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Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad

Consumer Softproducts · released Jun 14, 2021

ActionIndieSimulationPC

An immersive power fantasy simulator with tactical stealth elements set in a sewage infused garbage world

Steam page ↗Metacritic 89 · users 8.7 ↗
90
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence
91%
At launch
96%
Steam all-time
89%
Press
90%
Player sentiment
96%
Recent sentiment

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)–8915
All-time Steam reviews96%911000
Metacritic user ratings–9116
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)96%91120
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 90.2, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 24,972 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 · 344 total reviews in window · weighted 201.7 up / 8.6 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (4)

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.

  • 93
    PC GamerPC Gamer
    trust 64Jul 5, 2021

    “Cruelty Squad celebrates feeling bad in surprising ways, all of them fun. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 75
    DestructoidDestructoid
    trust 58Jun 16, 2021

    “I’m not even sure if I enjoyed it, I just couldn’t look away. It’s like being trapped in a burning circus; it’s a little terrifying, but you can’t help enjoying yourself. There’s something awe-inspiring about having all these terrible little facets come together into a cohesive package. So, I guess I recommend playing it?”

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    NME
    trust 47Jul 5, 2021

    “A furious shout at the hypercapitalism currently infesting our society has created one of the year’s most compelling video games. Cruelty Squad completely reinvents the FPS playbook, introducing plenty of new ideas under a neon-flecked haze of dystopian aesthetics.”

    read full review ↗
  • 97
    Hooked Gamers
    trust 40Dec 20, 2021

    “Make no mistake, this game is the definition of niche appeal. Its visuals are ugly in a way that is not just visually repellent but deeply unsettling. Its world and lore are in turn, confusing, disturbing, and sickening. Playing its soundtrack above a certain decibel level probably constitutes a war crime. Yet the game demands attention all the same. It's brilliant, disturbing, and endlessly fascinating. I'm painfully aware that not everyone will love Cruelty Squad as much as I do, but those that love it will love it with abandon. For me, it's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.”

    read full review ↗

Patch history

  1. Another batch of achievements
    Feb 3, 2024
  2. Achievements
    Feb 1, 2024
  3. Minor fix
    Jul 8, 2023
  4. Fix of fix of fix
    Jul 3, 2023
  5. Issue with pathfinding
    Jul 3, 2023
  6. Ohohoho ohnoooo
    Jul 3, 2023
  7. Ballsfish and more
    Jul 3, 2023
  8. Armor fix
    Mar 27, 2023
  9. Small patch
    Nov 14, 2021
  10. Minor update
    Oct 4, 2021
  11. Minor Patch
    Jun 18, 2021
  12. Cruelty Squad 1.0 released!
    Jun 16, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  13. Cruelty Squad 1.0 Release Announcement
    Jun 4, 2021
  14. Minor patch
    May 20, 2021
  15. Game engine update
    May 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  16. Small fix
    Apr 28, 2021
  17. Home Ownership Update
    Apr 23, 2021
  18. Minor Update
    Mar 22, 2021
  19. Content Update ?
    Mar 20, 2021
  20. Quick fix
    Mar 13, 2021
  21. Further optimization
    Mar 12, 2021
  22. High performance mode
    Mar 12, 2021
  23. Quick fix
    Mar 10, 2021
  24. New fish
    Mar 10, 2021
  25. Minor patch
    Mar 5, 2021
  26. Minor Update
    Mar 2, 2021
  27. Optimization attempt
    Feb 28, 2021
  28. Fish fix
    Feb 21, 2021
  29. Small fix
    Feb 20, 2021
  30. Quick fix
    Feb 19, 2021
  31. Content Update 2: Fishing
    Feb 19, 2021
  32. New gun
    Feb 8, 2021
  33. Minor fix
    Feb 7, 2021
  34. Stock Market tuning
    Feb 6, 2021
  35. Minor Patch
    Feb 6, 2021
  36. Content Update 1
    Feb 5, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  37. Patch notes 4
    Jan 12, 2021
  38. Quickfix
    Jan 10, 2021
  39. Patch Notes 3
    Jan 10, 2021significant · resets scoring window
  40. Patch notes 2
    Jan 6, 2021

…and 3 earlier patch announcements.