Choose Ascending Madness
Choose Ascending Madness if it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Ascending Madness launched in 2019.
Ascending Madness vs NIDUS
Ascending Madness and NIDUS both land in Action, 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 share Action, Indie on Steam. Ascending Madness (2019) is 5 years older than NIDUS (2024). Ascending Madness is currently ~11% cheaper on Steam than NIDUS (7.99 USD vs. 8.99 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 NIDUS
Choose NIDUS if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. NIDUS launched in 2024.
Both Ascending Madness and NIDUS sit in Action and 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
 Ascending Madness |  NIDUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie | Action, Indie |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Playable |
| Price | 7.99 USD | 8.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 2 reviews | 92.7% positive (191 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Moxie Game Studio | Caleb Wood |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie on Steam.
- Ascending Madness (2019) is 5 years older than NIDUS (2024).
- Ascending Madness is currently ~11% cheaper on Steam than NIDUS (7.99 USD vs. 8.99 USD).
- NIDUS has co-op; Ascending Madness does not.
- NIDUS is Deck Playable on Steam Deck; Ascending Madness has no Deck rating yet.
Ascending Madness vs NIDUS — FAQ
- Should I play Ascending Madness or NIDUS first?
- If you want chronology, Ascending Madness (2019) came out before NIDUS (2024). 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 Ascending Madness and NIDUS similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Ascending Madness have multiplayer like NIDUS?
- No. NIDUS supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op), while Ascending Madness is listed as single-player only.