Choose Kathy Rain
Choose Kathy Rain if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,259 Steam reviews back the pick.
Kathy Rain vs Whispers of a Machine
Kathy Rain and Whispers of a Machine both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. Kathy Rain (2016) is 3 years older than Whispers of a Machine (2019). Whispers of a Machine scores higher on Steam reviews (93.9% positive) than Kathy Rain (92.5% 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 Whispers of a Machine
Choose Whispers of a Machine if it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Whispers of a Machine launched in 2019.
Both Kathy Rain and Whispers of a Machine sit in Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.5% vs 93.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Kathy Rain |  Whispers of a Machine | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.5% positive (1,259 reviews) | 93.9% positive (995 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Clifftop Games | Clifftop Games, Faravid Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- Kathy Rain (2016) is 3 years older than Whispers of a Machine (2019).
- Whispers of a Machine scores higher on Steam reviews (93.9% positive) than Kathy Rain (92.5% positive).
- Kathy Rain is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Whispers of a Machine (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Kathy Rain is Deck Playable, Whispers of a Machine is Deck Unsupported.
Kathy Rain vs Whispers of a Machine — FAQ
- Which is better, Kathy Rain or Whispers of a Machine?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Kathy Rain sits at 92.5% positive (1,259 reviews), Whispers of a Machine at 93.9% (995). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Kathy Rain or Whispers of a Machine first?
- If you want chronology, Kathy Rain (2016) came out before Whispers of a Machine (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 Kathy Rain and Whispers of a Machine similar?
- They overlap on 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.