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) | – | 78 | 26 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 70 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 14 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 39 reviews sampled · 40 total reviews in window · weighted 15.9 up / 1.3 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (24)
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.
- 90
“Melatonin is a dreamy rhythm game that hits all the right notes. It's compelling yet relaxing, with an addictive quality that will have you yearning for more.”
read full review ↗ - 60
- 70
“Despite its lack of musical cues and somewhat varying difficulty levels, Melatonin’s suite of challenges is a delight for rhythm game fans and it’s so satisfying to nail that PERFECT. It doesn’t fill the Rhythm Heaven-shaped hole in the Switch’s portfolio, but instead it creates a dreamy new space filled with cotton candy colour, energy, and, most importantly, fun.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“With catchy & enticing rhythm gameplay through pleasant dreamscapes, Half Asleep's debut title ensures you'll be anything but.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“Keeping things pretty simple in execution, Melatonin delivers on rhythmic fun and challenges”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The colour palette may look gentle, but Melatonin is not quite one to wind down with before bed, despite being all about imagination. This atypical rhythm game's difficulty can be eased in the settings, although some levels are still hard to conquer for veterans. The clever way the levels are constructed gives this title a quirkiness that definitely sets it apart.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Melatonin is an action-musical Indie game that challenges players through a set of mini-games. Each mini-game has its own rhythm to master. Moreover, players can customize each of the levels to dance to their own unique rhythms. The game is fairly simple to understand. All you need is four keys, the ability to recognize and match beats, a calm mind and a keyboard you won’t accidentally break. The question remains, is it as simple to master, as it is to understand? That’s for every player to explore and decide. In a short span of 3 hours, Melatonin has the ability to teach us to burn the bridges of our past, while making us struggle to not dance to its rhythm while we try hard to ace each round, and this experience is one to remember.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“You can even edit each of the non-mashup levels to make your own customized version. From both a gameplay and presentation standpoint, what's here is nearly unassailable, and the game serves as an exquisite reminder of just how spoiled we are with the wealth of indie titles on Switch and also how astonishing it is that it took until now to get a flattering facsimile of Rhythm Heaven on Nintendo's latest console. Playing this late at night might not boost your brain's melatonin levels, but it's sure to leave you smiling before bed time.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Is it fair to compare indie project Melatonin to the big-studio polish of Rhythm Heaven? Perhaps not. It doesn't quite reach those heights, but what it manages is well-executed.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Melatonin is a great entry in the rhythm genre. A good mix of 20 high and low concept levels makes for a tight-knit experience that is short-lived but also doesn't outstay its welcome. The music is undeniably very catchy, with the beats still lingering in my brain following the completion of the game. A better tutorialisation of the custom level creator and easier level section method would've aided the experience just that little bit more but ultimately it doesn't matter. Melatonin is a well-presented rhythm game, featuring concise and gorgeous pastel art and smooth gameplay that will never tire or injure the player. Accessibility options only bolster this further. If subsequent rhythm games follow suit, then the rhythm genre remains in very good and very passionate hands.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Melatonin combines colourful art and catchy music to tell a story of how dreams can be an escape from reality. It is the perfect game for those who want a challenge alongside a narrative that runs deep.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There’s a real good reason that Nintendo’s House of Indies featured Melatonin, and that it reeks of everything that makes a Nintendo game a Nintendo game. It’s taken a simple idea and sharpened it till it can split atoms, and then put it in a visually noticeable package. You could take Melatonin and port it to every platform imaginable, but I’m thrilled that it exists on PC and Switch alone, the sweetest pairing of choice and accessibility.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Fintendo
Nintendo Life
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Gameffine
NintendoWorldReport
Siliconera
Checkpoint Gaming
GameLuster
WayTooManyGames…and 12 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Workshop bug fixDec 11, 2024
- Level editor bug fixes and adjustmentsAug 29, 2024
- Bug fixes and adjustmentsMar 11, 2024
- V-sync optionDec 8, 2023
- Bug fixes (Windows + Mac)Nov 18, 2023
- Bug fix for downloaded levelsNov 11, 2023
- Workshop Support for MacOct 30, 2023
- Bug fixesJul 4, 2023
- Language UpdateJun 29, 2023
- Bug fixJun 14, 2023
- General updateJun 8, 2023
- Bug fixes (Windows + Mac)Mar 21, 2023
- Level Editor UpdateFeb 24, 2023
- New Calibration ToolJan 23, 2023
- PS5/DualSense controller support (Windows)Jan 19, 2023
- Bug fixes (Mac)Jan 10, 2023
- Bug fixes (Windows)Jan 9, 2023
- Achievement bug fix (Mac)Jan 2, 2023
- Minor editor additions and bug fixes (Windows)Dec 28, 2022
- Adds "perfects only" setting (221219) (Mac)Dec 21, 2022
- Melatonin bug fixes (221218) (Mac)Dec 21, 2022
- Adds "perfects only" setting (221219) (Windows)Dec 20, 2022
- Melatonin bug fixes (221218) (Windows)Dec 19, 2022
- Scoring bug hotfix (Mac)Dec 16, 2022
- Scoring bug hotfix (Windows)Dec 15, 2022