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) | – | 75 | 24 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 88 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 60 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Apr 21, 2026) · 60 reviews sampled · 53 total reviews in window · weighted 34.3 up / 3.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
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.
- 70
“Nightmare Reaper does, however, achieve most of what it sets out to do, pushing boundaries in terms of weaponry, spectacular abilities, and more trinkets than a fully loaded cargo ship. It’s at its best when it devolves into a spectacular bloodbath at the whims of your creative weapon and ability choices. And, while imperfections exist, its violent, adrenaline-fuelled highs will make it very appealing to fans of the old-school FPS.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Nightmare Reaper’s core design is something to be lauded for, but its so called “variety” and maps runs shallow halfway through the campaign. It’s a game more about quantity than quality. It can be enjoyable in small bursts, but it’s far from the great shooter it could’ve been.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“If you’re looking for a pretty crazy and bloody good time, and don’t mind the retro FPS look and feel, this delivers”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nightmare Reaper has all the makings of a fantastic retro-FPS with rogue-lite elements wonderfully smattered across. However, for all its personality, Nightmare Reaper is also an uneven mess when it strikes the wrong note. A game some will love, warts and all, but many others will walk away wanting for a tighter experience.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“If you are a fan of retro FPS, you will definitely like this nightmare with lots of levels, pixels and checkered monsters.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nightmare Reaper is a highly enjoyable mash of retro things with a deliciously barbed edge. It doesn’t always hit the high notes of the old favorites it belts out, but you’ll sing along just the same.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Nightmare Reaper is an indie gem, the kind of game we don’t see very often, and it would be a shame if more people didn’t get to appreciate it. If you don’t usually play games like this and you’re contemplating giving Nightmare Reaper a try, I highly recommend giving it a shot, you might just find yourself a new favorite.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Nightmare Reaper is packed with neat ideas and somehow manages to make them all work together.”
read full review ↗ - 76
“Plus, you can equip a book that fires Palpatine-style lightning bolts.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Nightmare Reaper is a thrilling, gory, blast-from-the-past that hits all the right spots. FPS fans eager for a retro game change from the industry's sea of open-world titles should give Nightmare Reaper a try. By restricting levels to a pixelated, 2.5D environment, Blazing Bit Games has delegated many resources to other mechanics that make this rogue-lite a phenomenal enjoyment. While players may struggle with the nuances of retro shooters, especially considering the high-end, open-world norm of many new industry titles, Nightmare Reaper is centered around a learning curve. Challenging gameplay combined with charming features and Easter eggs makes this an adventure that players won't want to miss.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nightmare Reaper has the foundations of a pretty fun shooter, namely thanks to its strong combat and visceral nature. Sadly, I do not think its looter and roguelite elements improved its overall gameplay in any way. On the contrary, to be honest: the overall map randomization made some early levels insanely frustrating to deal with, while later stages felt like a cakewalk. It’s not a bad game, far from it, but you cannot beat the creativity and imagination of an actual human level designer.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“So yeah, I think the game’s biggest issue was scope creep. It needed more focus as there are just too many gameplay and system elements fighting for attention to really spruce things up at an individual level. If we are talking about FPS games from smaller devs, this is competing for attention from titles such as Dusk, Prodeus, Metal: Hellsinger, and Cultic. That is some heavy competition to be going against in this day and age. It doesn’t help that Nightmare Reaper is $24.99 on Steam, and $26.99 on console. It’s far from bad in the end, even if I recommend the PC version exclusively, but the competition it has is particularly high. Look into this if you are interested in a game with random layouts, events, and a lot of bonus content to be had.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
Hu3br
Nindie Spotlight
BossLevelGamer
SECTOR.sk
Bloody Disgusting
Try Hard Guides
DarkZero
AusGamers
Screen Rant
WayTooManyGames
oprainfall…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 3.13May 1, 2026
- Patch 3.12Apr 24, 2026
- Patch 3.11Apr 22, 2026
- Patch 3.10Apr 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 3.9Apr 14, 2026
- Patch 3.8Mar 29, 2026
- Patch 3.7Mar 27, 2026
- Patch 3.6Mar 25, 2026
- Patch 3.5Mar 25, 2026
- Patch 3.4Mar 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 3.3Mar 20, 2026
- Patch 3.2Mar 18, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 3.1Mar 18, 2026
- 🎉 Nightmare Reaper Multiplayer Co-Op Is LIVEMar 17, 2026
- Multiplayer release dateFeb 25, 2026
- February 2025 updateFeb 10, 2025
- September 2023 updateSep 20, 2023
- A patch and a giftMay 26, 2023
- The Silly Performance UpdateMay 11, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- The Redux updateDec 20, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Realms Deep 2022 updateSep 16, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 2.30Aug 5, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Post-release updateJun 16, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 2.29Apr 18, 2022
- Patch Notes 2.28Apr 14, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 2.27Apr 10, 2022
- Patch Notes 2.26Apr 7, 2022
- Patch Notes 2.25Apr 7, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Patch Notes 2.24Apr 2, 2022
- Patch Notes 2.23Apr 2, 2022
- Patch Notes 2.22Apr 1, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- February development updateFeb 23, 2022
- November development updateNov 9, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- September development updateSep 26, 2021
- July development updateJul 17, 2021
- June development updateJun 5, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- March Development UpdateMar 13, 2021
- Patch 1.4 ReleasedJan 6, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Nightmare Reaper Chapter 2 released!Oct 31, 2020significant · resets scoring window
…and 8 earlier patch announcements.