Choose The Inner Darkness
Choose The Inner Darkness if you want an Indie experience. The Inner Darkness launched in 2017.
The Inner Darkness vs A Strange Hotel
The Inner Darkness and A Strange Hotel both land in Adventure, Casual 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 Adventure, Casual on Steam. The Inner Darkness (2017) is 4 years older than A Strange Hotel (2021). A Strange Hotel is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than The Inner Darkness (1.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD). 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 A Strange Hotel
Choose A Strange Hotel if it's currently about 60% cheaper on the Steam Store. A Strange Hotel launched in 2021.
Both The Inner Darkness and A Strange Hotel sit in Adventure and Casual 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
 The Inner Darkness |  A Strange Hotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 4.99 USD | 1.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 68.6% positive (35 reviews) | 6 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Nauris Amatnieks | EmInSpace |
Side by side
- Both share Adventure, Casual on Steam.
- The Inner Darkness (2017) is 4 years older than A Strange Hotel (2021).
- A Strange Hotel is currently ~60% cheaper on Steam than The Inner Darkness (1.99 USD vs. 4.99 USD).
The Inner Darkness vs A Strange Hotel — FAQ
- Should I play The Inner Darkness or A Strange Hotel first?
- If you want chronology, The Inner Darkness (2017) came out before A Strange Hotel (2021). 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 The Inner Darkness and A Strange Hotel similar?
- They overlap on Adventure, Casual 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.