Choose Photonic Distress
Choose Photonic Distress if you want an Adventure experience. Photonic Distress launched in 2018.
Photonic Distress vs Chico
Photonic Distress and Chico both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Casual on Steam. Photonic Distress (2018) is 2 years older than Chico (2020). Chico is currently ~30% cheaper on Steam than Photonic Distress (6.99 USD vs. 9.99 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 Chico
Choose Chico if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 30% cheaper on the Steam Store. Chico launched in 2020.
Both Photonic Distress and Chico sit in Action, 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
 Photonic Distress |  Chico | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80% positive (20 reviews) | 3 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | GRIP420 | 1Monkey2Brains |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Photonic Distress (2018) is 2 years older than Chico (2020).
- Chico is currently ~30% cheaper on Steam than Photonic Distress (6.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
Photonic Distress vs Chico — FAQ
- Should I play Photonic Distress or Chico first?
- If you want chronology, Photonic Distress (2018) came out before Chico (2020). 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 Photonic Distress and Chico similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.