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) | – | 61 | 32 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 58% | 59 | 383 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 87% | 80 | 2 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 5 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 2.6 up / 0.4 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (30)
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
“Samurai Maiden gives players a goofy mix of hack-and-slash action, light platforming, and yuri fan service. Surprisingly, it also gives us some pretty fun combat when it's not being overly frustrating. The game will appeal more to achievement completionists than those seeking a good (or even coherent) story, so consider that when looking at this game at full price.”
read full review ↗ - 30
“SAMURAI MAIDEN is neither a fun hack and slash game nor a fun visual novel. The combat is far too slow and clunky, the story is poorly paced and predictable, and the two just don’t mesh well together.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Samurai Maiden is mostly hack, slash, dodge, and hack some more. But, while naturally repetitive, it's not much different in that respect from many traditional arcade games. What it does well with is in expanding its combat options in enjoyable but never confusing ways; by giving your aides different skill functions in attack and healing, and in navigating stages. It's a simple but nicely layered adventure that will encourage grinders to unlock its galleries, weaponry and digital trinkets, while appreciating what is an attractive-looking and well-optimised game. Increased challenge is there if you need it, and, discounting the trite elements of its dialogue and story, the character models are exceptionally good, mildly bewitching, and do a great job of selling the product.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Simple and to the point with its yuri-flavoured storyline and trappings: That's Samurai Maiden in a nutshell. It's also quite a chore to play, as you can only get the best skills and powerups through grinding for relationship points with the three ninjas. And that means replaying the same levels over and over ad nauseam”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Every time you use your partners’ skills, your relationship with them rises. They're pleasantly designed in a way that means you don't have ton rely on them, acting more as stun mechanics. In addition, these attacks help mask the game's numerous frame rate dips. Sadly, these drops, alongside your main character's stiff attacks, make Samurai Maiden's encounters much more frustrating than they should be.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Samurai Maiden’s action may feel generic and its story is lacking but some great characters and interactions help make this anime action game at least a bit enjoyable.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I actually would recommend it if you’re a fan of Waifu Hack ‘n’ Slashers, but the Switch’s framerate issues keep me from issuing a full-throated endorsement. If you have access to other modern consoles, maybe check out some gameplay videos. If it’s way smoother during combat situations, maybe go for that version. I’m enjoying the game on Switch, and will be buying some of the DLC, but it suffers a lot on the performance side. That and the terrible platforming segments that, thankfully, are pretty rare.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“If it was a budget title, Samurai Maiden might be worth someone's time as a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, it's not.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“So overall, SHADE Inc. and D3Publisher’s Samurai Maiden was a fun title to go through. While the gameplay visuals may have been a bit bland over time as you’ll only ever see the same color palette swapped enemies, there’s a ton of dialog and story to make up for it as Tsumugi travels with Iyo, Hagane and Komimi to defeat the Demon Lord.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Despite some clunkiness in its controls and camera, along with a surface-level narrative, "Samurai Maiden" knows exactly what it is and what it's trying to do.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Action packed, girls sword fighting against the demon lord? ! And wholesome love?”
read full review ↗ - 75
“It's nice that the developer is still supporting the game almost 18 months on, improving the post-launch state of the game, and the lesbian polyamory is just nice to see without delving too deep into fanservice.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
cublikefoot
Nintendo Life
Kakuchopurei
Push Square
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
Siliconera
Chalgyr's Game Room
SVG
CFG Games
GameGrin…and 18 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Re-announcement of past update informationFeb 19, 2025
- Update Information Apr. 26, 2024Apr 26, 2024
- Update Information Feb. 20, 2024Feb 20, 2024
- Update Information Apr. 4, 2023Apr 4, 2023
- Update Information Feb. 2, 2023Feb 2, 2023
- Update Information Jan. 12, 2023Jan 12, 2023
- Update Information Dec. 28, 2022Dec 28, 2022
- Update Information Dec. 23, 2022Dec 23, 2022
- Update Information Dec. 20, 2022Dec 20, 2022
- Update Information Dec. 12, 2022Dec 12, 2022
- Update Information Dec. 11, 2022Dec 12, 2022
- Update Information Dec. 9, 2022Dec 9, 2022