Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Choose Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 35,896 Steam reviews back the pick.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs EchoBlade
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and EchoBlade both land in Action, Adventure, 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 share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 5 years older than EchoBlade (2022). Both sit near 88% positive on Steam (Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™: 35,896 reviews, EchoBlade: 16). 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 EchoBlade
Choose EchoBlade if you want an Indie and Simulation game with Subtitle Options, Color Alternatives, and Custom Volume Controls. On Steam, it's currently about 80% cheaper on the Steam Store. EchoBlade launched in 2022.
Both Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and EchoBlade sit in Action, Adventure, and RPG on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88.3% vs 87.5% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ |  EchoBlade | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, RPG | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 49.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.3% positive (35,896 reviews) | 87.5% positive (16 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Monolith Productions | Sunset Arctic Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) is 5 years older than EchoBlade (2022).
- Both sit near 88% positive on Steam (Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™: 35,896 reviews, EchoBlade: 16).
- EchoBlade is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (9.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; EchoBlade has no Deck rating yet.
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ vs EchoBlade — FAQ
- Should I play Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ or EchoBlade first?
- If you want chronology, Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ (2017) came out before EchoBlade (2022). 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 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ and EchoBlade similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure, 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 Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ is rated Deck Verified by Valve. EchoBlade doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.