Choose Apperception
Choose Apperception if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's currently about 67% cheaper on the Steam Store. Apperception launched in 2017.
Apperception vs Diary of Defender
Apperception and Diary of Defender both land in Indie, Adventure, Violent 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, Violent on Steam. Apperception (2017) is 1 year older than Diary of Defender (2018). Apperception is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Diary of Defender (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD). 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 Diary of Defender
Choose Diary of Defender if you want an Action, Simulation, and Early Access experience. Diary of Defender launched in 2018.
Both Apperception and Diary of Defender sit in Indie, Adventure, and Violent on Steam and both list Tracked Controller Support and VR Only, 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
 Apperception |  Diary of Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Violent, Gore | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Early Access, Violent, Gore |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | BrokenMemoryGames | 5th VR |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Violent on Steam.
- Apperception (2017) is 1 year older than Diary of Defender (2018).
- Apperception is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Diary of Defender (4.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
Apperception vs Diary of Defender — FAQ
- Should I play Apperception or Diary of Defender first?
- If you want chronology, Apperception (2017) came out before Diary of Defender (2018). 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 Apperception and Diary of Defender similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Violent 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.