Choose The Dark Stares Back
Choose The Dark Stares Back if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's currently about 90% cheaper on the Steam Store. The Dark Stares Back launched in 2020.
The Dark Stares Back vs The Heilwald Loophole
The Dark Stares Back and The Heilwald Loophole 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. The Dark Stares Back (2020) is 2 years older than The Heilwald Loophole (2022). The Dark Stares Back is currently ~90% cheaper on Steam than The Heilwald Loophole (0.99 USD vs. 9.99 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 The Heilwald Loophole
Choose The Heilwald Loophole if you want an Adventure experience. The Heilwald Loophole launched in 2022.
Both The Dark Stares Back and The Heilwald Loophole sit in Indie 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 Dark Stares Back |  The Heilwald Loophole | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 0.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | 98.1% positive (262 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Jacob McCormick | Jan Malitschek |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- The Dark Stares Back (2020) is 2 years older than The Heilwald Loophole (2022).
- The Dark Stares Back is currently ~90% cheaper on Steam than The Heilwald Loophole (0.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- The Heilwald Loophole is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Dark Stares Back has no Deck rating yet.
The Dark Stares Back vs The Heilwald Loophole — FAQ
- Should I play The Dark Stares Back or The Heilwald Loophole first?
- If you want chronology, The Dark Stares Back (2020) came out before The Heilwald Loophole (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 The Dark Stares Back and The Heilwald Loophole 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.