Choose Magrunner: Dark Pulse
Choose Magrunner: Dark Pulse if it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Magrunner: Dark Pulse launched in 2013.
Magrunner: Dark Pulse vs Sandmason
Magrunner: Dark Pulse and Sandmason 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. Magrunner: Dark Pulse (2013) is 2 years older than Sandmason (2015). Both sit near 78% positive on Steam (Magrunner: Dark Pulse: 209 reviews, Sandmason: 32). 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 Sandmason
Choose Sandmason if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Sandmason launched in 2015.
Both Magrunner: Dark Pulse and Sandmason sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (78% vs 78.1% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Magrunner: Dark Pulse |  Sandmason | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 78% positive (209 reviews) | 78.1% positive (32 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Frogwares | GoodVole |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Magrunner: Dark Pulse (2013) is 2 years older than Sandmason (2015).
- Both sit near 78% positive on Steam (Magrunner: Dark Pulse: 209 reviews, Sandmason: 32).
- Sandmason is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Magrunner: Dark Pulse (3.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Magrunner: Dark Pulse is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Sandmason has no Deck rating yet.
Magrunner: Dark Pulse vs Sandmason — FAQ
- Should I play Magrunner: Dark Pulse or Sandmason first?
- If you want chronology, Magrunner: Dark Pulse (2013) came out before Sandmason (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 Magrunner: Dark Pulse and Sandmason 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 Magrunner: Dark Pulse have multiplayer like Sandmason?
- No. Sandmason supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Magrunner: Dark Pulse is listed as single-player only.
- Does Magrunner: Dark Pulse run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Magrunner: Dark Pulse is rated Deck Playable by Valve. Sandmason doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.