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) | – | 67 | 17 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 49% | 51 | 348 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 74% | 70 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 2 reviews sampled · 2 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
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.
- 75
“Aquanox Deep Descent is a “for fans by fans game”, the core combat mechanics and exploration are satisfying and will surely appease Aquanox fans. Too bad that the rest, especially its story beats, undermined by an annoying protagonist and an underwhelming plot.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Aquanox Deep Descent is the "perfect" mediocre game. It does nothing bad, but nothing that good either. From the weak story, characters, and atmosphere, to the almost uninvolving gunfights, and unimaginative quests, this fails at being a big recommendation - especially to fans of the series. Oh, sure it has no competitors in the 'First-person Subaquatic Dystopian RPG' genre, but this doesn't mean it gets a free pass.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Aquanox Deep Descent suffers from poor mission variety and an underwhelming story, but its combat and ship customization systems are solid and entertaining.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Duking it out underwater is a lot of fun in this game. The visuals are well-done, it plays well, and the story is quite strong too. Very much worth a look for anyone intrigued by its premise.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A perfectly honest effort from Digital Arrow, but one that could have reached greater heights with a little more attention to detail.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“As resurrections of near-20-year-old franchises go, Aquanox Deep Descent is a very solid effort that, with a few tweaks and a bit more polish, could potentially be special. Here’s hoping that THQ Nordic gives Digital Arrow the opportunity to make another one”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Finding Nemo. Seriously, it is one of the characters in good underwater story. And there is 4 player drop-in co-op and PvP multiplayer as well. But some ingredients could be better.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Submarines, Bionts, Dystopia and shooty shoots, what's not to love? Buy this, slap on your cowboy hat, and stick some Linda Ronstadt on as you drive "every kind of rig that's ever been made" in the deep blue.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Aquanox: Deep Descent continues a journey into the depths of the sea started in 1996 and proves blowing things up underwater is more fun than the Bends.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Still, there is no denying that Aquanox Deep Descent is a very flawed game that doesn’t live up to its pedigree. The modest budget and troubled development cycle are glaringly obvious in many places throughout the game, and there are a lot of janky mechanics and bizarre design decisions.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Shooting things is definitely the goal of Aquanox Deep Descent. After so many years, it is really a shame to see that the saga has not evolved and has not diversified in any way or gone deeper in almost any aspect.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Decent controls can't save this game from being aggressively bland, boring, and average.”
read full review ↗
Hu3br
Cubed3
Gaming on PC
PC Invasion
FingerGuns
SECTOR.sk
GameGrin
GameSkinny
Niche Gamer
MMoinGame
TechRaptor…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Christmas PatchDec 23, 2020significant · resets scoring window
- Aquanox Update 16th of November 2020Nov 16, 2020
- Patch October 23rd!Oct 23, 2020