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 Marginalia
The Land of Pain and Marginalia 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 2 years older than Marginalia (2019). Marginalia scores higher on Steam reviews (82.2% positive) than The Land of Pain (77.2% 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 Marginalia
Choose Marginalia if it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Marginalia launched in 2019.
Both The Land of Pain and Marginalia 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 |  Marginalia | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 11.99 USD | 5.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 77.2% positive (289 reviews) | 82.2% positive (45 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Alessandro Guzzo | Connor Sherlock, Cameron Kunzelman |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- The Land of Pain (2017) is 2 years older than Marginalia (2019).
- Marginalia scores higher on Steam reviews (82.2% positive) than The Land of Pain (77.2% positive).
- Marginalia is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than The Land of Pain (5.99 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- The Land of Pain is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Marginalia has no Deck rating yet.
The Land of Pain vs Marginalia — FAQ
- Should I play The Land of Pain or Marginalia first?
- If you want chronology, The Land of Pain (2017) came out before Marginalia (2019). 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 Marginalia 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. Marginalia doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.