Choose The Land of Pain
Choose The Land of Pain if it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Land of Pain launched in 2017.
The Land of Pain vs Underwater
The Land of Pain and Underwater both land in Indie, Adventure 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 on Steam. The Land of Pain (2017) is 4 years older than Underwater (2021). The Land of Pain scores higher on Steam reviews (77.2% positive) than Underwater (66.7% 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 Underwater
Choose Underwater if you want an Action experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2021) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Underwater launched in 2021.
Both The Land of Pain and Underwater sit in Indie and Adventure 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 Land of Pain |  Underwater | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.2% positive (289 reviews) | 66.7% positive (18 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Alessandro Guzzo | Andreev Worlds, Gamesforfarm |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Land of Pain (2017) is 4 years older than Underwater (2021).
- The Land of Pain scores higher on Steam reviews (77.2% positive) than Underwater (66.7% positive).
- Underwater is currently ~17% cheaper on Steam than The Land of Pain (9.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- The Land of Pain is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Underwater has no Deck rating yet.
The Land of Pain vs Underwater — FAQ
- Should I play The Land of Pain or Underwater first?
- If you want chronology, The Land of Pain (2017) came out before Underwater (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 Land of Pain and Underwater similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure 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 The Land of Pain run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Land of Pain is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Underwater doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.