Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
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 (OpenCritic) | – | 76 | 27 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 75 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 79% | 73 | 301 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 61% | 61 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 1.6 up / 1 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (48)
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
“Kunai does so much with so little. From the minimalist art style to the polished grappling mechanic, it's hard not to recommend this entry to fans of the metroidvania genre, or anyone looking for a fresh offering on the Nintendo Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The game holds itself well and is great fun, even if it lacks any real innovation. The unique weapon combinations can make each run different and interesting, but the repetitive nature of each level means that Kunai's replayability could be in doubt.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“On the one hand, I feel like Kunai kind of missed its mark. The game is definitely trying to be something different and set itself apart, but there are just enough pain points that it’s hard to think it really works. There’s a lot of effort to keep you engaged and offer a slight twist on the formula, but most of those twists come off as broadly neutral.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If humanity truly is destined to fall, at least a cute tablet with a sword will avenge us.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Kunai was a title that left me excited but a bit uncertain from its PAX demo last year...”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Kunai is a blast to play, and TurtleBlaze smartly set it apart from its competition thanks to a fairly unique art style and an interesting world.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Kunai is a bite-sized Metroidvania that's well worth the pick-up for the fast, frenetic action alone. Once all the foes have been fought and the bosses have been bested, the Kunai content well has run empty.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Kunai is the next great Metroidvania on Switch. It could easily stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Ori and the Blind Forest and The Messenger, especially in how effortless moving around and traversing the world is. This is as close to a must-play as I can recommend. You're a tablet who plays like Spider-Man, and everything looks beautiful. Kunai is excellent.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Kunai is a solid game. The genre formula sticks to the blueprint well enough to not mess it up. The game is of a decent length, and it has the right amount of difficulty most of the time, but the kunai movement sells you on what makes the game enjoyable. For genre fans, this is well worth checking out.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Kunai throws a grappling hook and a fair amount of style into the Metroidvania genre for a solid if not stellar example of the form.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Despite some tedious backtracking, Kunai's fast-paced combat and satisfying platforming are accentuated by smart level designs that make it a blast to play.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“However, while the Kunai do add a lot of depth to your movement, I didn’t really find much else that made this game stick out, and the lackluster checkpoints do make certain parts more frustrating than they need to be. Still, if you love the genre, KUNAI is still worth a playthrough.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Gamer Escape
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Gaming on PC
PC Invasion
NintendoWorldReport
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Seafoam Gaming…and 36 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- UPDATE 1.0.3 WITH PATCH NOTESMar 18, 2020significant · resets scoring window