Choose Darklands
Choose Darklands if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's currently about 65% cheaper on the Steam Store. Darklands launched in 2014.
Darklands vs The Vagabond Emperor
Darklands and The Vagabond Emperor both land in 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 are RPG games on Steam. Darklands (2014) is 7 years older than The Vagabond Emperor (2021). Darklands scores higher on Steam reviews (89.6% positive) than The Vagabond Emperor (69.2% 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 The Vagabond Emperor
Choose The Vagabond Emperor if you want a Strategy, Simulation, and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Vagabond Emperor launched in 2021.
Both Darklands and The Vagabond Emperor sit in 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
 Darklands |  The Vagabond Emperor | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2014 | 2021 |
| Genres | Adventure, RPG | Strategy, Simulation, RPG, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Unrated |
| Price | 6.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.6% positive (183 reviews) | 69.2% positive (13 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | MPS Labs, MicroProse | WigglingEyebrows |
Side by side
- Both are RPG games on Steam.
- Darklands (2014) is 7 years older than The Vagabond Emperor (2021).
- Darklands scores higher on Steam reviews (89.6% positive) than The Vagabond Emperor (69.2% positive).
- Darklands is currently ~65% cheaper on Steam than The Vagabond Emperor (6.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Darklands is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; The Vagabond Emperor has no Deck rating yet.
Darklands vs The Vagabond Emperor — FAQ
- Should I play Darklands or The Vagabond Emperor first?
- If you want chronology, Darklands (2014) came out before The Vagabond Emperor (2021). 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 Darklands and The Vagabond Emperor similar?
- They overlap on 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 Darklands run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Darklands is rated Deck Playable by Valve. The Vagabond Emperor doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.