Choose Avencast: Rise of the Mage
Choose Avencast: Rise of the Mage if you want an Action experience. Avencast: Rise of the Mage launched in 2010.
Avencast: Rise of the Mage vs The Return
Avencast: Rise of the Mage and The Return both land in Indie, Adventure, 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 Indie, Adventure, RPG on Steam. Avencast: Rise of the Mage (2010) is 16 years older than The Return (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 The Return
Choose The Return if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. The Return launched in 2026.
Both Avencast: Rise of the Mage and The Return sit in Indie, Adventure, 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
 Avencast: Rise of the Mage |  The Return | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2010 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Indie, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 73% positive (163 reviews) | — |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | ClockStone | YIN WEN CE |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, RPG on Steam.
- Avencast: Rise of the Mage (2010) is 16 years older than The Return (2026).
Avencast: Rise of the Mage vs The Return — FAQ
- Should I play Avencast: Rise of the Mage or The Return first?
- If you want chronology, Avencast: Rise of the Mage (2010) came out before The Return (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 Avencast: Rise of the Mage and The Return similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, 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.