Choose The Academy: The First Riddle
Choose The Academy: The First Riddle if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Academy: The First Riddle launched in 2020.
The Academy: The First Riddle vs Mystic Pillars X Kantara
The Academy: The First Riddle and Mystic Pillars X Kantara both land in Indie, Adventure, 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 Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam. Both released in 2020. Mystic Pillars X Kantara scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Academy: The First Riddle (64.6% 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 Mystic Pillars X Kantara
Choose Mystic Pillars X Kantara if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Mystic Pillars X Kantara launched in 2020.
Both The Academy: The First Riddle and Mystic Pillars X Kantara sit in Indie, Adventure, 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
 The Academy: The First Riddle |  Mystic Pillars X Kantara | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 6.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 64.6% positive (48 reviews) | 95.3% positive (43 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Pine Studio | Holy Cow Productions |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Both released in 2020.
- Mystic Pillars X Kantara scores higher on Steam reviews (95.3% positive) than The Academy: The First Riddle (64.6% positive).
- Mystic Pillars X Kantara is currently ~13% cheaper on Steam than The Academy: The First Riddle (6.99 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
- The Academy: The First Riddle is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Mystic Pillars X Kantara has no Deck rating yet.
The Academy: The First Riddle vs Mystic Pillars X Kantara — FAQ
- Are The Academy: The First Riddle and Mystic Pillars X Kantara similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, 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.
- Does The Academy: The First Riddle run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Academy: The First Riddle is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Mystic Pillars X Kantara doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.