Choose Recursed
Choose Recursed if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Recursed launched in 2016.
Recursed vs Puzzle One
Recursed and Puzzle One both land in Indie 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 Indie games on Steam. Recursed (2016) is 1 year older than Puzzle One (2017). Recursed scores higher on Steam reviews (97.4% positive) than Puzzle One (80% 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 Puzzle One
Choose Puzzle One if you want a Casual game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it's currently about 88% cheaper on the Steam Store. Puzzle One launched in 2017.
Both Recursed and Puzzle One sit in Indie 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
 Recursed |  Puzzle One | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 97.4% positive (341 reviews) | 80% positive (10 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Portponky | Portponky |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Recursed (2016) is 1 year older than Puzzle One (2017).
- Recursed scores higher on Steam reviews (97.4% positive) than Puzzle One (80% positive).
- Puzzle One is currently ~88% cheaper on Steam than Recursed (0.99 USD vs. 7.99 USD).
- Recursed is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Puzzle One has no Deck rating yet.
Recursed vs Puzzle One — FAQ
- Should I play Recursed or Puzzle One first?
- If you want chronology, Recursed (2016) came out before Puzzle One (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 Recursed and Puzzle One similar?
- They overlap on Indie 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.
- Does Recursed run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Recursed is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Puzzle One doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.