Choose Ikaruga
Choose Ikaruga if you want the Multi-player and Shared/Split Screen side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 23% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,193 Steam reviews back the pick.
Ikaruga vs STURMWIND EX
Ikaruga and STURMWIND EX both land in Action, 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, Indie on Steam. Ikaruga (2014) is 5 years older than STURMWIND EX (2019). Ikaruga scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than STURMWIND EX (79.2% 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 STURMWIND EX
Choose STURMWIND EX if it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. STURMWIND EX launched in 2019.
Both Ikaruga and STURMWIND EX sit in Action and Indie on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, 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
 Ikaruga |  STURMWIND EX | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 12.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 95.1% positive (1,193 reviews) | 79.2% positive (24 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | TREASURE | b-alive, Duranik |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Ikaruga (2014) is 5 years older than STURMWIND EX (2019).
- Ikaruga scores higher on Steam reviews (95.1% positive) than STURMWIND EX (79.2% positive).
- Ikaruga is currently ~23% cheaper on Steam than STURMWIND EX (9.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Ikaruga is Deck Verified, STURMWIND EX is Deck Unsupported.
Ikaruga vs STURMWIND EX — FAQ
- Should I play Ikaruga or STURMWIND EX first?
- If you want chronology, Ikaruga (2014) came out before STURMWIND EX (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 Ikaruga and STURMWIND EX similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 STURMWIND EX have multiplayer like Ikaruga?
- No. Ikaruga supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while STURMWIND EX is listed as single-player only.