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) | – | 70 | 18 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 71% | 68 | 107 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| 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 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (25)
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
“Smelter is a clever mashup of genres with a cute style and fun action. The jolt between action and strategy sections can take some getting used to, but it's worth sticking with until you get the hang of the rhythm.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“One of those rare titles that takes inspiration from the classics but manages to forge its own identity, Smelter is a breath of fresh air that uses its influences very wisely, assisted to excellence by generally pretty terrific level design with only a handful of lesser segments bringing things down just a tad. The proceedings feel confident, original and polished, with gorgeous graphics and an outstanding soundtrack that calls to mind the likes of Mega Man X4 for its action stages and evokes Yuzo Koshiro's majestic ActRaiser score for its side-scrolling levels.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“There are some small problems, overlong stages, tedious twin-stick segments, a late-game difficulty spike, and a couple of missed narrative opportunities, but overall this is an enjoyable homage to classics like ActRaiser and Mega Man X.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Appropriately named, as it combines elements of multiple styles of gaming, Smelter is a game that defies a simple explanation...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“This game has the makings of something really great. The art and sprite work is outstanding. Wildly inconsistent difficulty jumps, frustratingly long bosses, fights, check point lengths and cheap deaths all ruin what absolutely would have been a title much higher rated. The majority of the experience is fun, with a good difficulty level, but inevitably there will be these randomly, absolutely killer, difficulty walls, which ruin how good it was going up to that point.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“A satisfying combination of action platformer and strategy game. The former might be notably better here than the latter, but Smelter is a decently long game with great visuals and gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“With its eye-catching pixel art style and strong visual and tonal identity, Smelter really could have been the complete package. Unfortunately, uneven gameplay, a strange choice in upgrade paths and difficulty spikes that only led to frustration as opposed to the joy of a challenge left a sour taste in my mouth. Fans of the genre should still find a lot to love in this title, so long as it's approached with a heavy dose of patience.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Strategy, Platformer - Smelter faithfully embodies the basic elements required by each genre, and its design that successfully coordinates the two different genres without dissonance stands out. This game is like a reference point for each genre, but it needs something more to show than that.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Smelter is an average title. The side-scrolling action is rather well done and, taken on its own, makes for a strong platformer. The strategy portions lack depth, and when combined with your overall weak state, it makes the experience a bit of a slog. The title is ambitious, and those willing to forgive the strategy portion should check it out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Smelter is charming. It’s tough-as-nails. At times it’s even hilarious. Most of all, Smelter is just itself, a badass and unapologetic indie guaranteed to give you a good time.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“This is a cool twist on the story of Adam and Eve. With great music, graphics and a great story Smelter combines the platforming and real time strategy genres with great success.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Smelter's opening cutscene got me very pumped for what was to follow, but what did follow left me despondent. I'd been set up and felt ready for an awesome 16-bit experience that, thanks to its promised smelting of genres, would feel genuinely fresh. The game that followed wasn't fresh, it was past its sell by date and starting to smell like feet.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
PC Invasion
NintendoWorldReport
INVEN
Worth Playing
Checkpoint Gaming
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis…and 13 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Major updates for this version with the new Forged in Hell update!Jun 6, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Awesome Smelter Update Coming Soon!Apr 22, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Language UpdateNov 11, 2021
- Hot Fix 1.0.6H1May 1, 2021
- Patch notes 1.0.6Apr 28, 2021
- Another round of fixes to brighten up your dayApr 23, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- And we're back!Apr 22, 2021
- An Ain't So Hot FixApr 22, 2021
- Super Hot Fixes 4/22/2021!Apr 22, 2021
- Version 1.0.7 of the Smelter demo is out!Oct 9, 2020
- Version 1.0.6 of the Smelter demo is UP!Oct 3, 2020