Choose Down the shaft
Choose Down the shaft if you want an Action, Adventure, and Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Down the shaft launched in 2024.
Down the shaft vs Lock 87
Down the shaft and Lock 87 both land in 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 are Indie games on Steam. Down the shaft (2024) is 3 years older than Lock 87 (2027). Down the shaft is free; Lock 87 is paid (Price unknown). 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 Lock 87
Choose Lock 87 if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2027) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Lock 87 launched in 2027.
Both Down the shaft and Lock 87 sit in 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
 Down the shaft |  Lock 87 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2027 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Free To Play | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | MissCasandra_DEV | Aegon Games |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Down the shaft (2024) is 3 years older than Lock 87 (2027).
- Down the shaft is free; Lock 87 is paid (Price unknown).
Down the shaft vs Lock 87 — FAQ
- Should I play Down the shaft or Lock 87 first?
- If you want chronology, Down the shaft (2024) came out before Lock 87 (2027). 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 Down the shaft and Lock 87 similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Is Down the shaft free?
- Yes — Down the shaft is a free-to-play Steam title. Lock 87 is paid (Price unknown).