Choose Dark Arcana: The Carnival
Choose Dark Arcana: The Carnival if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Dark Arcana: The Carnival launched in 2014.
Dark Arcana: The Carnival vs 9 Clues 2: The Ward
Dark Arcana: The Carnival and 9 Clues 2: The Ward both land in Adventure, Casual 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 Adventure, Casual on Steam. Dark Arcana: The Carnival (2014) is 1 year older than 9 Clues 2: The Ward (2015). Both sit near 86% positive on Steam (Dark Arcana: The Carnival: 197 reviews, 9 Clues 2: The Ward: 276). 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 9 Clues 2: The Ward
Choose 9 Clues 2: The Ward if it matches what drew you to this matchup. 9 Clues 2: The Ward launched in 2015.
Both Dark Arcana: The Carnival and 9 Clues 2: The Ward sit in Adventure and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (85.3% vs 86.2% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dark Arcana: The Carnival |  9 Clues 2: The Ward | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Genres | Adventure, Casual | Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85.3% positive (197 reviews) | 86.2% positive (276 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Artifex Mundi | Tap It Games |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- Dark Arcana: The Carnival (2014) is 1 year older than 9 Clues 2: The Ward (2015).
- Both sit near 86% positive on Steam (Dark Arcana: The Carnival: 197 reviews, 9 Clues 2: The Ward: 276).
- 9 Clues 2: The Ward is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Dark Arcana: The Carnival (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
Dark Arcana: The Carnival vs 9 Clues 2: The Ward — FAQ
- Which is better, Dark Arcana: The Carnival or 9 Clues 2: The Ward?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Dark Arcana: The Carnival sits at 85.3% positive (197 reviews), 9 Clues 2: The Ward at 86.2% (276). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Dark Arcana: The Carnival or 9 Clues 2: The Ward first?
- If you want chronology, Dark Arcana: The Carnival (2014) came out before 9 Clues 2: The Ward (2015). 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 Dark Arcana: The Carnival and 9 Clues 2: The Ward similar?
- They overlap on Adventure, Casual 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.