Choose Dear Esther
Choose Dear Esther if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 3,075 Steam reviews back the pick.
Dear Esther vs I LIKE THE FLOWERS
Dear Esther and I LIKE THE FLOWERS both land in Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. Dear Esther (2012) is 7 years older than I LIKE THE FLOWERS (2019). Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; I LIKE THE FLOWERS has no Deck rating yet. 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 I LIKE THE FLOWERS
Choose I LIKE THE FLOWERS if it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. I LIKE THE FLOWERS launched in 2019.
Both Dear Esther and I LIKE THE FLOWERS sit in Indie and Casual 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
 Dear Esther |  I LIKE THE FLOWERS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.6% positive (3,075 reviews) | 7 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe | Red twice potato |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Dear Esther (2012) is 7 years older than I LIKE THE FLOWERS (2019).
- Dear Esther is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; I LIKE THE FLOWERS has no Deck rating yet.
Dear Esther vs I LIKE THE FLOWERS — FAQ
- Should I play Dear Esther or I LIKE THE FLOWERS first?
- If you want chronology, Dear Esther (2012) came out before I LIKE THE FLOWERS (2019). 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 Dear Esther and I LIKE THE FLOWERS similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Casual 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 Dear Esther run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Dear Esther is rated Deck Verified by Valve. I LIKE THE FLOWERS doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.