Choose Striving for Light
Choose Striving for Light if you want a Casual game with Shared/Split Screen and Shared/Split Screen Co-op. Striving for Light launched in 2025.
Striving for Light vs Metal Mutation
Striving for Light and Metal Mutation both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Metal Mutation (2023) is 2 years older than Striving for Light (2025). Striving for Light scores higher on Steam reviews (80% positive) than Metal Mutation (58.3% 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 Metal Mutation
Choose Metal Mutation if you want the LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Metal Mutation launched in 2023.
Both Striving for Light and Metal Mutation sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, 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
 Striving for Light |  Metal Mutation | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2023 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 12.59 USD | 2.54 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80% positive (100 reviews) | 58.3% positive (12 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, LAN Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Igniting Spark Games | T0 STUDIO |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Metal Mutation (2023) is 2 years older than Striving for Light (2025).
- Striving for Light scores higher on Steam reviews (80% positive) than Metal Mutation (58.3% positive).
- Metal Mutation is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Striving for Light (2.54 USD vs. 12.59 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Striving for Light vs Metal Mutation — FAQ
- Should I play Striving for Light or Metal Mutation first?
- If you want chronology, Metal Mutation (2023) came out before Striving for Light (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 Striving for Light and Metal Mutation similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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.
- Do both Striving for Light and Metal Mutation have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Striving for Light ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Metal Mutation ships LAN Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Striving for Light and Metal Mutation both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.