Choose Mark of the Ninja
Choose Mark of the Ninja if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 6,989 Steam reviews back the pick.
Mark of the Ninja vs Empress of Gold
Mark of the Ninja and Empress of Gold 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. Mark of the Ninja (2012) is 8 years older than Empress of Gold (2020). Mark of the Ninja is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Empress of Gold 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 Empress of Gold
Choose Empress of Gold if you want a Casual experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Empress of Gold launched in 2020.
Both Mark of the Ninja and Empress of Gold 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
 Mark of the Ninja |  Empress of Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.8% positive (6,989 reviews) | 2 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Klei Entertainment | Tobop Productions |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Mark of the Ninja (2012) is 8 years older than Empress of Gold (2020).
- Mark of the Ninja is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Empress of Gold has no Deck rating yet.
Mark of the Ninja vs Empress of Gold — FAQ
- Should I play Mark of the Ninja or Empress of Gold first?
- If you want chronology, Mark of the Ninja (2012) came out before Empress of Gold (2020). 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 Mark of the Ninja and Empress of Gold 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 Mark of the Ninja run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Mark of the Ninja is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Empress of Gold doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.