Gloomhaven vs The Last Spell
Gloomhaven is an RPG strategy game from Flaming Fowl Studios (2021) while The Last Spell is a roguelike RPG game from Ishtar Games (2023).
What each one is
Steam files Gloomhaven under RPG and Strategy. In contrast, it files The Last Spell under Roguelike and RPG.
Lead your band of mercenaries in the land of Gloomhaven, work with unsavoury individuals, shape the fate of the region, fight your way through horrific places and get rich or die trying in this ruthless Tactical-RPG.
Defend the last bastion of humanity with your squad of heroes! Exterminate fiendish monsters with magic and brute force by night and re-build your battered city defenses by day in this tactical RPG with rogue-lite mechanics.
At a glance
| Gloomhaven | The Last Spell | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.4/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (82%, 16,097) | Very Positive (91%, 13,649) |
| Critic aggregate | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| Price | $34.99 | $6.24 |
| Install size | 14 GB | 2 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Developer | Flaming Fowl Studios | Ishtar Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Gloomhaven vs The Last Spell, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
GloomhavenRPG strategy gameThe Last SpellRoguelike RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
GloomhavenOnline Co-Op, Dark Fantasy, Turn-Based CombatThe Last SpellStrategy, Turn-Based Strategy, RPGThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
GloomhavenScore 7.4 · 82% on Steam · 82 criticThe Last Spell ✓Score 7.8 · 91% on Steam · 82 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Gloomhaven16,097 reviews · 3 add-ons · 14 GBThe Last Spell13,649 reviews · 4 add-ons · 2 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Gloomhaven$34.99The Last Spell ✓$6.24Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
GloomhavenPlayableThe Last Spell ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
The Last Spell takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueGloomhaven and The Last Spell on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: The Last Spell (GamingPickz Score 7.8)
- The cheaper right now: The Last Spell ($6.24)
- Better on a Steam Deck: The Last Spell (verified)
- Lighter on storage: The Last Spell (2 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Dark FantasyTurn-Based CombatTurn-Based StrategyTactical RPGStrategyRPGTacticalTurn-Based Tactics
Where they differ
Online Co-OpCard GameUnforgivingClass-BasedCo-op CampaignDifficult
SingleplayerStrategy RPG2DPixel GraphicsPerma DeathRogue-lite
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Gloomhaven is demanding, for players who want a challenge. The Last Spell is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Gloomhaven | The Last Spell | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | GeForce GTX 760 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-3470, AMD Ryzen 3 1200, | — |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | — |
| Install size | 14 GB | 2 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Gloomhaven · The Last Spell.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Gloomhaven and 4 for The Last Spell. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Gloomhaven and The Last Spell in scope?
Gloomhaven has drawn 16,097 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 14 GB. The Last Spell has drawn 13,649 Steam reviews, ships 4 add-ons and installs in 2 GB.
Is Gloomhaven or The Last Spell better?
By the GamingPickz Score, The Last Spell rates higher (7.8 to 7.4). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Gloomhaven or The Last Spell?
The Last Spell is cheaper right now at $6.24, against $34.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.