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) | – | 79 | 11 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 119 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 79 | 2 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 5 reviews sampled · 5 total reviews in window · weighted 2.4 up / 0.4 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (15)
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
“In some ways, Natsuki Chronicles is a slight thing. It’s certainly not going to be the game that makes people who never play shoot-em-ups reconsider that stance, nor is it the sort of thing that you’re likely to devote months of play to unless you have a burning desire for a new shooter and this is the extent of your options in that regard.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you've long been turned away by the opaque nature of shoot 'em ups, Natsuki Chronicles might just be the game for you.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Natsuki Chronicles is a smooth, polished shooter that has some great, modern RPG-lite features that make it accessible despite the shoot-‘em-up genre being one traditionally known for being brutally challenging. A bit more effort in localizing the audio would have gone a ways for making the in-stage narrative easier to soak in, but that is a pretty minor complaint about an otherwise very entertaining game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“In the end, Natsuki Chronicles is a solid shoot-'em-up. The action provides a nice balance between hardcore and novice-friendly gameplay, while the various tweakable options are welcome for players of all skill levels. Despite a lack of modes, there is some replayability thanks to an online leaderboard system and various difficulty levels and items to unlock; it gives players a reason to return despite the lackluster story. If you're a shoot-'em-up fan, Natsuki Chronicles is well worth checking out.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, there is plenty of game here and enough to challenge even the most hardened shoot-’em-up fanatic, but also enough tricks up its sleeve to cater for newcomers. Natsuki Chronicles will be on my ‘pick up and play’ list for a while.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Unoriginal art direction aside, Natsuki Chronicles is a thoroughly entertaining shoot ’em up that any fan of the genre should check out. Though thanks to its generosity with handing out additional credits and shields in each of its game modes, it’s even suitable for those with only a passing interest in the genre looking for a good entry point. Only players who truly wanted to follow its story will find real fault with it, everyone else will find it to be a blast from beginning to end.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The events of Natsuki Chronicles take place three years before a battle between Natsuki Sugiura, our protagonist, and the Garm in Ginga Force. The game begins with players as Natsuki where they go through her first assignment with the RDF as the rookie right up to her confrontation with Alex and Margarette. Afterwards, Natsuki realizes the truth about the Magni Company, MSS and RDF and decides to go against them.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It’s quite a lengthy campaign for a shmup game and felt like good value for the time that I committed. The vast options for weaponry along with a clever level-up system and adaptable difficulty make it one of the best modern shmups I’ve encountered. If you’re a fan of the genre you’d be a fool to go past Natsuki Chronicles.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Natsuki Chronicles is a great shmup that was clearly developed by shmup fans. The game has a refinement to it that eases any pain points someone might have had with other titles in the genre. The accessibility of the systems and constant rewards creates a challenging but approachable experience. The only setback is a few hard-to-spot enemies and a frame drops, but you’ll probably be having too much fun to notice.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Natsuki Chronicles is a great surprise in a genre already quite familiar to players, especially those with a long history, and offers everything that works in that genre: unrestrained action, chaotic artistic style and refined gameplay. While it is not so innovative, it offers a very rewarding experience for the enthusiasts of shoot'em up games.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Natsuki Chronicles is a great entry into a classic genre of games. While the somewhat stale story and overwhelming options proved more distracting than positive at times, this is ultimately a title that I will come back to many times in the future.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Natsuku Chronicles is a seriously entertaining title, which fans of classics like Border Down and R-Type Final will absolutely lap up.”
read full review ↗
Gamer Escape
VGChartz
Chalgyr's Game Room
Worth Playing
FingerGuns
GameSpew
Rapid Reviews UK
Noisy Pixel
PSX Brasil
The Digital Fix
God is a Geek…and 3 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Cloud Save issue - solved!Feb 26, 2021