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) | – | 86 | 22 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 87 | 147 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 96% | 90 | 91 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (May 14, 2026) · 91 reviews sampled · 89 total reviews in window · weighted 71.2 up / 3.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (11)
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.
- 88
“Tombwater sets up an intriguing space in the current indie game landscape. A Western horror game disguised as a Soulslike is a brilliant sale, but Tombwater is so much more. It is a triumphant realization of the 2D Zelda formula in a non-medieval, Bloodborne-esque setting. I hope I get to return to this world sooner than we’ll likely return to Yharnam.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Along its 15- to 20-hour playthrough, what makes Tombwater hard to put down is its level design. Smartly placing shortcuts that are unlocked once a difficult boss or area is advanced through, it is purposeful in its ravaged layout. Obtaining new abilities, such as rock climbing and a special shot from your gun to light torches, incentivizes you to explore every cursed nook and cranny.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tombwater captures the soul of a soulslike game and wraps it in a retro-western inspired skin, while offering a deeper focus on story without short-changing the mechanics you’d expect from the genre. The basic map definitely hurts exploration, and the lack of accessibility will mean the game is unplayable for some people, but even then, it’s impossible not to recommend Tombwater to fans of soulslike games and retro games alike.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Tombwater has convinced me that this Soulslike's top-down perspective is well worth exploring.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Zelda meets Dark Souls, Tombwater is a fantastic action adventure set in a Lovecraftian reimagining of the Wild West. Tricky combat is king here, but thanks to difficulty options you can choose to focus on exploring the rich world around you and uncovering its secrets. This is a real hidden gem, and one that really should be on any action-adventure fan's radar.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tombwater is a perfect addition to the Metroidvania soulslike genre. It did a phenomenal job of bringing Eldritch Horror to the wild west and making it a truly immersive and fun experience. Even with the issues with controls for non-mouse and keyboard users and the sometimes questionable sound choices, this game has absolutely stolen my heart with its storytelling and beautifully horrifying art and atmosphere.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Good Western games are few and far between and great ones are even more of a rarity. There have only been a few handfuls of truly great westerns like the Red Dead series, Oddworld: Strangers Wrath, Outlaws, Oregon Trail and a small selection of others, but now Tombwater needs to be placed in these hallowed halls alongside these icons. Tombwater features gameplay inspired by The Legend of Zelda and Bloodborne that gets paired with a faithful western story revolving around an anti-hero trying to live an honest life, who becomes forced to pursue frontier justice in this Eldritch universe. The result is an experience that would make Clint Eastwood proud as Tombwater is one of the greatest Westerns games ever crafted.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tombwater is a well-crafted blend of top-down soulslike, horror, and western setting. Even though its limited map doesn't offer much help for planning backtracking, the diversity of locations and how they intertwine to form a greater whole, dotted with secrets to discover, makes exploration one of the highlights of this fun pixel art eldritch adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Tombwater is very good at mixing two very different inspirations into a coherent experience. Bloodborne, moved into two dimensions, supplies the core combat mechanics, the feeling of eerie transformation, the magic system, and the fire. The Wild West brings in the characters, the dusty town, and the taciturn main character.”
read full review ↗ - 89
“All in all, Tombwater is one of my favorite Soulslikes, if not one of my favorite games, period. I’m not usually a fan of Zelda-likes, but I could barely put this one down. And only part of that was because I kept getting lost and wandering into a new miniboss arena.”
read full review ↗ - –
“Even if you aren’t necessarily jonesing for a Soulslike with a Wild West theme, you should check this out because it’s a damned good 2D Soulslike. Period.”
read full review ↗
The Punished Backlog
Pixel Byte
Analog Stick Gaming
Gameliner
GameSpew
Cinelinx
VDGMS
GameBlast
Softpedia
COGconnected
Fearzine MagazinePatch history
- Tombwater is on Sale and got a Big Update!May 14, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- April 9th, 2026 - Update v1.0.2Apr 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- A New Demo is Here for TombwaterFeb 16, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- October 28th, 2025 - Demo Patch v0.4.9Oct 28, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Tombwater Release Date UpdateOct 20, 2025
- September 24th, 2025 - Playtest Patch v0.4.4Sep 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- July 8th, 2025 - Demo Patch v0.3.4Jul 8, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- May 14th, 2025 - Demo Patch v0.2.3May 14, 2025significant · resets scoring window