Choose Cave Story+
Choose Cave Story+ if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 91.8% positive across 3,688 reviews.
Cave Story+ vs Castle In The Darkness
Cave Story+ and Castle In The Darkness 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. Cave Story+ (2011) is 4 years older than Castle In The Darkness (2015). Cave Story+ scores higher on Steam reviews (91.8% positive) than Castle In The Darkness (73.7% 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 Castle In The Darkness
Choose Castle In The Darkness if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. Castle In The Darkness launched in 2015.
Both Cave Story+ and Castle In The Darkness 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
 Cave Story+ |  Castle In The Darkness | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2011 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 91.8% positive (3,688 reviews) | 73.7% positive (801 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Nicalis, Inc., Studio Pixel | Matt Kap, Nicalis, Inc. |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Cave Story+ (2011) is 4 years older than Castle In The Darkness (2015).
- Cave Story+ scores higher on Steam reviews (91.8% positive) than Castle In The Darkness (73.7% positive).
- Castle In The Darkness is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Cave Story+ (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Cave Story+ vs Castle In The Darkness — FAQ
- Which is better, Cave Story+ or Castle In The Darkness?
- On Steam reviews Cave Story+ scores higher (91.8% positive) than Castle In The Darkness (73.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Cave Story+ is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Cave Story+ or Castle In The Darkness first?
- If you want chronology, Cave Story+ (2011) came out before Castle In The Darkness (2015). 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 Cave Story+ and Castle In The Darkness 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.