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) | – | 83 | 19 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 234 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 93% | 87 | 300 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Dec 8, 2023) · 300 reviews sampled · 244 total reviews in window · weighted 121 up / 9.8 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (14)
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.
- 65
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is a fun follow-up to the original Valfaris that takes what made that one good and slaps it into an entirely new genre.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion, the new work of Steel Mantis, is the sequel to the acclaimed Valfaris that bets its entire legacy on a radical change of genre. It is one of those titles that we can leave installed on our hard disk since the space it occupies is well used. Besides, bursting mutant insects or battling a colossal boss to the sound of the best heavy metal is epic at any time, day or season of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion did not relax us. This is not a relaxing game at all, but it is an enjoyable one and an easy recommendation if you're in the market for a fun, action-heavy shooter. Blasting through waves of ships, rival mechs, and alien orbs, and making iterative progress as you master each section of the game, is a fun loop. Balancing your attack and defence can be challenging but rewarding. The only downside worth mentioning is there is almost no explanation of the previous game's story. Therefore, it would probably be best to play them in order if you want to make sense of exactly what's going on.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is a blood-pumping, head-banging, monster-bashing sequel to an excellent game. Steel Mantis has graciously transformed Valfaris into a brutal 2.5D Shmup while keeping the identity of the original intact. It’s a different but, ultimately, familiar experience. I’m all up for a Metroidvania threequel now.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is an awesome shoot-'em-up. It does a good job of encapsulating the classic shooter sensibilities while also making sure the melee combat fits in without feeling shoehorned. The presentation adheres to the heavy metal style artwork well, while also not obscuring anything of importance. The pacing ensures that the frustration is kept to a minimum. It is nice to see a shooter that isn't just another top-down bullet hell game, and genre fans of all skill levels will really enjoy Mecha Therion.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A really nicely crafted little shooter with a banging metal soundtrack and the look and feel of the PlayStation 1 era. It's well worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is another awesome addition to the series that takes the aesthetic and soundtrack of the earlier games and transplants them to a new genre. While not the longest of games (I completed it 3 times in my 12 hours) there is a lot of replay value with the various difficulty settings, weapon upgrades and some devilish achievements to challenge you. Whether you are already a fan of Steel Mantis' adventures or new to the series Mech Therion is a fantastic slice of heavy metal mayhem and comes highly recommended.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The blend of metal music with the constant action of a shmup is a fantastic experience that I would recommend to any fan of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Mecha Therion marks an important transition for Steel Mantis. After the success garnered with the first Valfaris, the development team decides to revolutionize its creature, abandoning a successful play structure in favor of a scrolling arcade shooter with bullet hell overtones. The courage is rewarded with a title that is once again compelling and unscrupulous, if much more contained and less dazzling. In the impossibility of comparing two such different titles, it becomes mere subjective taste to prefer one or the other but one thing remains certain: the metal continues to flow powerfully.”
read full review ↗ - 73
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion changes the genre, simplifies the game structure and loses the complexity of the first game.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is the direct continuation of 2018's Valfaris but with a gender change in between. From 2D action and platforms to a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up without losing any of the essence that made the first game popular, what's more, with certain mechanics taken from here and there that make Mecha Therion a very interesting Martian killer. Hectic but with an important component of strategy. Valfaris: Mecha Therion is definitely a pleasant surprise for fans of the first game, and a joy for shoot 'em up fans.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Valfaris: Mecha Therion is an intense bullet hell shooter that never takes it foot of the pedal, filled with fantastic gunplay and visuals.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
La Orden del Pixel
Nintendo Life
Gameffine
Worth Playing
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis
WayTooManyGames
4News.it
Spaziogames
33bits
God is a Geek…and 2 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Version 1.0.5 is here! Weapon adjustments & Performance ImprovementsDec 8, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Playtest feedback - changes, tweaks, and improvements!Oct 6, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- QUICK UPDATE AND A FEW GIFS!Jan 13, 2022