Choose Investigator
Choose Investigator if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 65% positive across 283 reviews.
Investigator vs ShadowSide
Investigator and ShadowSide both land in Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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, Simulation on Steam. Investigator (2016) is 2 years older than ShadowSide (2018). Investigator scores higher on Steam reviews (65% positive) than ShadowSide (60.7% 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 ShadowSide
Choose ShadowSide if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. ShadowSide launched in 2018.
Both Investigator and ShadowSide sit in Indie, Adventure, and Simulation 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
 Investigator |  ShadowSide | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Simulation | Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 65% positive (283 reviews) | 60.7% positive (122 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | AdroVGames | AdroVGames |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure, Simulation on Steam.
- Investigator (2016) is 2 years older than ShadowSide (2018).
- Investigator scores higher on Steam reviews (65% positive) than ShadowSide (60.7% positive).
- Investigator is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than ShadowSide (4.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- ShadowSide is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Investigator has no Deck rating yet.
Investigator vs ShadowSide — FAQ
- Which is better, Investigator or ShadowSide?
- On Steam reviews Investigator scores higher (65% positive) than ShadowSide (60.7% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Investigator is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Investigator or ShadowSide first?
- If you want chronology, Investigator (2016) came out before ShadowSide (2018). 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 Investigator and ShadowSide similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure, Simulation 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.