Choose Blackguards
Choose Blackguards if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 1,271 Steam reviews back the pick.
Blackguards vs It Stares Back
Blackguards and It Stares Back both land in Action, 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 Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Blackguards (2014) is 5 years older than It Stares Back (2019). It Stares Back scores higher on Steam reviews (90.5% positive) than Blackguards (59.2% positive). 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 It Stares Back
Choose It Stares Back if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. It Stares Back launched in 2019.
Both Blackguards and It Stares Back sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie 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
 Blackguards |  It Stares Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 59.2% positive (1,271 reviews) | 90.5% positive (63 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Daedalic Entertainment | Light Arc Studio Ltd |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Blackguards (2014) is 5 years older than It Stares Back (2019).
- It Stares Back scores higher on Steam reviews (90.5% positive) than Blackguards (59.2% positive).
- It Stares Back is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Blackguards (9.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Blackguards is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; It Stares Back has no Deck rating yet.
Blackguards vs It Stares Back — FAQ
- Should I play Blackguards or It Stares Back first?
- If you want chronology, Blackguards (2014) came out before It Stares Back (2019). 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 Blackguards and It Stares Back similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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.
- Does Blackguards run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Blackguards is rated Deck Playable by Valve. It Stares Back doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.