IMHO.

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark vs Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark and Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency both land in Indie, 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 Indie, Adventure, Casual on Steam. The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark (2021) is 5 years older than Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency (2026). The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency has no Deck rating yet. 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 The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark

Choose The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark if you want the Camera Comfort, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input side of the pairing. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark launched in 2021.

Choose Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency

Choose Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency if it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency launched in 2026.

Both The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark and Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency sit in Indie, 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 Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark vs Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency — Steam metadata comparison
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark — Steam game coverThe Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the DarkHawkins & Sons Detective Agency — Steam game coverHawkins & Sons Detective Agency
Released20212026
GenresIndie, Adventure, CasualIndie, Adventure, Casual
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, Linux
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price14.99 USDPrice unknown
Steam reviews95.4% positive (877 reviews)—
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersSpooky DoorwayVera Florentine

Side by side

The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark vs Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency — FAQ

Should I play The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark or Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency first?
If you want chronology, The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark (2021) came out before Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency (2026). 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 Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark and Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency similar?
They overlap on Indie, 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.
Does The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark run on Steam Deck?
Yes — The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark vs Hawkins & Sons Detective Agency · imho.run