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) | – | 67 | 11 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 81 | 351 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 4 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 2.3 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (16)
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.
- 50
“Struggling isn't the first game whose main gimmick is a protagonist who's deliberately difficult to control. Whereas other games do this for comedy effect, though, here it only serves to frustrate. It's difficult enough in single-player, but as a co-op experience you're far more likely to want to slap your friend in the face before you'll high-five them. Success does feel like an accomplishment, but the end rarely justifies the means, making this strictly a game for masochists.”
read full review ↗ - 35
“If you like overcoming frustration, maybe you'll find something worthwhile. I don't.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Unique main character and his Controls. It is so easy to hate this game and so hard to play it. But give it a chance in co-op mode.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Struggling is a mess. While I can't fault the controls themselves, the object physics are just not reliable enough in crucial areas, as the momentum when using some objects is too chaotic to reliably make progress. Unless you have the patience of a saint or an online audience eager to see your reactions as you're battling through, this is probably not the game for you.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“There is an audience out there for something like Struggling. The variety of set-pieces do show an attempt to break up the monotony of fumbling, but the journey is much too long. Trial and error scenarios are too frequent due to the gameplay, and the real struggle is having the patience to redo many simple tasks.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Struggling is a bizarre, hilarious and thoroughly entertaining adventure that makes the most of its relatively simple graphics and gameplay”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Struggling has imaginative indie talent sloshing throughout. Plus, you can tell it's got a big publisher behind it, believing in its charm and uniqueness.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Struggling's difficulty and intense nature will have players on the edge of their seats gripping their controller as they helplessly attempt to flop Troy's arms away from danger. Or, if they bring a friend, it will incite some hilarious gaming memories. Struggling is easily an instant classic from Chasing Rats studio, and anyone who is up for a challenging and memorable experience should give this game a whirl.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Never has a game title been more fitting. Struggling is, well, a bit of a struggle. Imagine the abstract movement and control system of Octodad paired with some platforming feats that require a modicum of precision. It’s a recipe for frustration and turmoil. There were a few things though, when I looked past the struggle, that I quite liked.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Struggling is a game that I was sure I was going to dislike but had me changing my mind with pure joy from the earliest stages.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Struggling is a very creative and endearing platformer that surprised me with both how much I enjoyed its grotesque universe and how tight its physics-based gameplay is.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Struggling is a unique game: difficult, sometimes frustrating, full of nauseating characters, but incredibly fun. Coop multiplayer is also a great experience.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
GameWatcher
SECTOR.sk
TheSixthAxis
Niche Gamer
TechRaptor
Game Debate
Screen Rant
Rapid Reviews UK
TrueAchievements
But Why Tho?
Hobby Consolas…and 4 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 1.0.4Jun 24, 2021
- Patch 1.0.3Oct 22, 2020
- Patch 1.0.2Sep 14, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.0.1Sep 3, 2020