Choose Fran Bow
Choose Fran Bow if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.7% positive across 8,241 reviews.
Fran Bow vs My Beautiful Paper Smile
Fran Bow and My Beautiful Paper Smile both land in Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Fran Bow (2015) is 6 years older than My Beautiful Paper Smile (2021). Fran Bow scores higher on Steam reviews (96.7% positive) than My Beautiful Paper Smile (83.1% 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 My Beautiful Paper Smile
Choose My Beautiful Paper Smile if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. My Beautiful Paper Smile launched in 2021.
Both Fran Bow and My Beautiful Paper Smile sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 Fran Bow |  My Beautiful Paper Smile | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.7% positive (8,241 reviews) | 83.1% positive (183 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Killmonday Games AB | Two Star Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Fran Bow (2015) is 6 years older than My Beautiful Paper Smile (2021).
- Fran Bow scores higher on Steam reviews (96.7% positive) than My Beautiful Paper Smile (83.1% positive).
- My Beautiful Paper Smile is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Fran Bow (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Fran Bow is Deck Verified, My Beautiful Paper Smile is Deck Unsupported.
Fran Bow vs My Beautiful Paper Smile — FAQ
- Which is better, Fran Bow or My Beautiful Paper Smile?
- On Steam reviews Fran Bow scores higher (96.7% positive) than My Beautiful Paper Smile (83.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Fran Bow is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Fran Bow or My Beautiful Paper Smile first?
- If you want chronology, Fran Bow (2015) came out before My Beautiful Paper Smile (2021). 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 Fran Bow and My Beautiful Paper Smile similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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.