Screenshots & trailers
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 78 | 20 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 72 | 84 |
| PlayStation store ratings | – | 82 | 99 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (13)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 75
“Cotton Fantasy: Superlative Night Dreams is a bit pricey for the time it takes to get to the end. However, it’s a shoot-em-up. It’s not about getting through a story, it’s about shooting baddies and getting a high score. Fans of shmups (and of the recently revitalized Cotton in particular) will have some fun with this one.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While staying true to the series that it extends, Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll / Fantasy brings so many different experiences in a single shmup that it may as well be a compilation release, and unlike the arcade versions, it is all presented in English language. The more time you give it, the more the replay value snowballs. The faults to be found are few and far between, while sharp level design and a joyful, even mischievous personality define Success’ latest. Simply put, Cotton Fantasy has a lot of fun to give.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Cotton Fantasy is packed with quality content, tons of replay value, and is a damn fine shoot 'em up. It joins Cotton Reboot as essentials for any fan in the genre, and I hope we see more of Cotton in the future, because this release is only held back by minor issues.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As a follow-up to Cotton Reboot and the first entirely new entry in a long time, Cotton Fantasy does everything it needs to. Play as Cotton, and you’ll get a new game that builds off Reboot’s revamped systems without reinventing the wheel, which, honestly, would have been enough. But Success and Studio Saizansen weren’t content with “enough”, and with a roster of such wildly different characters and their unique mechanics, Fantasy pushes the Cotton foundation in all sorts of new directions. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Cotton Fantasy: Superlative Night Dreams is a super fun and adorable shoot ‘em up with tons of crazy action, a variety of unique characters and beautiful-looking 2D stages to challenge, and is sure to keep you busy attempting to get on the leaderboard!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Cotton Fantasy is a beautiful love-letter to the best parts of an iconic, decades-old shoot-em-up franchise. The characters are cuter than ever, the shooting is funner than ever, and the wide variety of play styles and bonus stages to master makes this a game worth returning to plenty of times over.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Cotton Fantasy has all the makings of a great title. However, the execution of its mechanics does little to set it apart from better games of its kind.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While I’m sure some players are suffering from a bit of Cotton burn out with so many releases in such a short span of time, but if you like shooters you’ll want to check out Cotton Fantasy. The game is very enjoyable from a design standpoint and it holds up quite well on the technical end, especially compared to a few of the less impressive Cotton ports we’ve seen on Switch. Those who are performance sensitive will find the game runs a lot better in docked mode, but I didn’t mind it in handheld either. I’m a bit torn as to whether or not this game is better than Cotton Reboot, but that’s good company to be keeping.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“Cotton Fantasy is a fantastic addition to the franchise. It’s completely new, but feels more like a classic Cotton adventure with some nice added features. If you are a fan of “Bullet Hell” horizontal shooters, they you will be right at home here for as long as the experience lasts. It’s a little on the short side, and offers a challenge that is a bit over shadowed by an unlimited continue system, but it’s still absolutely fun to play. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Series, this is a great game that almost anyone can jump into and play. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Trying to shove so many different gameplay styles for all of these guest characters was definitely ambitious and I applaud the developers for trying, but next time around I’d much rather they focus on moving this series forward and making the best Cotton game they can.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Cotton Fantasy is a celebration of 30 years of the Cotton franchise that shows very well all the evolution and affection that the series has had over the years. Classic, challenging and affordable. Perfect for those who like to compete for high scores, challenge themselves or even just play casually.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Cotton Fantasy nicely follows up on the reboot while also sticking too close to the formula, feeling like an extension of what the reboot was visually and in terms of gameplay. It does feature more variety with behind-the-back action, but it feels like a waste to have that relegated to bonus areas instead of integrating it into at least one action stage given that the prior entry in the series was behind-the-back fully and this feels like a tease. Other than that shortcoming, Cotton Fantasy is a tremendous experience and a ton of fun for anyone who enjoyed the series before or just got introduced to it via the reboot. It’s an excellent side-scrolling shooter and one with a lot of visual and audio variety.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis
Switch Player
Gaming Age
Hey Poor Player
Universo Nintendo
Hardcore Gamer…and 1 more tracked reviews.