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) | – | 69 | 4 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 85% | 78 | 801 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 71 | 2 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 90% | 84 | 151 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jul 20, 2024) · 151 reviews sampled · 139 total reviews in window · weighted 93.4 up / 10.1 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.
- 55
“Anodyne is definitely a strange game. On one hand, the surrealism it provided definitely made for a cool game world, but it did not feel properly executed on the story side of things. On top of that, the lackluster game map and limited aspect ratio did not do the game any favors either.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Anodyne mixes solid old-school dungeon crawling with a delightfully weird and warped narrative set in a fever dreamscape full of bizarre secrets and surprises.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Set in the hero Young’s subsconscious, the world of Anodyne can be quite unusual, unless you consider it normal to be doing things like talking to a lobster, for instance...”
read full review ↗ - 40
“A clunky jump mechanic meant to be used in poorly designed platforming sections; a crowded HUD made so simply for the sake of looking more “16-bit;” enemies that are either easier to fight standing still or are designed purposely to be annoying, unkillable obstacles; and a map made entirely of dead ends and corridors all come together to make a boring and fractured slog largely not worth playing. If the final mechanic had been the core mechanic the entire way through, perhaps Anodyne would be worth the time investment it asks of you. Hopefully some of the lessons learned making it will be applied for its upcoming sequel, and the small bits of potential it does have can shine.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It's one of those games with loads of untapped potential, which is how it ultimately traps itself in the shadow of its big role-model. It manages to create an atmosphere on a comparable level of quality, but lacks in finesse of design. You're only a third of you way through this adventure until you hunger for more skills and weapons, and long exhausting marches regularly get in the way of any real adventuring. Still, Anodyne manages to entertain and displays a level of talent which has you wonder what its creators will be up to next.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Above all, Anodyne never lets you forget that it's a game more concerned with the journey than with the destination, and at 10 bucks, it's a journey worth taking.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Just, maybe play this game on anything that isn’t the Switch for the sake of not having a bad framerate or godawful scrolling, since after finally giving it an honest marathon session, I easily can see that being a dealbreaker for some like it was for me, and no matter how many times I tried to throw myself at this game in hopes the performance would be something I could get around, it just came back like a recurring nightmare.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Anodyne falls between average and perfection, offering a strange, funny, horrifying few hours of old-school action-adventure. [June 2013, p.91]”
- 75
“If you are a fan of the genre, it may be worth picking up on the cheap, but overall it never rises to the same heights as other 2D adventures available on the Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“It stays close to its inspirations and risks growing repetitive, but Anodyne’s darkly surreal atmosphere is gripping.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Anodyne is a fun minimalist bite-sized 16-bit infused action-adventure that pays homage to the beloved The Legend of Zelda series while doing its own thing. You can probably finish this one in a handful of hours, and you'll be back for more if you want to get all trophies to add a new Platinum trophy to your collection. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A botched port doesn't change the fact that Anodyne is worth a shot, with it being a really well done surrealist title.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
NintendoWorldReport
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Seafoam Gaming
SwitchRPG
PC Gamer
PS3Blog.net
Sick Critic…and 12 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- 1.11Jul 20, 2024significant · resets scoring window
- Version 1.1 (Adds Basque Language)Nov 12, 2023
- v. 1.53May 23, 2019
- 1.521 Patch NotesFeb 22, 2019
- 1.520 NotesJan 9, 2019
- 1.518 NotesJan 8, 2019
- 1.517 NotesDec 10, 2018
- 1.512 patch notesAug 24, 2017
- 1.512 patch notesAug 24, 2017
- update 9/3Sep 5, 2013
- update 9/3Sep 5, 2013