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LYNE

LYNE

Thomas Bowker · released Mar 16, 2014

CasualIndiePCNintendo SwitchiOS (iPhone/iPad)

Deceptively simple. Infinitely complex. LYNE is a minimalist puzzle game that will knot your brain as it calms your soul. Connect the shapes. Fill the board. Lose yourself in the interflowing paths of LYNE.

89
VGC Score
Decliningmedium confidence
92%
At launch
96%
Steam all-time
86%
Press
53%
Player sentiment
95%
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 (Metacritic)866
All-time Steam reviews96%901000
Metacritic user ratings0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)95%892
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.4, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 8,257 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 7 reviews sampled · 6 total reviews in window · weighted 3.6 up / 0.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (6)

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.

  • 90
    trust 66Jan 23, 2014

    Lyne is a slick, contemplative puzzler that you'd be a fool to miss.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 60Jan 13, 2014

    Working the brain while relaxing the soul, LYNE is a nice app that's great to relax with and get lost within.

    read full review ↗
  • 100
    trust 60Jan 13, 2014

    With a perfect blend of intuitive and ingenious, LYNE is a lovely little logic puzzler that can make you feel stupid and gifted in a single moment.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 60Mar 9, 2014

    It's a simple idea executed well, even if it doesn't quite burrow into your brain the way the best puzzle games do. [Apr 2014, p.75]

  • 80
    trust 54Jan 10, 2014

    In a game where even failure is surprisingly soothing, the emotional reward of success is worth chasing.

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    trust 53Jan 18, 2014

    LYNE is a great game not only for its clever puzzles, but for the soul soothing elegance it emanates throughout the experience.

    read full review ↗

Patch history