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The Bridge

The Bridge

Ty Taylor, Vega Castañeda · released Feb 22, 2013

AdventureCasualIndieStrategyPC

The Bridge is a logic puzzle game that forces you to reevaluate your preconceptions of physics and perspective. It is Isaac Newton meets M. C. Escher. Manipulate gravity to redefine the ceiling as the floor while venturing through impossible architectures.

80
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence
78%
At launch
87%
Steam all-time
73%
Press
48%
Player sentiment
100%
Recent sentiment

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)735
All-time Steam reviews87%811000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)100%971
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 2 reviews sampled · 2 total reviews in window · weighted 0.9 up / 0 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (15)

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
    trust 76Sep 3, 2017

    An endearing combination of influences from art and science makes The Bridge a valuable addition to the Nintendo Switch library, especially if you've never played it before. Sometimes bogged down by showing off its aesthetic strengths at the sacrifice of fully exploring the puzzle ideas and mechanics, The Bridge does suffer slightly due to slow controls and a story/ character that deserves a little more nuance to back up its ambitious and academic influences. What it does do, however, is reward players' patience, calculation and observation with moments that rival some of the best in the genre. A genuinely interesting and challenging experience that, despite a few small flaws, will stretch mental as well as physical muscles.

    read full review ↗
  • 74
    trust 72Mar 24, 2013

    Don't play this if you're not a puzzle-game enthusiast, but if you are you won't find many more engaging, rewarding titles.

    read full review ↗
  • 83
    trust 71Sep 8, 2015

    Gameplay rules this experience, and every puzzle serves to remind the player of that. That said, a greater variety of enemies would have been welcome, and maybe even crazier level layouts just to see what the design team could really do when they stretched their wings, but overall this is a fine game that every Wii U owner should consider downloading.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 70Oct 3, 2015

    It might take a bit to get started, and too many of the puzzles can be solved by accident, but there is enough here to make it worth a look even two years after its original release. It might have taken a while from the construction to finish up, but this is a bridge worth crossing.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 70Sep 5, 2017

    Overall I appreciate the care and effort that has gone into making the game as visually stunning as it is while also providing an ample puzzle-solving challenge. While from puzzle to puzzle individual results will likely vary, with some solvable on the first try and others requiring you to take a break to return to it later with fresh thoughts, a lot comes down to how each person chooses to approach them. At the end of the day if you immerse yourself in the challenge, and leave your mind free to toy with different potential ways to solve the problems put before you, The Bridge will give you numerous hours of thought-provoking enjoyment.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 69Sep 5, 2017

    My brain got a workout plotting courses on 2-dimensional paths that don't exist in the 3-dimensional world but the reality warping experience was worth it.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 67Oct 23, 2015

    Translating M.C. Escher's mind-bending works into a game leads to The Bridge, a game whose puzzles, mechanics and visual presentation fit perfectly into the artist's legacy. It does exaggerate on its difficulty level, which can make progression too demanding for many players.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 66Aug 19, 2015

    Years after its initial release, The Bridge is still a great example of 2D puzzle gaming.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 63Nov 26, 2017

    The Bridge is a short but sweet experience. While it may have been the visuals that initially drew me in, the satisfying puzzles that literally revolve around… well revolving your world were what kept me playing. A little light on content, but a game that’s worth checking out especially for puzzle fans.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 61Nov 16, 2017

    The Bridge feels right on the Switch hardware, specifically in handheld mode. The atmospheric music, mind-boggling physics mechanics and abstract visual style all amalgamate together to produce one of the best Puzzle games currently available on the platform. With the games' improbable extra challenges and post-game levels, It's sure to keep you going back for quite some time. Providing you don't go insane first.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 60Apr 4, 2016

    The Bridge is without doubt a brilliant idea that features clever puzzles and beautiful artwork. It is without doubt a great addition to the Wii U library, and a must have for puzzle lovers, though it may be quite frustrating for those not experienced in the genre.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 58May 17, 2013

    For a game that was created by just two students, it’s an accomplishment to be incredibly proud of and I know that I’ll be gifting a few of my friends this game throughout the year, even if it is only to drive them crazy with confusion too.

    read full review ↗

…and 3 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

No patch announcements found on Steam yet.