Choose Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space
Choose Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space launched in 2021.
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space vs Water Buddy
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space and Water Buddy both land in 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 are Indie games on Steam. Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space (2021) is 3 years older than Water Buddy (2024). Both sit near 100% positive on Steam (Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space: 368 reviews, Water Buddy: 11). 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 Water Buddy
Choose Water Buddy if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's currently about 85% cheaper on the Steam Store. Water Buddy launched in 2024.
Both Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space and Water Buddy sit in Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (99.2% vs 100% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space |  Water Buddy | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 99.2% positive (368 reviews) | 100% positive (11 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Skunkape Games | Phil Gathany |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space (2021) is 3 years older than Water Buddy (2024).
- Both sit near 100% positive on Steam (Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space: 368 reviews, Water Buddy: 11).
- Water Buddy is currently ~85% cheaper on Steam than Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space (2.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Water Buddy has no Deck rating yet.
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space vs Water Buddy — FAQ
- Should I play Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space or Water Buddy first?
- If you want chronology, Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space (2021) came out before Water Buddy (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 Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space and Water Buddy similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Does Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Water Buddy doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.