Rank 01Games like The Initial
- 20 games
- Updated May 4, 2026
Players who liked The Initial also play
The closest matches to The Initial: Bayonetta, ICEY, X-Blades, SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS, and Onechanbara Z2: Chaos. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
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SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS
Why this: Also Beat 'em up and Hack and Slash, like The Initial.
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The full ranked list: top 24 games like The Initial
Best match first, as plain text. The same list for AI assistants:
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Also Beat 'em up and Hack and Slash, like The Initial.
- 95% of 1,703 reviews
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- Released: 2017
- Developer: Restory Studio
- Price: $9.99checked Oct 31
- Steam Deck: Deck Playable
- 67% of 183 reviews
- Genres: Action, Indie, Adventure, RPG
- Platforms: Windows, macOS
Players highlight
- Beautiful graphics and character design
- Fast paced gameplay
- No grinding or leveling system
- Brutal
- Challenging
- Auto aim
More games like The Initial, sliced differently
Reviewers mention these as similar to The Initial
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE
Why this: Also Character Action Game and Hack and Slash, like The Initial.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound
Why this: Same challenging mood as The Initial.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below The Initial at current Steam store prices.
78 new reviews this week- Trending
The Vagrant
Why this: Also Beat 'em up and Hack and Slash, like The Initial.
Code of Princess
Why this: Same challenging mood as The Initial.
Vampire Survivors
Why this: Shares tactical positioning with The Initial.
About The Initial
The closest matches to The Initial: Bayonetta, ICEY, X-Blades, SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS, and Onechanbara Z2: Chaos. Ranked by imho.run from Steam co-play data, shared tags and reviews.
If The Initial is your kind of game, the closest matches are Bayonetta, ICEY and X-Blades — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers describe it as brutal and challenging, and single out its auto aim and stun gun combat. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
About The Initial: THE INITIAL is a hyper action game about pretty schoolgirls battling against evil. It's developed by a small team of five developers. We hope you will love this game as much as we do.
Is The Initial worth buying?
Players are split
A summary of what players say, not a promise you'll like it. Every signal is listed below.
- 67% of 183 Steam reviews are positive.
- We don't track this game's daily reviews yet, so this is the all-time picture.
- Price: $9.99 (checked Nov 7).
- People who recommend it had played a median of 3 h when they wrote their review.
- Steam Deck Playable: works, with some rough edges.
What fans praise · Themes mined from positive reviews
- Beautiful graphics and character design
- Fast paced gameplay
- No grinding or leveling system
Top critical reviews
The most up-voted negative English reviews in our sample, quoted as written.
“The game is alright I wouldn't really tell people to steer away from it or definitely pick it up. The feeling of playing the game was pretty middling which can happen with indie titles like this. There was a bare bone plot that could have…”
Frequently asked about The Initial
Can I run it?
Does The Initial run on Steam Deck?
The Initial is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
How much does The Initial cost?
The Initial is listed on Steam at 9.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
What games are most similar to The Initial?
Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside The Initial are Bayonetta, ICEY, X-Blades.
Who developed The Initial?
The Initial was developed by Restory Studio.