Choose Downwell
Choose Downwell if you want a Casual game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.9% positive across 5,174 reviews.
Downwell vs Garlic
Downwell and Garlic 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. Downwell (2015) is 6 years older than Garlic (2021). Downwell scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than Garlic (87.5% 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 Garlic
Choose Garlic if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Garlic launched in 2021.
Both Downwell and Garlic 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
 Downwell |  Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 2.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 96.9% positive (5,174 reviews) | 87.5% positive (248 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Moppin | Sylph |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Downwell (2015) is 6 years older than Garlic (2021).
- Downwell scores higher on Steam reviews (96.9% positive) than Garlic (87.5% positive).
- Downwell is currently ~80% cheaper on Steam than Garlic (2.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Downwell is Deck Verified, Garlic is Deck Unsupported.
Downwell vs Garlic — FAQ
- Which is better, Downwell or Garlic?
- On Steam reviews Downwell scores higher (96.9% positive) than Garlic (87.5% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Downwell is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Downwell or Garlic first?
- If you want chronology, Downwell (2015) came out before Garlic (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 Downwell and Garlic 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.