Choose The Shapeshifting Detective
Choose The Shapeshifting Detective if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's currently about 43% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Shapeshifting Detective launched in 2018.
The Shapeshifting Detective vs Five Dates
The Shapeshifting Detective and Five Dates both land in 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 are Adventure games on Steam. The Shapeshifting Detective (2018) is 2 years older than Five Dates (2020). Five Dates scores higher on Steam reviews (84% positive) than The Shapeshifting Detective (82.1% 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 Five Dates
Choose Five Dates if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Five Dates launched in 2020.
Both The Shapeshifting Detective and Five Dates sit in Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (82.1% vs 84% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Shapeshifting Detective |  Five Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 2.54 USD | 4.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 82.1% positive (414 reviews) | 84% positive (551 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | D'Avekki Studios Ltd, Wales Interactive | Wales Interactive, Good Gate Media |
Side by side
- Both are Adventure games on Steam.
- The Shapeshifting Detective (2018) is 2 years older than Five Dates (2020).
- Five Dates scores higher on Steam reviews (84% positive) than The Shapeshifting Detective (82.1% positive).
- The Shapeshifting Detective is currently ~43% cheaper on Steam than Five Dates (2.54 USD vs. 4.49 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
The Shapeshifting Detective vs Five Dates — FAQ
- Which is better, The Shapeshifting Detective or Five Dates?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Shapeshifting Detective sits at 82.1% positive (414 reviews), Five Dates at 84% (551). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Shapeshifting Detective or Five Dates first?
- If you want chronology, The Shapeshifting Detective (2018) came out before Five Dates (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 The Shapeshifting Detective and Five Dates similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Do The Shapeshifting Detective and Five Dates 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.