Choose Fran Bow
Choose Fran Bow if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 8,241 Steam reviews back the pick.
Fran Bow vs Detention
Fran Bow and Detention 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 2 years older than Detention (2017). Both sit near 97% positive on Steam (Fran Bow: 8,241 reviews, Detention: 2,780). 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 Detention
Choose Detention if it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. 2,780 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Fran Bow and Detention sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (96.7% vs 96.3% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Fran Bow |  Detention | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.7% positive (8,241 reviews) | 96.3% positive (2,780 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Killmonday Games AB | RedCandleGames |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Fran Bow (2015) is 2 years older than Detention (2017).
- Both sit near 97% positive on Steam (Fran Bow: 8,241 reviews, Detention: 2,780).
- Detention is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Fran Bow (11.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
Fran Bow vs Detention — FAQ
- Which is better, Fran Bow or Detention?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Fran Bow sits at 96.7% positive (8,241 reviews), Detention at 96.3% (2,780). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Fran Bow or Detention first?
- If you want chronology, Fran Bow (2015) came out before Detention (2017). 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 Detention 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.
- Do Fran Bow and Detention both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.