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) | – | 75 | 21 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 89% | 83 | 364 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 268 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jan 17, 2024) · 268 reviews sampled · 183 total reviews in window · weighted 142.4 up / 12.3 down · computed 10h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (16)
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
“If you're looking for a fighting game with a lot of style, a strong cultural identity, precise combat and a huge competitive potential, Pocket Bravery is a choice that deserves your attention. I can say that the game is a source of pride for the game development scene in Brazil.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Pocket Bravery caught my attention with its concept, but its execution put me off. The gorgeous visuals, diverse warriors, and great combos would have been enough for me in a game from twenty years ago. Today, all the ideas the game presents seem downright antiquated to me. They lack any sense of innovation, see Story Mode, which is one big waste of time in this title. Still, it’s an above-average effort considering the sheer volume of games currently being churned out at players like a waterfall.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Pocket Bravery charges into an arena full of heavyweights and manages to land a few convincing blows, proving there is room for the little guy in the land of the giants. The Neo Geo-inspired visuals sock you in the mouth as soon as the bell rings, and the soundtrack and character design land as a flurry of blows throughout too. There’s an impressive number of modes to entertain a single player, including a wonderful tutorial and training mode, but sadly, you may be hard pressed to find any folks to play with online, which severely hampers the long term appeal and hurts my willingness to recommend it, in spite of all positives. Ultimately, Pocket Bravery can’t lift the championship belt, but boy, does it land a few haymakers along the way.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“While certainly a stylish fighting game with flair and depth, it’s approachability absolutely struggles compared to its peers”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pocket Bravery is an impressive fighter with a great roster of complex characters and a suite of fun modes and helpful tools. If only the characters looked as good as the flowing moves and strikes.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pocket Bravery melds the essence of classic fighters like “Street Fighter” and “Mortal Kombat” into a cohesive, enjoyable experience. While it may not match the scale and depth of these iconic franchises in all aspects, it successfully pays homage to their legacy while carving out its unique identity.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Pocket Bravery is a fantastic homage to the art of ‘90s fighting games. It nails the fun factor and the sheer amount of content the games used to offer before online play was an option, while doing a fantastic job of replicating the fun of classic NeoGeo Pocket Color titles. This is certainly a title I would suggest any budding brawler puts the cash down on. I will say this likely doesn’t have the strongest player count on any format so if you are picking this up purely for online multiplayer you may be better off spending your money elsewhere, especially since the performance issues on the Nintendo Switch version make that version less than ideal. But all in all Pocket Bravery is a damn fine time aimed at a fighting game playerbase who are already eating quite well at the moment.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“I really enjoyed playing Pocket Bravery on the Switch, both on TV and in handheld mode. But, aside from the occasional bugs and aesthetic decisions that somewhat weaken the impact, it's an excellent game and I really hope they explore more of this game in some sequel.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pocket Bravery is still a fresh take on the chibi fighter genre and an absolute blast to play through. Hopefully, we get to see more fighting games from this Statera Studio down the road and maybe even some future character releases. If battling with mighty mini brawlers is your jam, or if you’re just a lover of all things fighting games like myself, don’t hesitate to pick up this tiny titan.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Few innovations and small inconsistencies in the level of difficulty and the narrative do not overshadow Pocket Bravery's excellent qualities. The game has a simple, but well-optimized combat system, and an artistic design that pays homage to the classics of an entire generation of fighting games without giving up its own, very well-constructed identity.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Solid hand-drawn retro-inspired 2D fighting game on PS5”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Pocket Bravery is a Brazilian fighting game of really high quality and a great option for those looking for an experience with the genre on Switch. With a ton of variety in the modes and robust learning systems, it's worth investing many hours in the game to try and master its fast combat.”
read full review ↗
GameFM
Gaming Professors
VGamingNews
Nindie Spotlight
Siliconera
Rectify Gaming
NookGaming
NintendoBoy
Hey Poor Player
PSX Brasil
PS4Blog.net
Nintendo Blast…and 4 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update 2.13Jun 3, 2025
- Update 2.02Aug 13, 2024
- Update 1.30Jun 8, 2024
- UPDATE 1.30Jun 8, 2024
- Update 1.28May 24, 2024
- Update 1.27May 15, 2024
- Update 1.22Jan 17, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.13Sep 22, 2023
- Big Update 1.12Sep 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Update 1.11Sep 11, 2023
- Update 1.10Sep 8, 2023
- Update 1.09Sep 6, 2023
- Changelog 04Nov 18, 2022
- Changelog 03Sep 25, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Changelog 02May 22, 2021
- ChangelogMay 15, 2021