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) | – | 81 | 20 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 90 | 144 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 87 | 159 |
| 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 (33)
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.
- 90
“Episode four of DONTNOD's Life is Strange continues the exceptional level of quality that episode three delivered. It even goes so far as to surpass what came before in a variety of ways. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“There were several very powerful moments, with Dontnod’s mature approach to the subject matter and ambiguous decision making key, as they tackled the theme of life and death that ran throughout. Alongside some great puzzles and use of Max’s time warping power, this is the best episode yet.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A hugely disappointing penultimate episode, but if you enjoyed the first three it’s still nowhere near enough to put you off from following things through to the end.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“As the episode came to a close, I felt I had taken part in a more surreal adventure than what came before. Where as others episodes tried to ground characters in a well realised world, Episode Four shifts to deal with issues very much outside everyone’s comfort zone. ”
read full review ↗ - 87
“Even we found less puzzles and applied gameplay mechanics on this part of the game, Life is Strange: Dark Room is a real roller coaster of emotions and feelings, with a lot of responses for a great story that we can’t ignore until it finishes. Without a doubt this is one of the most intense episodes of the game, and we love that. A nice emotional surprise. ”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Dark Room is the longest episode in the Life is Strange series by a long shot. Every time I thought the episode was over or nearly over, I suddenly had another 45 minutes of gameplay. This wasn’t a bad thing; every section of the episode had me on my toes and guessing.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“An emotional intro and devastating outro show how well Dontnod can handle both separately, but the hours in between leave so much to be desired in terms of marrying these people to their story.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The episode's slow opening sequences are a bit of a disappointment after last episode's cliffhanger, though Life Is Strange quickly picks up again to once more build towards an admirable climax. The episode's length is another plus, though the awkward dialogue somewhat detracts from the experience.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Although the fourth episode offers the longest story, it not enough and the narration is shallow and dialogues are surprisingly weaker. Therefore we can only look forward (and hope) to the first season finale.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“LIS has built a series of pivotal plot-forks based on seemingly innocuous actions, but the isolated nature of this heartbreaking scene makes me fear it’ll be forgotten when the series draws to a close. [November 2015, p74]”
- 85
“Dark Room doesn’t give you much room to complain, unless you hate things that make you have feelings. It’s the best-paced, most emotional entry yet, and it handles its super-serious subject matter with skill and maturity. This is the chapter we’ve been waiting to play since the beginning.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This episode is without a doubt, one of the most emotional, dramatic and tense episodes in the game so far.”
read full review ↗
Push Square
TheSixthAxis
Metro GameCentral
DarkZero
Atomix
ActionTrip
IGN
GamesBeat…and 21 more tracked reviews.