Choose Manifold Garden
Choose Manifold Garden if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 4,329 Steam reviews back the pick.
Manifold Garden vs Wail of Despair
Manifold Garden and Wail of Despair 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. Manifold Garden (2020) is 6 years older than Wail of Despair (2026). Manifold Garden is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Wail of Despair has no Deck rating yet. 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 Wail of Despair
Choose Wail of Despair if you want the Color Alternatives, Camera Comfort, and Custom Volume Controls side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Wail of Despair launched in 2026.
Both Manifold Garden and Wail of Despair sit in Indie and Adventure 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
 Manifold Garden |  Wail of Despair | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (4,329 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | William Chyr Studio | Yai Gameworks |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Manifold Garden (2020) is 6 years older than Wail of Despair (2026).
- Manifold Garden is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Wail of Despair has no Deck rating yet.
Manifold Garden vs Wail of Despair — FAQ
- Should I play Manifold Garden or Wail of Despair first?
- If you want chronology, Manifold Garden (2020) came out before Wail of Despair (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 Manifold Garden and Wail of Despair 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.
- Does Manifold Garden run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Manifold Garden is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Wail of Despair doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.