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) | – | 78 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 79% | 73 | 136 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (20)
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
“While it does fail to provide compelling levels, Drifting Lands makes up for it with an interesting loot system that provides choice rather than limits the player actions.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Drifting Lands is rare as a game these days in that it is actually fun and the hours slip by while grinding for better gear. Yes, considering this is a shoot 'em up, the gear aspect is the best part of it. While there are some repetitive issues that start to show themselves hours into the game, the entire package is so coherent as to be recommended. Fans of either shmups or RPGs will find a lot to their liking here, and the rare fan of both is highly encouraged to check it out.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Sadly, a rather major flaw in Drifting Lands' level design really brings down a game that is mostly well crafted. Looting has all the well-thought out tropes that similar games have in spades. It's just a shame that each level is essentially a miniature horde mode rather than featuring proper level design, and that the number of levels could have been cut drastically to make for a more coherent experience. These hang-ups sadly prevent me from recommending Drifting Lands for diehard fans of the genre, but it's otherwise an alright effort.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Who knew that a shmup built with action RPG elements would be the best thing since sliced bread?”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Should you buy this game? If you are a fan of the shmup genre, then yes you should. Drifting Lands is a solid shmup that belongs in the collection of any fan of the genre. A few odd design choices and a distractingly bad story hold it back from being excellent, but it is a fun game in spite of it. Just be aware that if you're looking for a danmaku, you might be left a little wanting. If you've never tried a shmup before, this is still a good purchase, though you might want to start on Easy to make the game ease up on the perma-loss aspect. The game does have a demo, so if you're sitting on the fence, download that and see for yourself. Now if you'll parden me, I need to get back to looking for a straight laser drop.”
read full review ↗ - 76
“Drifting Lands is a gorgeous shoot 'em up with aRPG-style skills let down by unmemorable level design and procedurally generated encounters.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Drifting Lands takes two fantastic genres and marries the best aspects of them together with flair, creating an original and massively addictive experience that deserves to be on your radar.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall it is a very interesting game with some engaging and deep mechanics. I am not sure of the longevity of the game as I feel it might get a bit samey for some on later levels.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“There ain't nothing wrong with a little shmup and grind…or is there? Alkemi is a small french independent studio focused on creating original and polished games with a tendency to mix genres in unexpected ways. The main goal of the team : creating medium sized games with high production value, appealing to hardcore players but not exclusively.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Drifting Lands kept its promise of being enjoyable while combining 2D horizontal shmup with ARPG elements. If you are up to some challenging shoot'em'up action-RPG with swarms of enemies, then buckle your starship's seat belt up!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Drifting Lands combines some really great genres into its own thing that works really well. Alkemi does this in an all-around clean and crisp presentation. The game embodies the “one more level” mentality as you try to make another run in an attempt to get better loot to outfit yourself for higher difficulties. This is a game you shouldn’t miss.”
read full review ↗ - 69
“In short, we can say that the title partially met our expectations, giving us pleasant surprises, but also features that we may not have enjoyed 100%. Of course we are trying to create a new experience and try to assimilate different genres and partly to succeed, giving us an engaging, well-drilled and challenging gameplay. It may be a bit 'perhaps the repetition that in the long run turns into monotony. In short, a title we recommend, especially for not very high price.”
read full review ↗
Hu3br
Cubed3
TheSixthAxis
GameSkinny
Fextralife
NoobFeed
GameSpew
Honest Gaming Reviews
Thumb Culture
Game News Plus
Saving Content
TeamNerd…and 8 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- An update... and some newsFeb 8, 2018
- An update... and some newsFeb 8, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Minor FixJun 29, 2017
- Minor FixJun 29, 2017
- Weekly Patch !Jun 23, 2017
- Weekly Patch !Jun 23, 2017
- A few more fixes!Jun 19, 2017
- A few more fixes!Jun 19, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Mouse Control UpdateJun 16, 2017
- Mouse Control UpdateJun 16, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Post Release Patch #6Jun 13, 2017
- Post Release Patch #6Jun 13, 2017
- Post Release Patch #5Jun 12, 2017
- Post Release Patch #5Jun 12, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Post Release Patch #4Jun 9, 2017
- Post Release Patch #4Jun 9, 2017
- Post Release Patch #3Jun 8, 2017
- Post Release Patch #3Jun 8, 2017
- Post Release Patch #2Jun 7, 2017
- Post Release Patch #2Jun 7, 2017
- Post release patch #1Jun 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Post release patch #1Jun 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- v0.23 last early access update before releaseMay 11, 2017
- v0.23 last early access update before releaseMay 11, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Early Access Update v0.22 : New BossApr 14, 2017
- Early Access Update v0.22 : New BossApr 14, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update 0.21 : new environment & 7 new skills for grade 4Mar 29, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update 0.21 : new environment & 7 new skills for grade 4Mar 29, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update v0.19b (New boss & chained missions)Mar 1, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update v0.19b (New boss & chained missions)Mar 1, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- (pre) V0.19 a small update while we finish the next bossFeb 20, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Patch v0.18bFeb 9, 2017
- Patch v0.18bFeb 9, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Early Access - Update V0.18Feb 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Early Access - Update V0.18Feb 6, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.17c : patch2Jan 31, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.17c : patch2Jan 31, 2017significant · resets scoring window
…and 32 earlier patch announcements.