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) | – | 84 | 29 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 98 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 97% | 92 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 20 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 89 | 10 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 90.6, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 9,064 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 28 reviews sampled · 23 total reviews in window · weighted 8.1 up / 0.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (66)
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
“Sayonara Wild Hearts is an interactive art product that combining game elements and a digital representation of the future. The small length of the gameplay is compensated by incredible dynamics and vivid emotions that you experience during the walkthrough. And this is a great achievement in the world of soulless clones, social projects and serious dramas.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Sayonara Wild Hearts is the video game equivalent of Prince: it’s extremely short and its journey maybe ends a little sooner than you’d hoped, but it packs so many varied and beautiful ideas into its brief life and masters so many different styles that even though there’s a real disappointment it’s over so quickly, what it did give you will remain with you for an extremely long time. A true creative masterpiece.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Sayonara Wild Hearts is a beautiful-looking and sonically dazzling work of art, yes...but like most arty games, it lacks a compelling hook. The very bare mechanics can be generously called "gameplay", in that there is moving a character on a screen and pressing button prompts, but there's no substance at all. Doing a perfect run and not making mistakes for a flawless music video should be a reward. It shouldn't have been given away to just anyone. Overcoming a "broken heart" is not easy in real life, and that should have been reflected in the gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Despite its short length, this is still very much a trip worth taking.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“While you can easily compare Sayonara Wild Hearts to other stylish rhythm games - Rhythm Heaven, Thumper, and Rez came to my mind while playing - the precise spectacle makes it stand out from similar works. This is a full-length interactive music video that exudes joy. It’s the absurdity and wonder of some Eurovision performances made playable. Like a good record from a band I like, I’ll spin this game often. That makes the secrets beneath the surface more appealing as Sayonara Wild Hearts might be one of my favorite music albums of the year in addition to being a killer video game experience.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Sayonara Wild Hearts is a simply stunning and lovely experience, with heart pulsing music driving the action.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“If you're looking at Sayonara Wild Hearts as a game, then it'll remind you of a very forgiving arcade game. There are some extra modes designed to challenge those who are chasing high scores, and the zodiac wheel is good for those who want to earn some Trophies for solving brain teasers, but the game's forgiving nature and short length mean that it is easy to reach the game's ending. Instead, the game wants you to look at it as a catchy pop album that you'll want to return to, time and again. With the gameplay, graphical presentation, and music coming together so well, that's exactly what you'll be doing.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Maybe this is perfume, following the shape of the breeze. From top-note to drydown, vividly here and then vividly gone.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“On repeat playthroughs, I found myself getting more and more used to Sayonara Wild Hearts' quirks and better appreciating each level as I gained the muscle memory for them. Only a few hit me like Dead of Night did, and those levels are stellar. But the rest are either forgettable or somehow discordant, whether because of movement issues or strange timing. I wanted to get lost in the daydream it presented, but I kept getting ripped back to reality, just a bit more melancholic than when I started.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Whatever you feel it may be lacking in the depth of storytelling and gameplay, it more than makes up with its audio-visual presentation which is one of the most unique designs you'll see in the world of video games.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Truly incredible, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a pop-culture gem that celebrates music and games in a passionately individual way. There has never been anything else quite like it, and if you have even a passing interest in gaming’s inherent value you need to play it. And then play it again. ”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Sayonara Wild Hearts is more than a game for me. It's a catharsis vessel. It's a story of self-love. It's a reminder that some things break but that doesn't make us broken. It was once a dream and now forever a memory. It's transcendent and undying, but, of course, it is. Wild Hearts Never Die. ”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
Gamerheadquarters
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Bazimag
TheSixthAxis
GameSkinny…and 54 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.