IMHO.

Heroes of Science and Fiction vs Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods

Heroes of Science and Fiction and Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods both land in Strategy, 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 Strategy, RPG on Steam. Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (2024) is 2 years older than Heroes of Science and Fiction (2026). Heroes of Science and Fiction scores higher on Steam reviews (88.9% positive) than Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (81.3% 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 Heroes of Science and Fiction

Choose Heroes of Science and Fiction if you want an Indie game with Shared/Split Screen, Online PvP, and Shared/Split Screen PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Heroes of Science and Fiction launched in 2026.

Choose Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods

Choose Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods if it's currently about 93% cheaper on the Steam Store. Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods launched in 2024.

Both Heroes of Science and Fiction and Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods sit in Strategy and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player, LAN PvP, and PvP, 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

Heroes of Science and Fiction vs Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods — Steam metadata comparison
Heroes of Science and Fiction — Steam game coverHeroes of Science and FictionPopulous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods — Steam game coverPopulous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods
Released20262024
GenresStrategy, Indie, RPGStrategy, RPG
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Playable
Price14.99 USD0.99 USD
Steam reviews88.9% positive (352 reviews)81.3% positive (16 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-opMulti-player
DevelopersOxymoron GamesBullfrog Productions

Side by side

Heroes of Science and Fiction vs Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods — FAQ

Should I play Heroes of Science and Fiction or Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods first?
If you want chronology, Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (2024) came out before Heroes of Science and Fiction (2026). 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 Heroes of Science and Fiction and Populous™ II: Trials of the Olympian Gods similar?
They overlap on Strategy, 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.
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