden of the Sea (2024) is 1 year older than Research Story (2025).
- Garden of the Sea scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Research Story (96.2% positive).
- Garden of the Sea is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Research Story (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Research Story vs Garden of the Sea — FAQ
- Should I play Research Story or Garden of the Sea first?
- If you want chronology, Garden of the Sea (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 Garden of the Sea similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Simulation 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.
- Do Research Story and Garden of the Sea both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.