Choose Cardinal Chains
Choose Cardinal Chains if you want the Camera Comfort, Playable without Timed Input, and Mouse Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 40% cheaper on the Steam Store. Cardinal Chains launched in 2021.
Cardinal Chains vs Strange Jigsaws
Cardinal Chains and Strange Jigsaws both land in 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 Indie, Casual on Steam. Cardinal Chains (2021) is 4 years older than Strange Jigsaws (2025). Strange Jigsaws scores higher on Steam reviews (99.5% positive) than Cardinal Chains (90.9% 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 Strange Jigsaws
Choose Strange Jigsaws if you want an Adventure game with Subtitle Options. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,800 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Cardinal Chains and Strange Jigsaws sit in Indie and Casual on Steam and both list Color Alternatives and Custom Volume Controls, 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
 Cardinal Chains |  Strange Jigsaws | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2025 |
| Genres | Indie, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.9% positive (11 reviews) | 99.5% positive (2,800 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Daniel Nora | FLEB |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Cardinal Chains (2021) is 4 years older than Strange Jigsaws (2025).
- Strange Jigsaws scores higher on Steam reviews (99.5% positive) than Cardinal Chains (90.9% positive).
- Cardinal Chains is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Strange Jigsaws (2.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Cardinal Chains vs Strange Jigsaws — FAQ
- Should I play Cardinal Chains or Strange Jigsaws first?
- If you want chronology, Cardinal Chains (2021) came out before Strange Jigsaws (2025). 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 Cardinal Chains and Strange Jigsaws similar?
- They overlap on 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.