Choose House of Shadow
Choose House of Shadow if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. House of Shadow launched in 2023.
House of Shadow vs Leap Year
House of Shadow and Leap Year 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. House of Shadow (2023) is 1 year older than Leap Year (2024). House of Shadow is free; Leap Year is paid (4.99 USD). 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 Leap Year
Choose Leap Year if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Leap Year launched in 2024.
Both House of Shadow and Leap Year 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
 House of Shadow |  Leap Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | Free to play | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 6 reviews | 97.2% positive (818 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | High Clarity Games | Daniel Linssen |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- House of Shadow (2023) is 1 year older than Leap Year (2024).
- House of Shadow is free; Leap Year is paid (4.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: House of Shadow is Deck Playable, Leap Year is Deck Verified.
House of Shadow vs Leap Year — FAQ
- Should I play House of Shadow or Leap Year first?
- If you want chronology, House of Shadow (2023) came out before Leap Year (2024). 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 House of Shadow and Leap Year 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.
- Is House of Shadow free?
- Yes — House of Shadow is a free-to-play Steam title. Leap Year is paid (4.99 USD).