Choose Fran Bow
Choose Fran Bow if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 8,241 Steam reviews back the pick.
Fran Bow vs Letters of Bernard Thorne
Fran Bow and Letters of Bernard Thorne 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 10 years older than Letters of Bernard Thorne (2025). Letters of Bernard Thorne scores higher on Steam reviews (98.6% positive) than Fran Bow (96.7% 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 Letters of Bernard Thorne
Choose Letters of Bernard Thorne if it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Letters of Bernard Thorne launched in 2025.
Both Fran Bow and Letters of Bernard Thorne sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (96.7% vs 98.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Fran Bow |  Letters of Bernard Thorne | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2025 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.7% positive (8,241 reviews) | 98.6% positive (72 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Killmonday Games AB | Korean Linguistics Lab |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Fran Bow (2015) is 10 years older than Letters of Bernard Thorne (2025).
- Letters of Bernard Thorne scores higher on Steam reviews (98.6% positive) than Fran Bow (96.7% positive).
- Letters of Bernard Thorne is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Fran Bow (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Fran Bow is Deck Verified, Letters of Bernard Thorne is Deck Unsupported.
Fran Bow vs Letters of Bernard Thorne — FAQ
- Should I play Fran Bow or Letters of Bernard Thorne first?
- If you want chronology, Fran Bow (2015) came out before Letters of Bernard Thorne (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 Fran Bow and Letters of Bernard Thorne 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.