Rank 01Games like Shmadow
- 22 games
- Updated May 4, 2026
Players who liked Shmadow also play
The closest matches to Shmadow: Chippy, Ikaruga, Super Star Path, Nex Machina, and Deathsmiles. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
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Rank 03- $4.99 (Price checked Oct 31)
- 2015
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Hell is Other Demons
Why this: Same atmospheric mood as Shmadow.
Rank 08 
The full ranked list: top 24 games like Shmadow
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
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- Released: 2015
- Developer: Extrokold Games
- Price: $1.99checked Oct 31
- 83% of 59 reviews
- Genres: Action, Indie
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Players highlight
- Addictive despite simplicity
- Bosses drop unique power ups
- High score chase with leaderboards
- Atmospheric
- Contemplative
- Hypnotic
More games like Shmadow, sliced differently
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Shmadow at current Steam store prices.
Phoenix Force
Why this: Also Shoot 'Em Up and Bullet Hell, like Shmadow.
UBERMOSH:WRAITH
Why this: Also Twin Stick Shooter and Shoot 'Em Up, like Shmadow.
Free alternatives
Free games the recommender matches to Shmadow, limited to titles with at least 500 Steam reviews and 80% positive.
Waves
Why this: Also Twin Stick Shooter and Shoot 'Em Up, like Shmadow.
Disfigure
Why this: Also Twin Stick Shooter and Bullet Hell, like Shmadow.
Jigoku Kisetsukan: Sense of the Seasons
Why this: Also Shoot 'Em Up and Bullet Hell, like Shmadow.
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
About Shmadow
The closest matches to Shmadow: Chippy, Ikaruga, Super Star Path, Nex Machina, and Deathsmiles. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If Shmadow is your kind of game, the closest matches are Chippy, Ikaruga and Super Star Path — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as atmospheric, contemplative and hypnotic, and single out its boss based power ups and endless score chase. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
About Shmadow: Inspired by “shmups” and shadows, Shmadow is a modern twin-stick side-scroller that nods to retro arcade gameplay. Use your light to blast through your enemies, unlock new powers, and defeat bosses before the darkness extinguishes you.
Is Shmadow worth buying?
Players recommend it
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 83% of 59 Steam reviews are positive.
- We don't track this game's daily reviews yet, so this is the all-time picture.
- Price: $1.99 (checked Nov 7).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 2 h when they wrote their review.
- Critics usually quit early: a median of 0.6 h played before their negative review.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Addictive despite simplicity
- Bosses drop unique power ups
- High score chase with leaderboards
- Minimalist art style turns shadows into gameplay
Top critical reviews
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“I don't get the postive reviews at all. This game is an exercise in torture: it's a simple mouse and keyboard shooter, but the majority of your enemies are little black dots that you can't actually see until they're half a pixel away from…”
“Wow. I don't think I've seen a gimmick backfire so badly. Pros: -Multiple powers -Leaderboards Cons: -The Light Mechanic. This idea isn't good for twitched based action games. I'll Admit it's an interesting Idea, but It needs to be handle…”
People who play it also play: Chippy, Ikaruga, Super Star Path
Frequently asked about Shmadow
Can I run it?
How much does Shmadow cost?
Shmadow is listed on Steam at 1.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
Does Shmadow have multiplayer or co-op?
Yes — Shmadow supports multi-player play according to its Steam store listing (Multi-player).
What games are most similar to Shmadow?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Shmadow are Chippy, Ikaruga, Super Star Path.
Who developed Shmadow?
Shmadow was developed by Extrokold Games.