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 Mati
The Academy: The First Riddle and Mati 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. The Academy: The First Riddle (2020) is 4 years older than Mati (2024). Mati is currently ~88% cheaper on Steam than The Academy: The First Riddle (0.99 USD vs. 7.99 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 Mati
Choose Mati if it's currently about 88% cheaper on the Steam Store. Mati launched in 2024.
Both The Academy: The First Riddle and Mati 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 |  Mati | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 64.6% positive (48 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Pine Studio | Germanium HQ eU |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- The Academy: The First Riddle (2020) is 4 years older than Mati (2024).
- Mati is currently ~88% cheaper on Steam than The Academy: The First Riddle (0.99 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
- The Academy: The First Riddle is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Mati has no Deck rating yet.
The Academy: The First Riddle vs Mati — FAQ
- Should I play The Academy: The First Riddle or Mati first?
- If you want chronology, The Academy: The First Riddle (2020) came out before Mati (2024). 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 Academy: The First Riddle and Mati 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. Mati doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.