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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 | – | 80 | 189 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 83 | 750 |
| 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 5h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (15)
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
“With Nintendo having little experience with DLC, there was always a question as to if the developer could do it right, and it seems unquestionable that the team knocked this one out of the park, adding some new content, giving a completely new game mode, and also including cosmetic little bonuses for series fans out there. The next DLC has only been hinted at so far, but it has been shown to be based around the fan-favourite four champions, and if it's even half as good as this then fans are in for a treat.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Breath of the Wild's first DLC definitely has a lot of goodies on offer, however I can only hope DLC 2 has more to offer in terms of story.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Breath of the Wild's first expansion pass, known as The Master Trials, brings a very welcome addition to what is one of the most monumental games ever made. Raising the bar when it comes to the enemies' strength will force the players to plan their approaches in more strategic ways while the Trial of the Sword will push their endurance and tactical creativity to the maximum. Adding to this are Link's new outfits and something known as The Hero's Path, which will consolidate Breath of the Wild's magnificent experience and stir up new reasons to return to the game.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“None of the additions are essential, but all of them are interesting to at least some degree. But you’ll have to wait till DLC Pack 2 to know if the expansion pass is really worth it.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“There’s a reason this DLC is called the “Master Trials.” It’s heavily focused on challenging combat, with a few cosmetic rewards. If that’s your forte, you’ll find the design of Master Mode and Trial of the Sword to your liking, though Master Mode is a touch late to the party in terms of time investment and reward. It’s not a new adventure, but it will do just fine until the second pack, complete with story DLC, drops this holiday.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Master Trials doesn’t make any epochal changes to the established Breath of the Wild formula, but by packing in one of the game’s best quests, some welcome new features, and a hard mode to be reckoned with, it more than paves the way way for the starrier story expansion to come.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“While Breath of the Wild's first DLC pack contains some fantastic moments, on the whole it feels light and, frankly, not yet worth the cost.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Trials is a hodgepodge of stuff that should have been patched in and stuff worthy of extra development time.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“All in all, this initial DLC pack is worth picking up, especially if you’re still toying around with Breath of the Wild. Granted, the next story focused pack is probably the more hotly anticipated of the two, but the gameplay features, additional difficulty, and the Trial of the Sword challenge are nothing to scoff at here. Definitely pick this up, it’s well worth the asking price.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Taken as a whole, Master Trials ends up feeling like a fun mess of goodies, but the lack of a thematic unifier for all this content draws attention to how sparse the content here is outside of the meaty Trial of the Sword. This DLC isn’t enough of a reason to head back to Hyrule if your adventure has already come to an end, but it’s nice for those still slowly making their way to Ganon. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s first DLC pack, while not essential, tremendously capitalizes on the game’s fantastic mechanics.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The experience that it offers is so different that I'm fine taking the plunge on it. Add to that the fun challenges in the Trial of the Sword and this pack immediately heads back in the right direction. [Issue #29, p. 18]”
Cubed3
FNintendo
Metro GameCentral
IGN
Wccftech
Destructoid
Gaming Age
Game Informer
GamingTrend…and 3 more tracked reviews.