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) | – | 64 | 3 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 77% | 72 | 970 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 4 total reviews in window · weighted 3 up / 0 down · computed 4h 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.
- 70
“Big Pharma has a lot to offer for players who want a deep management simulator.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“These management simulation style games certainly have their place, and since they aren’t well-represented on the Switch I have no doubts Big Pharma will be enticing to the right crowd that has been starved for this sort of experience...”
read full review ↗ - 40
“While the idea of Big Pharma is interesting, and could have the potential to engage some players in many hours of gameplay, the implementation causes this to be not enjoyable. Text that is so small that it is hard to read, alongside with information disappearing and reappearing, are somewhat annoying, so much so that some may decide to give up before even exploring the title's full potential. That along with confusing tutorial instructions, make for a disappointing gameplay overall.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Big Pharma takes the cake when it comes to puzzle games that can both be therapeutic to watch, while being the right level of infuriatingly difficult to make you come back for more. If you are a fan of sizzle games, you owe it to yourself to take a look.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 70
“Certain scenarios will test your morals by forcing unfair economic sanctions or an overabundance of bad ingredients on you, all designed to test how easily you slip to the dark side”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A very unique and fun title but difficult when getting started”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Big Pharma is quite a nice game on a PC, but on console it's lacking. Controls are terrible and interface not friendly at all. You can't really recommend it to anyone with a clear conscience as it needs plenty of time to struggle with game's interface.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“I feel Big Pharma would be much more satisfying if I was playing the PC version, as this port hasn’t been done very well, with its mediocre graphics, clunky controls and confusing menus.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“If you want a brilliantly designed logistical puzzler then so many other games offer so much more.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Big Pharma might not be a cure-all product, but it should definitely alleviate that simulation itch for some.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
TechRaptor
Dragnix
GameSpew
Gaming Masters
Pixelophobia
AbsoluteXbox
The Digital Fix
COGconnectedPatch history
- Patch v1.08.12Oct 12, 2019
- Patch v1.08.06Mar 5, 2019
- Patch v1.08.04May 25, 2018
- Patch v1.07.14Feb 7, 2018
- Patch v1.07.14Feb 7, 2018
- Patch v1.07.13Jan 2, 2018
- Patch v1.07.13Jan 2, 2018
- Patch v1.07.12Dec 13, 2017
- Patch v1.07.12Dec 13, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- v1.07.11Apr 7, 2017
- v1.07.11Apr 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- v1.07.10 PatchDec 17, 2016
- v1.07.10 PatchDec 17, 2016
- Big Pharma v1.07.09 available now!Dec 16, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Big Pharma v1.07.09 available now!Dec 16, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.07.04 PatchOct 21, 2016
- v1.07.04 PatchOct 21, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.07.03 PatchJul 26, 2016
- v1.07.03 PatchJul 26, 2016
- v1.07.02 PatchJul 12, 2016
- v1.07.02 PatchJul 12, 2016
- v1.07.00 PatchJun 20, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.07.00 PatchJun 20, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.06.12 PatchMay 18, 2016
- v1.06.12 PatchMay 18, 2016
- v1.06.11 PatchMay 13, 2016
- v1.06.11 PatchMay 13, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.06.08 PatchApr 29, 2016
- v1.06.08 PatchApr 29, 2016
- v1.06.07 PatchApr 27, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.06.07 PatchApr 27, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- v1.06.03 - Minor updateApr 24, 2016
- v1.06.03 - Minor updateApr 24, 2016
- UntitledMar 24, 2016
- In the latest update we say "Hola" to Spanish pharmacists!Feb 17, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- In the latest update we say "Hola" to Spanish pharmacists!Feb 17, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- Big Pharma - New features added!Oct 30, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Big Pharma - New features added!Oct 30, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- New patch v1.02.00 brings additional bug fixes and optimisations.Oct 8, 2015significant · resets scoring window
…and 2 earlier patch announcements.