Choose Arcane Vale
Choose Arcane Vale if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Arcane Vale launched in 2022.
Arcane Vale vs Sword Islands
Arcane Vale and Sword Islands 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. Sword Islands has co-op; Arcane Vale does not. Arcane Vale is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Sword Islands 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 Sword Islands
Choose Sword Islands if you want the Multi-player, Online Co-op, and Tracked Controller Support side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend.
Both Arcane Vale and Sword Islands sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure 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
 Arcane Vale |  Sword Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | — |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 11.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 78.4% positive (74 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Dynamic Zero | Void Reality Lab |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Sword Islands has co-op; Arcane Vale does not.
- Arcane Vale is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Sword Islands has no Deck rating yet.
Arcane Vale vs Sword Islands — FAQ
- Are Arcane Vale and Sword Islands 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.
- Does Arcane Vale have multiplayer like Sword Islands?
- No. Sword Islands supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op), while Arcane Vale is listed as single-player only.
- Does Arcane Vale run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Arcane Vale is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Sword Islands doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.