Choose Tanglewood
Choose Tanglewood if it's a focused single-player run rather than a multiplayer commitment. Tanglewood launched in 2018.
Tanglewood vs Shovel Pirate
Tanglewood and Shovel Pirate both land in Action, 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 Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Tanglewood (2018) is 6 years older than Shovel Pirate (2024). Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Tanglewood: 35 reviews, Shovel Pirate: 44). 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 Shovel Pirate
Choose Shovel Pirate if you want the Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 92% cheaper on the Steam Store. Shovel Pirate launched in 2024.
Both Tanglewood and Shovel Pirate sit in Action, Indie, and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88.6% vs 88.6% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Tanglewood |  Shovel Pirate | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Genres | Action, Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | 17.99 USD | 1.49 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.6% positive (35 reviews) | 88.6% positive (44 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Big Evil Corporation | Neutronized |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Tanglewood (2018) is 6 years older than Shovel Pirate (2024).
- Both sit near 89% positive on Steam (Tanglewood: 35 reviews, Shovel Pirate: 44).
- Shovel Pirate is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than Tanglewood (1.49 USD vs. 17.99 USD).
Tanglewood vs Shovel Pirate — FAQ
- Should I play Tanglewood or Shovel Pirate first?
- If you want chronology, Tanglewood (2018) came out before Shovel Pirate (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 Tanglewood and Shovel Pirate similar?
- They overlap on Action, 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 Tanglewood have multiplayer like Shovel Pirate?
- No. Shovel Pirate supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Tanglewood is listed as single-player only.