Choose The Hat Man: Shadow Ward
Choose The Hat Man: Shadow Ward if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 57.4% positive across 897 reviews.
The Hat Man: Shadow Ward vs Despair
The Hat Man: Shadow Ward and Despair both land in Action, Indie, Adventure 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, Adventure on Steam. Despair (2015) is 1 year older than The Hat Man: Shadow Ward (2016). The Hat Man: Shadow Ward scores higher on Steam reviews (57.4% positive) than Despair (33.1% 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 Despair
Choose Despair if it's currently about 90% cheaper on the Steam Store. Despair launched in 2015.
Both The Hat Man: Shadow Ward and Despair sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure 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
 The Hat Man: Shadow Ward |  Despair | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 57.4% positive (897 reviews) | 33.1% positive (788 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Game Mechanics LLC | AGC |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Despair (2015) is 1 year older than The Hat Man: Shadow Ward (2016).
- The Hat Man: Shadow Ward scores higher on Steam reviews (57.4% positive) than Despair (33.1% positive).
- Despair is currently ~90% cheaper on Steam than The Hat Man: Shadow Ward (0.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
The Hat Man: Shadow Ward vs Despair — FAQ
- Which is better, The Hat Man: Shadow Ward or Despair?
- On Steam reviews The Hat Man: Shadow Ward scores higher (57.4% positive) than Despair (33.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, The Hat Man: Shadow Ward is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play The Hat Man: Shadow Ward or Despair first?
- If you want chronology, Despair (2015) came out before The Hat Man: Shadow Ward (2016). 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 The Hat Man: Shadow Ward and Despair similar?
- They overlap on Action, Indie, Adventure 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.