Choose The Shade
Choose The Shade if you want an Adventure experience. The Shade launched in 2025.
The Shade vs Hellternum
The Shade and Hellternum both land in Indie 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 are Indie games on Steam. The Shade (2025) is 1 year older than Hellternum (2026). Hellternum is free; The Shade is paid (6.99 USD). 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 Hellternum
Choose Hellternum if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Hellternum launched in 2026.
Both The Shade and Hellternum sit in Indie 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
 The Shade |  Hellternum | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Free To Play |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 6.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 6 reviews | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Blindside Studio | Weird Potro Studio |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- The Shade (2025) is 1 year older than Hellternum (2026).
- Hellternum is free; The Shade is paid (6.99 USD).
The Shade vs Hellternum — FAQ
- Should I play The Shade or Hellternum first?
- If you want chronology, The Shade (2025) came out before Hellternum (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 The Shade and Hellternum similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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.
- Is Hellternum free?
- Yes — Hellternum is a free-to-play Steam title. The Shade is paid (6.99 USD).