Choose Retrace the Light
Choose Retrace the Light if you want the Custom Volume Controls, Stereo Sound, and Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 55% cheaper on the Steam Store. Retrace the Light launched in 2025.
Retrace the Light vs Kotama and Academy Citadel
Retrace the Light and Kotama and Academy Citadel 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. Retrace the Light (2025) is 1 year older than Kotama and Academy Citadel (2026). Both sit near 92% positive on Steam (Retrace the Light: 13 reviews, Kotama and Academy Citadel: 326). 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 Kotama and Academy Citadel
Choose Kotama and Academy Citadel if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Kotama and Academy Citadel launched in 2026.
Both Retrace the Light and Kotama and Academy Citadel sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92.3% vs 91.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Retrace the Light |  Kotama and Academy Citadel | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 8.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92.3% positive (13 reviews) | 91.7% positive (326 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Xiaming Game | Atomstring Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Retrace the Light (2025) is 1 year older than Kotama and Academy Citadel (2026).
- Both sit near 92% positive on Steam (Retrace the Light: 13 reviews, Kotama and Academy Citadel: 326).
- Retrace the Light is currently ~55% cheaper on Steam than Kotama and Academy Citadel (8.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Retrace the Light is Deck Playable, Kotama and Academy Citadel is Deck Verified.
Retrace the Light vs Kotama and Academy Citadel — FAQ
- Should I play Retrace the Light or Kotama and Academy Citadel first?
- If you want chronology, Retrace the Light (2025) came out before Kotama and Academy Citadel (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 Retrace the Light and Kotama and Academy Citadel 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.