Choose Trulon: The Shadow Engine
Choose Trulon: The Shadow Engine if it matches what drew you to this matchup. Trulon: The Shadow Engine launched in 2016.
Trulon: The Shadow Engine vs Children of Zodiarcs
Trulon: The Shadow Engine and Children of Zodiarcs both land in Strategy, Indie, RPG 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 Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam. Trulon: The Shadow Engine (2016) is 1 year older than Children of Zodiarcs (2017). Children of Zodiarcs scores higher on Steam reviews (67.5% positive) than Trulon: The Shadow Engine (41.2% 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 Children of Zodiarcs
Choose Children of Zodiarcs if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Children of Zodiarcs launched in 2017.
Both Trulon: The Shadow Engine and Children of Zodiarcs sit in Strategy, Indie, and RPG 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
 Trulon: The Shadow Engine |  Children of Zodiarcs | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, RPG | Strategy, Indie, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 17.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 41.2% positive (17 reviews) | 67.5% positive (255 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Kyy Games | Cardboard Utopia |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, RPG on Steam.
- Trulon: The Shadow Engine (2016) is 1 year older than Children of Zodiarcs (2017).
- Children of Zodiarcs scores higher on Steam reviews (67.5% positive) than Trulon: The Shadow Engine (41.2% positive).
- Children of Zodiarcs is currently ~10% cheaper on Steam than Trulon: The Shadow Engine (17.99 USD vs. 19.99 USD).
- Children of Zodiarcs is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Trulon: The Shadow Engine has no Deck rating yet.
Trulon: The Shadow Engine vs Children of Zodiarcs — FAQ
- Should I play Trulon: The Shadow Engine or Children of Zodiarcs first?
- If you want chronology, Trulon: The Shadow Engine (2016) came out before Children of Zodiarcs (2017). 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 Trulon: The Shadow Engine and Children of Zodiarcs similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, RPG 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.