Choose MASSIVE CHALICE
Choose MASSIVE CHALICE if it's currently about 20% cheaper on the Steam Store. MASSIVE CHALICE launched in 2015.
MASSIVE CHALICE vs The Hand of Merlin
MASSIVE CHALICE and The Hand of Merlin both land in Strategy, Indie 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 Strategy, Indie on Steam. MASSIVE CHALICE (2015) is 7 years older than The Hand of Merlin (2022). Both sit near 72% positive on Steam (MASSIVE CHALICE: 998 reviews, The Hand of Merlin: 226). 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 The Hand of Merlin
Choose The Hand of Merlin if you want a RPG experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Hand of Merlin launched in 2022.
Both MASSIVE CHALICE and The Hand of Merlin sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (72.1% vs 71.7% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 MASSIVE CHALICE |  The Hand of Merlin | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 24.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 72.1% positive (998 reviews) | 71.7% positive (226 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Double Fine Productions | Room-C Games |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- MASSIVE CHALICE (2015) is 7 years older than The Hand of Merlin (2022).
- Both sit near 72% positive on Steam (MASSIVE CHALICE: 998 reviews, The Hand of Merlin: 226).
- MASSIVE CHALICE is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than The Hand of Merlin (19.99 USD vs. 24.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: MASSIVE CHALICE is Deck Unsupported, The Hand of Merlin is Deck Verified.
MASSIVE CHALICE vs The Hand of Merlin — FAQ
- Which is better, MASSIVE CHALICE or The Hand of Merlin?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: MASSIVE CHALICE sits at 72.1% positive (998 reviews), The Hand of Merlin at 71.7% (226). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play MASSIVE CHALICE or The Hand of Merlin first?
- If you want chronology, MASSIVE CHALICE (2015) came out before The Hand of Merlin (2022). 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 MASSIVE CHALICE and The Hand of Merlin similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie 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.