Choose The Darkside Detective
Choose The Darkside Detective if you want a Casual experience. 1,987 Steam reviews back the pick.
The Darkside Detective vs Loco Motive
The Darkside Detective and Loco Motive 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. The Darkside Detective (2017) is 7 years older than Loco Motive (2024). Both sit near 94% positive on Steam (The Darkside Detective: 1,987 reviews, Loco Motive: 788). 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 Loco Motive
Choose Loco Motive if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Subtitle Options, and Color Alternatives side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Loco Motive launched in 2024.
Both The Darkside Detective and Loco Motive sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam and both list Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (94.2% vs 93.8% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 The Darkside Detective |  Loco Motive | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 17.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 94.2% positive (1,987 reviews) | 93.8% positive (788 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Spooky Doorway | Robust Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Darkside Detective (2017) is 7 years older than Loco Motive (2024).
- Both sit near 94% positive on Steam (The Darkside Detective: 1,987 reviews, Loco Motive: 788).
- The Darkside Detective is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than Loco Motive (14.99 USD vs. 17.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Verified.
The Darkside Detective vs Loco Motive — FAQ
- Which is better, The Darkside Detective or Loco Motive?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: The Darkside Detective sits at 94.2% positive (1,987 reviews), Loco Motive at 93.8% (788). 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 Loco Motive first?
- If you want chronology, The Darkside Detective (2017) came out before Loco Motive (2024). 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 Loco Motive 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.
- Do The Darkside Detective and Loco Motive 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.