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) | – | 66 | 19 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 73% | 69 | 17 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (34)
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
“Dread Nautical provides a very good turn-based adventure underneath an unfortunately cartoonish presentation. It can't quite figure out if it wants to be scary or goofy, but the gameplay and level designs are deep enough to keep players engaged throughout.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Dread Nautical is an example of how a great concept can turn into an equally brilliant disappointment. The game boils down to collecting items, searching for survivors, destroying a boss or a cluster of opponents, and repeating the same thing. Add to this a crooked camera, average graphics, poor balance of characters and ammunition, completely non-scary world where there is a collection of Necronomicon pages, but there is no place for the sticky horror of Lovecraft, and you get a mediocre product that you dont need to play.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Performance issues could be (at least, partially) ironed over with likeable, interesting characters and a compelling mystery, but Dread Nautical just doesn't deliver one.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Dread Nautical lacks what most roguelikes offer: challenge. When it’s not wasting your time with long encounters, it is by forcing into you a false sense of progress with its base building mechanics. A big letdown after Operencia.”
read full review ↗ - 67
“Dread Nautical is a roguelike game that wants to do a lot of things, but it can’t do that so well as we expected. The gameplay is confusing and it seems unpolished, but we loved the minimalist art style.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“While there are a few solid survival games on the Switch they’re a pretty eclectic bunch, ranging from more action-oriented to more strategic and each with their own degree of challenge and some other unique qualities...”
read full review ↗ - 50
“In a sea of mediocre, mobile-born, turn-based tactical RPGs, it's easy to find something even more lifeless than Dread Nautical, but that doesn't say much. Zen Studios' creation lacks the depth usually expected from the genre, is way too repetitive, and even seems uncertain of what kind of atmosphere it wants to have. The only dread players will feel here is from the lengthy loading times.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Dread Nautical was simply amazing to sit down to. The turned based elements mesh perfectly with the Roguelike setting that has been presented through a cruise ship stuck somewhere out there in the high seas. With plenty of possible party members, tons of replayability, and simply just being fun to play, I can only hope to see more of this down the line and maybe a Dread Nautical inspired Pinball Machine.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Dread Nautical is a solid and intriguing turned based, tactical roguelike RPG, just don’t expect your tense horror itch to be scratched, because you’ll be very much looking in the wrong place. The gameplay isn’t too overbearing for newcomers and the games primary characters certainly are fun to explore this doomed ship with, the story is twisty and keeps you engaged, and the hard mode will test your metal beyond much else around at the moment, but there’s very little here you haven’t seen before elsewhere and executed with more panache.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Dread Nautical has the unenviable position of following two genre giants that moved into its launch window, but it holds its own as a worthy opening act.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Dread Nautical has a Lovecraftian horror theme, though it’s subtle it’s there. There certainly wasn’t anything in the game that I found to be scary as such, maybe a little bit more horror added to it would help in this area. The core gameplay goes round in a loop, start the day, roam the decks, find resources, and try to survive. After a few runs I found this got boring pretty quickly, there isn’t much variety in the style of the decks on the ship and after a while they all feel much the same. The tactical combat is nothing unusual that hasn’t been seen before and I recommend looking else where if that is the genre you’re looking to play.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“GOOD - Dread Nautical is a tactical turn-based RPG with some roguelike elements. Mixing these elements with a compelling story, interesting characters, and the classic risk and reward systems works well. Ultimately it reminded me of the board game Clue come to life mixed with a little bit of XCOM. The repetitive layout of the ship and enemies put a damper on what otherwise is a great concept for a game.”
read full review ↗
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Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.