Choose Dead Take
Choose Dead Take if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Dead Take launched in 2025.
Dead Take vs Poolscape
Dead Take and Poolscape both land in 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 Indie, Adventure on Steam. Dead Take (2025) is 1 year older than Poolscape (2026). Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Dead Take: 556 reviews, Poolscape: 38). 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 Poolscape
Choose Poolscape if you want a Simulation and Casual game with Color Alternatives, Custom Volume Controls, and Stereo Sound. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. Poolscape launched in 2026.
Both Dead Take and Poolscape sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88.8% vs 89.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Dead Take |  Poolscape | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.8% positive (556 reviews) | 89.5% positive (38 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Surgent Studios | CosmicArcade |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Dead Take (2025) is 1 year older than Poolscape (2026).
- Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Dead Take: 556 reviews, Poolscape: 38).
- Poolscape is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Dead Take (2.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Dead Take is Deck Verified, Poolscape is Deck Playable.
Dead Take vs Poolscape — FAQ
- Should I play Dead Take or Poolscape first?
- If you want chronology, Dead Take (2025) came out before Poolscape (2026). 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 Dead Take and Poolscape similar?
- They overlap on 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.