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) | – | 67 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 75 | 225 |
| 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 · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0.1 up / 0 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (21)
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
“I haven't much cared for Pang Adventures when playing alone, so I can only recommend it for co-op play. Even then, I'd wait for a sale to bring the game in line closer to what you'd pay on PC or mobile. The game is okay, subpar looks and all, but as a Switch port, it is vanilla.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pang Adventures offers a tense and instantly enjoyable ode to a timeless arcade romp, and one that's bound to engage and reward players who enjoyed it 30 years ago as well as those discovering it for the first time on the eShop. The support for online play is a real bonus, as many puzzle games of this ilk are want to simply plump for couch-play only, but for all its colourful chaos you are left hoping for something a little less predictable. Fans of the original will love it, but they may also lament the fact that more hasn't been done to update this classic series.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Complementing already solid shooting gameplay with a terrific graphical overhaul, some smart new elements, and a provision for local co-op Pang Adventures is a joy for a vintage gamer like me to play. Familiar and yet modern, challenging and yet fair, it starts out a bit slowly but doesn’t take too long before it starts making you work to complete those levels. Remaking classics is undoubtedly a challenge, forcing you to balance a sense of nostalgia with a need to keep things fresh. For the most part the folks at DotEmu have knocked this one out of the park, and with it’s pocketbook-friendly price it’s easy to recommend to any retro gaming or shooting fan.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A fun little throwback to a simpler time, and a fun bash in local co-op, but ultimately a little disappointing considering the lack of lifespan. The core Tour Mode is too short and too easy, and then the extra modes are far too limiting to give this sufficient replayability. For fans of the series that didn't already play this in its first release, it's worth picking up to relieve the original, but it's not worth a double dip.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pang Adventures is a thoroughly retro arcade game that offers addictive bubble-bursting fun in a modestly sized package. The gameplay is compelling enough to keep you playing for a few hours, but whether its trio of modes provide much replay value is another matter. It's certainly worth a look if you have an old-school itch that needs scratching, and fans of the original game will be pleased with just how faithful Pastagames has been to that decades-old formula.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“I had a good couple of hours of Pang Adventures, mostly because I find the concept enjoyable. It's a quick romp that only has legs if you get really into the co-op or leaderboards. If you miss Buster Bros. or just want a quick hit of arcade action, this Switch release is worth popping through. Just don't expect anything more than a good old-fashioned Pang time.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“All in all Pang Adventures is a great remake of a classic. If I had one concern, it would be that the game can feel quite samey after a while, but for pick up and play fun-times it’s damn good fun and did leave me with hunger Pangs to play more….see what I did there?”
read full review ↗ - 30
“When played with a friend, some of its issues become easier to overlook, but the fact still remains that those hoping for a triumphant return will be left disappointed by this rather one-dimensional arcade rehash.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“This is one of the best examples of ‘remastered’ versions of the classic. Even if the new look isn’t your favorite cup of tea, once you get to play the actual game, it blends in really well. It’s priced just under $10 for Nintendo Switch, which is a great value in comparison to many other reboot/classic games’ price range. Great choice for those who are hunting for some of the best value games with great gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It’s a shame there wasn’t more variation gone into [boss] design; as a new addition to Pang Adventures, differentiating from its predecessors, it would have been great to see some new creative flair but instead it feels rather lazy”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Pang Adventures is just good, solo or co-op, old-fashioned retro arcade fun that is perfectly suited to handheld play. There’s nothing different from the Switch version compared to the rest, but it's a fair argument to say that this is the definitive edition.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“At the end of the day, whether you have any sort of nostalgia for this series, or a series that ripped it off, Pang Adventures is another downloadable title that is well worth your time. It’s very likely not going to be your game of the year, but I dare you to not have fun while playing.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
FingerGuns
TheSixthAxis
IGN
GameSpew
Expansive
The Vertical Slice…and 9 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- [UPDATE] v1.1 - bug fixesApr 28, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- [UPDATE] v1.1 - bug fixesApr 28, 2016