IMHO.

Children of Zodiarcs vs Trials of Fire

Children of Zodiarcs and Trials of Fire both land in Strategy, Indie, RPG 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 Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam. Children of Zodiarcs (2017) is 4 years older than Trials of Fire (2021). Trials of Fire scores higher on Steam reviews (88.7% positive) than Children of Zodiarcs (67.5% 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 Children of Zodiarcs

Choose Children of Zodiarcs if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Children of Zodiarcs launched in 2017.

Choose Trials of Fire

Choose Trials of Fire if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.7% positive across 1,597 reviews.

Both Children of Zodiarcs and Trials of Fire sit in Strategy, Indie, and RPG 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

Children of Zodiarcs vs Trials of Fire — Steam metadata comparison
Children of Zodiarcs — Steam game coverChildren of ZodiarcsTrials of Fire — Steam game coverTrials of Fire
Released20172021
GenresStrategy, Indie, RPGStrategy, Indie, RPG
PlatformsWindows, macOSWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Verified
Price17.99 USD3.99 USD
Steam reviews67.5% positive (255 reviews)88.7% positive (1,597 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersCardboard UtopiaWhatboy Games

Side by side

Children of Zodiarcs vs Trials of Fire — FAQ

Which is better, Children of Zodiarcs or Trials of Fire?
On Steam reviews Trials of Fire scores higher (88.7% positive) than Children of Zodiarcs (67.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Trials of Fire is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Children of Zodiarcs or Trials of Fire first?
If you want chronology, Children of Zodiarcs (2017) came out before Trials of Fire (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 Children of Zodiarcs and Trials of Fire similar?
They overlap on Strategy, Indie, RPG 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 Children of Zodiarcs and Trials of Fire 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.