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) | – | 66 | 13 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 52 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 70% | 67 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 53 | 3 |
| 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 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (42)
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.
- 50
“There would be a good story to be had if Tharsis was developed to involve more than just trying to survive a few rounds. The theme of surviving on a spaceship and figuring out how to keep everything, and everyone, together should make for a good game. Unfortunately, Tharsis fails on too many points to be really worth playing.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“After playing (and dying) a few rounds in a row, I started tinkering around with a few of the game's settings and literally cackled when I saw there was a hard mode, though that's probably just the space madness setting in.”
read full review ↗ - 64
“When it comes to strategy games there are crowds with pretty different tastes out there...”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Tharsis is a time-waster. Nonetheless it is a time-waster that's thoroughly recommended wasting time on - particularly good for fans of strategy and decision-based titles.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“For those looking for something unique and original, Tharsis definitely offers that up in spades. It's not a game that can be played for hours on end, but you'll certainly return to it time and again should you fall for its clever blend of roguelike and strategy board games.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Tharsis would be a game I would enjoy playing on a tabletop with some buddies, while drinking some beers, and enjoying our repeated failures. However, as a single-player video game, with only a few extra missions to take you out of the basic gameplay loop that is consistently frustrating, the overall experience has all the right parts but just leaves too much up to chance to be enjoyable.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“For the board game people, they will find this to be more up their alley. People looking for a more action type experience will have to look elsewhere. If you do decide to pick it up, just keep in mind, it is brutal, unforgiving, and takes a lot of patience to get into. When you do, you may very well find some enjoyment out of it maybe two times out of ten.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Overall I liked Tharsis. It’s a fun, but short experience, that has you managing resources and trying to keep your crew alive. Yes there is some replay value as there are a few different endings it’s still not enough. I do think with some tweaking this would make a really good single-player board game that I would gladly play.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Tharsis isn't a game for everyone. Strategy may be an important factor in determining how long you'll survive, but luck plays a much bigger role in things toward the end. The game is punishingly difficult early on, but it throws you a bone every now and then with character unlocks that can make things feel different. With the likelihood of failing more often than winning due to streaks of near-impossible situations, some may be disenchanted from the get-go. For those who love to conquer big challenges, this digital board game can be very appealing.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A tense, challenging, and addictive strategy game with strong atmosphere, weakened by excessive randomness that too often pushes things past "hard" into "hopeless."”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Tharsis is a captivating but sadistic game of chance that puts your fate at the mercy of dice.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Tharsis is a good yet difficult strategy game that takes a lot of time to master.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Paste Magazine
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
GameWatcher
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
Worth Playing
The Escapist
GameSpot
GameSkinny…and 30 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- A huge new patch is available!Aug 2, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- A huge new patch is available!Aug 2, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- 2/5 Build Update - Missions available now!Feb 6, 2016
- 2/5 Build Update - Missions available now!Feb 6, 2016
- Patches for stability issuesJan 14, 2016
- Launch Day update!Jan 12, 2016
- Launch Day update!Jan 12, 2016
- Build update 1/8 - Update notesJan 9, 2016
- Build update 1/8 - Update notesJan 9, 2016
- 1/7 build update notesJan 7, 2016
- 1/7 build update notesJan 7, 2016