Choose Blade of Darkness
Choose Blade of Darkness if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Blade of Darkness launched in 2021.
Blade of Darkness vs The Relic: First Guardian
Blade of Darkness and The Relic: First Guardian both land in Action, RPG 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, RPG on Steam. Blade of Darkness (2021) is 5 years older than The Relic: First Guardian (2026). Blade of Darkness is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Relic: First Guardian has no Deck rating yet. 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 Relic: First Guardian
Choose The Relic: First Guardian if you want an Adventure game with Gamepad Recommended. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Relic: First Guardian launched in 2026.
Both Blade of Darkness and The Relic: First Guardian sit in Action and RPG 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
 Blade of Darkness |  The Relic: First Guardian | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 88.8% positive (720 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Rebel Act Studios, Fire Falcom, General Arcade | Project Cloud Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, RPG on Steam.
- Blade of Darkness (2021) is 5 years older than The Relic: First Guardian (2026).
- Blade of Darkness is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; The Relic: First Guardian has no Deck rating yet.
Blade of Darkness vs The Relic: First Guardian — FAQ
- Should I play Blade of Darkness or The Relic: First Guardian first?
- If you want chronology, Blade of Darkness (2021) came out before The Relic: First Guardian (2026). 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 Blade of Darkness and The Relic: First Guardian similar?
- They overlap on Action, RPG 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 Blade of Darkness run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Blade of Darkness is rated Deck Verified by Valve. The Relic: First Guardian doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.