Choose Absence of Light
Choose Absence of Light if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Absence of Light launched in 2024.
Absence of Light vs DarkShine
Absence of Light and DarkShine both land in Indie, Adventure, RPG 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 Indie, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Absence of Light (2024) is 1 year older than DarkShine (2025). DarkShine is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Absence of Light (3.00 USD vs. 5.99 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 DarkShine
Choose DarkShine if you want an Early Access game with Multi-player, LAN Co-op, and Camera Comfort. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. DarkShine launched in 2025.
Both Absence of Light and DarkShine sit in Indie, Adventure, and RPG 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
 Absence of Light |  DarkShine | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Indie, Adventure, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 5.99 USD | 3.00 USD |
| Steam reviews | 4 reviews | 4 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, LAN Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Boa Noite | DScorp |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Absence of Light (2024) is 1 year older than DarkShine (2025).
- DarkShine is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Absence of Light (3.00 USD vs. 5.99 USD).
- DarkShine has co-op; Absence of Light does not.
Absence of Light vs DarkShine — FAQ
- Should I play Absence of Light or DarkShine first?
- If you want chronology, Absence of Light (2024) came out before DarkShine (2025). 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 Absence of Light and DarkShine similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, RPG 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 Absence of Light have multiplayer like DarkShine?
- No. DarkShine supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, LAN Co-op, Co-op), while Absence of Light is listed as single-player only.