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 | 9 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 59% | 59 | 966 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.5 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (31)
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.
- 60
“The procedurally-generated nature of each jump warrants countless replays, you’ll just have to deal with a game that’s often doing its best to scupper its own best characteristics.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It's a beautifully crafted narrative driven game that is made for space enthusiasts. Those who daydream of one day leaving Earth and explore new horizons. It made me feel emotional in ways I didn't expect.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The Long Journey Home never attempts to make its journey particularly thrilling, but the deliberate pacing combines well with its risk-versus-reward elements and the simple enjoyment of travelling the stars.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The Long Journey Home is a painful war of attrition. It feels at odds with itself: it wants to incorporate randomization to encourage replayability, yet that randomization makes the critical resource-management components even more frustrating. It could have seriously benefitted from some restraint on the part of the developers; if fewer systems were left up to pure chance, this could have been an expansive, exciting new exploration game. Instead, it's an overpriced curiosity that buries some great ideas under a planet-sized mound of bad decisions.”
read full review ↗ - 40
- 75
“It's slow moving, but that's mainly because you're trying to conserve fuel. If you're awful at resource management, then you'll find The Long Journey Home takes longer than it should. There's quite a bit to do and see, and kill, but if you want a time sink then this will be right up your alley.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Long Journey Home is a nice spatial game that suffers repetition.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“A savage, sometimes frustrating space exploration game that succeeds because of beautiful design and a compelling universe.”
read full review ↗ - 53
“At this point in time I can’t really recommend The Long Journey Home. The game’s control system is fundamentally broken and I think it would take too much work from the developers to patch this in. I personally think it would be a worthwhile investment as it would seriously make the game much more playable and enjoyable. My other main gripe is the repetitive gameplay, unless you like grindy type games, then The Long Journey is probably an easy one to skip. Especially for the very high price point.”
read full review ↗ - 64
“When The Long Journey Home focuses on interactions with a diverse and entertaining cast of aliens across its procedurally generated star systems, it's possible to find a degree of wonder and personality that many roguelike seldom achieve. Unfortunately, such interactions take a back seat to a barrage of frustrating minigames with rewards that rarely match the risks. The experience as a whole suffers for it.”
read full review ↗ - 100
- 70
“The Long Journey Home on paper is a game that is very much for me. It is a game about the exploring space, seeking out new life and interacting with fascinating civilizations but the fact that it is a rogue-like takes away from all that.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
Hu3br
RPGamer
Cubed3
GameWatcher
GameGrin
Gameblog
PC Gamer
PC Aficionado
IGN
Wade D McGinnis
Sirus Gaming…and 19 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Tiny update for The Long Journey HomeAug 10, 2017
- Tiny update for The Long Journey HomeAug 10, 2017
- The Long Journey Home - Update -9.8.2017 - ENGLISHAug 9, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The Long Journey Home - Update -9.8.2017 - ENGLISHAug 9, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- IASA approves first pictures made during missionJun 30, 2017
- UntitledJun 14, 2017
- The Long Journey Home - Update 14.06.2017 - ENGLISHJun 14, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- The Long Journey Home - Update 6.9.2017Jun 9, 2017
- The Long Journey Home - Update 6.9.2017Jun 9, 2017
- THE LONG JOURNEY HOME – IASA RESPONDS TO MISSION CRITICISMJun 2, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Update inbound!Jun 1, 2017
- Update inbound!Jun 1, 2017
- A Very Quick Update (And Phone Wallpapers!)Feb 10, 2017
- A Very Quick Update (And Phone Wallpapers!)Feb 10, 2017