Choose Altered
Choose Altered if you want a Strategy experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. Altered launched in 2021.
Altered vs Syzygy
Altered and Syzygy both land in 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 are Indie games on Steam. Syzygy (2020) is 1 year older than Altered (2021). Altered scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Syzygy (92.6% 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 Syzygy
Choose Syzygy if it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Syzygy launched in 2020.
Both Altered and Syzygy sit in 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
 Altered |  Syzygy | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie | Indie |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 7.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 100% positive (95 reviews) | 92.6% positive (27 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Glitchheart | Riccardo Caprari, Gas1312 |
Side by side
- Both are Indie games on Steam.
- Syzygy (2020) is 1 year older than Altered (2021).
- Altered scores higher on Steam reviews (100% positive) than Syzygy (92.6% positive).
- Syzygy is free; Altered is paid (7.99 USD).
- Altered is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Syzygy has no Deck rating yet.
Altered vs Syzygy — FAQ
- Should I play Altered or Syzygy first?
- If you want chronology, Syzygy (2020) came out before Altered (2021). 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 Altered and Syzygy similar?
- They overlap on 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.
- Is Syzygy free?
- Yes — Syzygy is a free-to-play Steam title. Altered is paid (7.99 USD).
- Does Altered run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Altered is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Syzygy doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.