Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 300 sampled Steam reviews (280 positive / 20 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing13% mention it
- Music & audio11% mention it
- Visuals & art9% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
Negative reviews don't converge on specific aspects.
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
93%
263 reviews
5-15h
97%
31 reviews
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 (Metacritic) | – | – | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 98% | 93 | 1107 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 86 | 58 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 97% | 92 | 157 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 92.1, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 128,475 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) · 300 reviews sampled · 449 total reviews in window · weighted 101.6 up / 3.7 down · computed 7h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (1)
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.
- 85
“Helltaker features good puzzle mechanics, great aesthetics, and amazing storytelling. Though it is a bit on the short side, this venture into hell is worth a go for anybody looking for a little love.”
read full review ↗
Gamers HeroesPatch history
- Helltaker's Anniversary Update!May 11, 2021
- Linux/SteamOS PatchMay 22, 2020
- Week 1 PatchMay 20, 2020
- Day 1 Patch: fixing the movement glitches.May 11, 2020