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Thea: The Awakening

Thea: The Awakening

MuHa Games · released Nov 20, 2015

IndieRPGStrategyPCPlayStation 4Xbox OneNintendo Switch

Thea: The Awakening is a turn-based strategic survival game inspired by the Slavic mythology and set in a procedural dark fantasy world infused with non-linear story and unique combat system.

81
VGC Score
·No trend datamedium confidence
81%
At launch
88%
Steam all-time
70%
Press
88%
Player sentiment
100%
Recent sentiment

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.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)707
All-time Steam reviews88%821000
Metacritic user ratings888
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)100%971
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 2 total reviews in window · weighted 1 up / 0 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (29)

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
    trust 76Feb 2, 2019

    Thea: The Awakening wants to be many things. It wants to be a proper 4X game; it wants to be a through-and-through survival experience; it wants to be an RPG, a CCG and many other genres all at once. It succeeds at some, but often at the expense of others. There are some really great ideas here, the almost Pratchett-esque silliness to some of its scenarios and the focus on Slavic myths serves as a striking source of inspiration, but the focus on micro-management busywork simply gets in the way of the empire-building fun Thea should really be embracing.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 75Dec 17, 2015

    Thea has a very specific, Slavic atmosphere and combines several genres which in the end makes for a really unique strategy game. It's not for everybody and the gameplay is uneven but I hope the developers will explore this area. After some technical and gameplay tweaks Thea could be something big.

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    trust 70Feb 1, 2019

    Starting with the strategic component survival is a bit of a complicated task, as you’ll need to worry over collecting resources and building up your town while also being sure to have expedition groups out in search of resources and likely a bit of trouble as well...

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    trust 70Mar 7, 2019

    Never mind the fact that Thea: The Awakening can frequently feel like a needlessly complicated 4X stategy/survival rogue-like/card battler. If that was its only issue, this would be an easy recommendation. Regrettably, the inconvenience that is its user interface mars what could be something really awesome.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 69Dec 2, 2015

    It is complex, sure, and perhaps that will be off-putting for as many as it will be endearing for, but there’s an original game here - one that ought to appeal to fans of both spectrum of genres.

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    trust 69Feb 1, 2019

    A single playthrough can last hundreds of turns but once you've earned a victory, it will simply unlock new quests and options. The complexity leads to all sorts of different ways you can enjoy your time but also creates a gigantic barrier to entry. Without watching a YouTube video of a playthrough being completed and explained on the fly I may have just given up, which would have been a shame because Thea is a fantastic title worth spending the time to figure out.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 67Jun 19, 2017

    Thea: The Awakening is a mishmash of different genres that could have come out feeling jumbled and confused. However, some smart design choices allows Thea to be something bigger and better than the sum of its parts and brings its interesting experience over from PC to console rather successfully.

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    trust 67Feb 1, 2019

    Thea: The Awakening is one of many games that ended up slipping through the cracks around here for one reason or another, meaning the Nintendo Switch release is my first real experience with it, but all of the talk I’d heard about how it incorporates a number of totally different genres without becoming defined by any of its disparate elements was 100% accurate. Chatter about Thea: The Awakening‘s PC version being superior to its console counterparts also ended up having some substance behind it.

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    trust 66Jan 14, 2016

    MuHa Games' debut game turns out to be a little too ambitious. Thea: The Awakening is certainly an original and robust proposition, but without enough polish. First few hours are very engaging, but exploration quickly runs out of surprises, quests become repetitive, and the cards - simply tiresome.

    read full review ↗
  • 30
    trust 65Dec 15, 2015

    I can't recommend Thea. If there's something to note, it's the fact that it runs pretty smoothly and without crashes. Like you should. Away from this game.

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    trust 65Jan 4, 2020

    Thea: The Awakening for the Nintendo Switch puts the focus on Slavic myths, rather the by now extremely common settings of Norse mythology or medieval backgrounds. That alone deserves praise, as it brings some much-needed variety to the catalogue. However, Thea starts turning into a disappointing effort when it starts trying to be everything at the same time and with so many things going in every direction, the game loses focus and becomes a cumbersome experience for the player, even if there are still elements worthy of praise.

    read full review ↗
  • 50
    trust 65Jun 27, 2017

    Thea combines 4X, Card Games, crafting, and more to make an interesting beast that ultimately struggles to carry its own weight despite novelty.

    read full review ↗

…and 17 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Build 1.20.2516.0
    Jan 16, 2017
  2. Build 1.20.2516.0
    Jan 16, 2017
  3. Build v.1.20.2412
    Dec 12, 2016
  4. Build v.1.20.2412
    Dec 12, 2016
  5. Build v.1.20.2207 on main branch
    Oct 7, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  6. Build v.1.20.2010
    Aug 10, 2016
  7. Build v.1.20.2010
    Aug 10, 2016
  8. Build v.1.20.1921
    Jul 21, 2016
  9. Build v.1.20.1921
    Jul 21, 2016
  10. Build v.1.20.1914
    Jul 14, 2016
  11. Build v.1.20.1914
    Jul 14, 2016
  12. Build v.1.20.1904
    Jul 4, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  13. Build v.1.20.1903
    Jul 3, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  14. Build v.1.20.1901 + save warning
    Jul 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  15. Build v.1.20.1901 + save warning
    Jul 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  16. Build v.1.20.1827
    Jun 27, 2016
  17. Build v.1.20.1827
    Jun 27, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  18. MultiPrayer update is now live!
    Jun 23, 2016significant · resets scoring window
  19. MultiPrayer update is now live!
    Jun 23, 2016significant · resets scoring window

…and 15 earlier patch announcements.