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) | – | 77 | 9 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 74% | 70 | 196 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (7)
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.
- 80
“A whimsical, enchanting adventure alight with challenge, Oaken is solid with its deckbuilding and roguelike roots, while branching out with its hex-based tactical gameplay centered around positioning.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“So, should you consider checking out Oaken even if you are burnt out on deck-building games? I would say yes. The deck building is only a tiny portion of the game. If you are into roguelike or grid-based tactical games, then you will enjoy this one.”
read full review ↗ - 35
“Oaken looked interesting from the get-go, but unfortunately falls flat with limited ability to change how each run feels. After one or two runs, you’ll have a very good idea of exactly what this game is. If you’re hoping for a new Slay The Spire, keep looking as this likely won’t hit the spot. It definitely didn’t for me, and I gave it a very fair chance, probably a few more runs than I needed to do to make sure I wasn’t missing something.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Oaken might immediately bring comparisons to Faeria to the fore, but it stands on its own as a very good game. It incorporates the hex map as an element, but doesn't make it the star. Instead, it focuses on the survivability of units as you must measure out success across a series of encounters, and balance both the Fatigue your units must endure with the resources at your disposal, building them into a force adept enough to overcome some very challenging bosses at the conclusion of each chapter. It has all the quality of life elements you could hope for. Be endeared by its wonderful art and style, but don't be fooled - there is depth beneath those cute little plants as well.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Oaken is a sad case of the game that lacks so much in technical aspects that its practical side loses much of its appeal. You can't expect everyone to have the good will to deal with an excessive amount of content introduced at a pace that overloads the player, nor with extremely confusing interfaces, only then to enjoy the qualities that a product has to offer.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“While there's nothing egregious about Oaken, it doesn't push the genre in any particular direction.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Oaken is one of the best-looking and sounding indie games I've played this year and its strategic elements are wonderfully fleshed-out.”
read full review ↗
GameLuster
Turn Based Lovers
WayTooManyGames
Gaming Nexus
Nintendo Blast
God is a Geek
Video ChumsPatch history
- Oaken Update 1.1.7 🦖Dec 1, 2023
- Oaken Hotfix 1.1.1 🍒Oct 12, 2023
- The Trials 1.1.0 Update - Out Now!Sep 2, 2023
- Oaken Hotfix 1.0.4 🍪Aug 6, 2023
- Oaken Hotfix 1.0.3🍀Jul 25, 2023
- FIRESTARTER 0.10.0 Update - Out Now!Apr 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Shadow Spirits 0.9.3 Update - Out Now!Jan 19, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Sea of Serpents 0.8.2 Update - Out Now!Jan 7, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Deigo, the Mystic Update - Out Now!Oct 25, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Valley of Thorns Update - Out Now!Sep 23, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Spellcasters Update - Out Now!Aug 10, 2022
- Mastery and Talents UpdateJul 13, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 0.3.5May 18, 2022
- Oaken 0.3.3 Hotfix Update!May 6, 2022
- Oaken 0.2.6 Update!Feb 13, 2022