Choose It Stares Back
Choose It Stares Back if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. It Stares Back launched in 2019.
It Stares Back vs Loot River
It Stares Back and Loot River both land in Action, Strategy, Indie 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, Strategy, Indie on Steam. It Stares Back (2019) is 3 years older than Loot River (2022). It Stares Back scores higher on Steam reviews (90.5% positive) than Loot River (72.1% 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 Loot River
Choose Loot River if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Loot River launched in 2022.
Both It Stares Back and Loot River sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie 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
 It Stares Back |  Loot River | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.5% positive (63 reviews) | 72.1% positive (215 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Light Arc Studio Ltd | straka.studio |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- It Stares Back (2019) is 3 years older than Loot River (2022).
- It Stares Back scores higher on Steam reviews (90.5% positive) than Loot River (72.1% positive).
- It Stares Back is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than Loot River (9.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Loot River is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; It Stares Back has no Deck rating yet.
It Stares Back vs Loot River — FAQ
- Should I play It Stares Back or Loot River first?
- If you want chronology, It Stares Back (2019) came out before Loot River (2022). 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 It Stares Back and Loot River similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Indie 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.