Choose Bladestar
Choose Bladestar if you want the Mouse Only Option side of the pairing. Bladestar launched in 2016.
Bladestar vs Shmup!
Bladestar and Shmup! both land in Action 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 Action games on Steam. Bladestar (2016) is 10 years older than Shmup! (2026). 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 Shmup!
Choose Shmup! if you want an Indie game with Adjustable Difficulty. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Shmup! launched in 2026.
Both Bladestar and Shmup! sit in Action on Steam and both list Steam Leaderboards, Color Alternatives, and Custom Volume Controls, 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
 Bladestar |  Shmup! | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 58.3% positive (36 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Fair Weather Studios | Conti Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Bladestar (2016) is 10 years older than Shmup! (2026).
Bladestar vs Shmup! — FAQ
- Should I play Bladestar or Shmup! first?
- If you want chronology, Bladestar (2016) came out before Shmup! (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 Bladestar and Shmup! similar?
- They overlap on Action 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.