Choose The Darkside Detective
Choose The Darkside Detective if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. 1,987 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Darkside Detective vs The Rewinder
The Darkside Detective and The Rewinder both land in Indie, Adventure, Casual 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, Casual on Steam. The Darkside Detective (2017) is 4 years older than The Rewinder (2021). The Darkside Detective scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than The Rewinder (92.6% 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 Rewinder
Choose The Rewinder if it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Rewinder launched in 2021.
Both The Darkside Detective and The Rewinder sit in Indie, Adventure, and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (94.2% vs 92.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Darkside Detective |  The Rewinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.2% positive (1,987 reviews) | 92.6% positive (379 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Spooky Doorway | MistyMountainStudio |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- The Darkside Detective (2017) is 4 years older than The Rewinder (2021).
- The Darkside Detective scores higher on Steam reviews (94.2% positive) than The Rewinder (92.6% positive).
- The Rewinder is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than The Darkside Detective (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
The Darkside Detective vs The Rewinder — FAQ
- Which is better, The Darkside Detective or The Rewinder?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Darkside Detective sits at 94.2% positive (1,987 reviews), The Rewinder at 92.6% (379). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play The Darkside Detective or The Rewinder first?
- If you want chronology, The Darkside Detective (2017) came out before The Rewinder (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 The Darkside Detective and The Rewinder similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Casual 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.
- Do The Darkside Detective and The Rewinder both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.