Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 497 sampled Steam reviews (466 positive / 31 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Progression & loot4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes26% mention it
- Grind & repetition16% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers13% mention it
- Difficulty & balance10% mention it
- Controls & UI10% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
91%
189 reviews
5-15h
95%
274 reviews
15-40h
97%
33 reviews
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 (Metacritic) | – | – | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 89 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 95% | 90 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.6, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 45,942 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 27, 2026) · 2526 reviews sampled · 17775 total reviews in window · weighted 1572 up / 65.6 down · computed 35m ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (1)
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.
- 84
“How to Fish is a great online co-op game to play with friends, but it’s slightly less enjoyable solo because of its grind-heavy progression. However, when you have a full squad by your side, the game’s chaotic gameplay and boss fights make the repetition much easier to stomach, as you’re immediately pulled into its addictive blend of fishing and first-person shooting, hook, line, and sinker.”
read full review ↗
Game8Patch history
- FANART & PATCH 1.0.10Aug 27, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- PATCH 1.0.9Aug 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- PATCH 1.0.8Aug 24, 2026
- PATCH 1.0.6Aug 23, 2026
- PATCH 1.0.5Aug 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- PATCH 1.0.4Aug 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window