Choose The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns
Choose The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns launched in 2016.
The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns vs Once Upon a Throne of Thorns
The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns and Once Upon a Throne of Thorns both land in Indie, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns (2016) is 10 years older than Once Upon a Throne of Thorns (2026). The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns is free; Once Upon a Throne of Thorns is paid (Price unknown). 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 Once Upon a Throne of Thorns
Choose Once Upon a Throne of Thorns if it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Once Upon a Throne of Thorns launched in 2026.
Both The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns and Once Upon a Throne of Thorns sit in Indie and Casual 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
 The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns |  Once Upon a Throne of Thorns | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 90.6% positive (587 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | ebi-hime | ebi-hime |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns (2016) is 10 years older than Once Upon a Throne of Thorns (2026).
- The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns is free; Once Upon a Throne of Thorns is paid (Price unknown).
- The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Once Upon a Throne of Thorns has no Deck rating yet.
The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns vs Once Upon a Throne of Thorns — FAQ
- Should I play The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns or Once Upon a Throne of Thorns first?
- If you want chronology, The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns (2016) came out before Once Upon a Throne of Thorns (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 The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns and Once Upon a Throne of Thorns similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Casual 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.
- Is The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns free?
- Yes — The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns is a free-to-play Steam title. Once Upon a Throne of Thorns is paid (Price unknown).
- Does The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Once Upon a Throne of Thorns doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.