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Super Blood Hockey

Super Blood Hockey

Loren Lemcke · released Aug 17, 2017

IndieSports

Create and manage your team in a violent, dystopic world of no-rules, fast-paced, arcade-style, ice hockey action. Adjust training regimens, control diets, administer black market pharmaceuticals, and provide healthcare (or not) to a ragtag team of convicts at the mercy of your underhanded tactics.

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗
84
VGC Score
▼Decliningmedium confidence
82%
At launch
92%
Steam all-time
68%
Press
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)–685
All-time Steam reviews92%86559
Metacritic user ratings––0
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)100%971
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 3 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 1.4 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (16)

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.

  • 75
    Pure NintendoPure Nintendo
    trust 80May 22, 2019

    “Super Blood Hockey varies away from traditional hockey games, though, it still is a ton of fun. ”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    Nintendo LifeNintendo Life
    trust 76Oct 3, 2020

    “Super Blood Hockey is an entertaining sports game, but not necessarily one that will hold your attention for very long. Even with the abundance of options and game modes, the actual matches themselves play out rather similarly to one another, and there’s very little strategy at play here. Nevertheless, it’s a fun ride while it lasts, and you’ll undoubtedly blow off a bit of pent-up steam with this one.”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    VGChartzVGChartz
    trust 71Apr 26, 2019

    “Built according to the structure of Nintendo's 1988 take on ice hockey, it's an accessible arcade sports game that's particularly fun in local four-player bouts.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    Nindie SpotlightNindie Spotlight
    trust 70Apr 26, 2019

    “For anyone who has played the classic Ice Hockey on the NES (or on Nintendo Online, where it’s currently available) the general idea is easy to understand...”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Push SquarePush Square
    trust 69Jun 8, 2019

    “If you're a fan of hockey, this is not a game you want to miss. Given how long EA's hockey titles have remained an underwhelming exercise in repetition, the fact that Super Blood Hockey approaches the frozen sport with such creative spark is incredibly refreshing. An oddball genre mashup that blends fighters with hockey even better than NHL Hitz, this is a delight. With a razor sharp sense of humor, and great, concise gameplay, this title manages to sneak an awful lot of quality into a small package, while still allowing room for its goofier moments to breathe.”

    read full review ↗
  • 65
    NintendoWorldReportNintendoWorldReport
    trust 69Apr 25, 2019

    “A number of different modes, including a franchise campaign, challenges, and tournaments, provide a variety of play options, but ultimately the gameplay just isn't all that compelling. As a silly multiplayer game that you're looking to have some dumb fun with a group of friends, Super Blood Hockey succeeds. For a hockey experience worth sinking countless hours into, the wait continues.”

    read full review ↗
  • 83
    NintendojoNintendojo
    trust 68May 2, 2019

    “With tons of options to keep players coming back and a biting sense of humor, Super Blood Hockey is Switch’s first great hockey game.”

    read full review ↗
  • 70
    Chalgyr's Game RoomChalgyr's Game Room
    trust 67Sep 30, 2020

    “If you’re a hockey fan and you’re looking to fill that deep, deep void in your soul left by the weird half-season-24-team-Stanley-Cup-playoff-format we had this year, or if you’re a fan of ridiculous injuries and senseless violence, or if you’re a fan of arcade style games, I genuinely recommend you give Super Blood Hockey a (slap)shot. See what I did there?”

    read full review ↗
  • 60
    TheSixthAxisTheSixthAxis
    trust 65May 10, 2019

    “Super Blood Hockey is a simple game that will last one person a few hours before it gets too repetitive, but is great for playing against others. If you have someone to play it with locally, or you like taking advantage of the Switch's Joy-Con, it's worth picking up. If not, you'd probably need to be starved of hockey games for it to be essential.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    GBAtempGBAtemp
    trust 62Apr 25, 2019

    “With up to 4 player local multiplayer/coop this a truly outstanding title. Highly recommended especially for playing in teams with friends.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GamePittGamePitt
    trust 59Apr 30, 2019

    “I went into Super Blood Hockey thinking it was just a homage to Nintendo’s ‘Ice Hockey’ but I quickly realised that it was much more than that! It was as if the developer took the classic title and used it as a starting point to create a much bigger and bloodier game than I could ever imagine. I love the progression you get via completing the various challenges to unlock all the special options and the Franchise Mode was something that I simply did not see coming. Come for the hockey and stay for all the shenanigans!”

    read full review ↗
  • 90
    Rapid Reviews UKRapid Reviews UK
    trust 59May 4, 2019

    “Developed by a one-man band hailing from Finland, Super Blood Hockey is a faithful nod to the games of the late 80’s and 90’s. Adding a touch of bloodthirsty violence to the sport of Hockey, Loren Lemcke has looked to remind us all of what made gaming so great way back when. Demonstrating that whilst graphical enhancements and complex storylines are always welcome, you can’t go wrong with a bit of simplistic, wholesome fun. With the backing of Digerati, renowned for their support of independent game developers, the once Steam only title is now available on the eShop.”

    read full review ↗

…and 4 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Franchise Mode Beta 1.5.4: Bug fixes
    Jan 2, 2019
  2. Franchise Mode: Beta v1.5.3 - Bug Fixes + Balancing tweaks
    Nov 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  3. Franchise Mode: Beta v1.5.2 - Achievements + League Standings + Bug fixes!
    Nov 8, 2018
  4. Franchise Mode: Beta v1.5.1 - Bug Fixes
    Nov 5, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  5. Development Status Update: Porting to Xbox One + New content
    Mar 29, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  6. Development Status Update: Porting to Xbox One + New content
    Mar 29, 2018significant · resets scoring window
  7. Update(Mac/Linux) - v1.1.0 - Tutorial Mode
    Oct 31, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  8. Update(Mac/Linux) - v1.1.0 - Tutorial Mode
    Oct 31, 2017
  9. Update (Windows) - v1.1.0 - Tutorial Mode + misc
    Oct 26, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  10. Update (Windows) - v1.1.0 - Tutorial Mode + misc
    Oct 26, 2017
  11. MacOS now supported + Future Plans
    Sep 20, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  12. Mac Beta Now Available: How to Access
    Sep 13, 2017
  13. Linux/SteamOS now supported
    Sep 9, 2017
  14. Mini-patch: A few more bug fixes
    Aug 25, 2017
  15. Mini-patch: A few more bug fixes
    Aug 25, 2017
  16. Mini-Patch: Difficulty adjustments
    Aug 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  17. Mini-Patch: Difficulty adjustments
    Aug 22, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  18. Update - v1.0.2 - New difficulty settings + Bug fixes
    Aug 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  19. Update - v1.0.2 - New difficulty settings + Bug fixes
    Aug 21, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  20. Mini-Patch: A few bug fixes
    Aug 11, 2017
  21. Mini-Patch: A few bug fixes
    Aug 11, 2017
  22. Beta 8 / Release Candidate 1: Patch Notes
    Aug 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  23. Beta 8 / Release Candidate 1: Patch Notes
    Aug 7, 2017
  24. Beta 7: Patch Notes
    Aug 1, 2017
  25. Beta 7: Patch Notes
    Aug 1, 2017
  26. Beta 6: Patch Notes
    Jul 28, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  27. Beta 6: Patch Notes
    Jul 28, 2017
  28. Beta 5: Patch Notes
    Jul 26, 2017
  29. Beta 5: Patch Notes
    Jul 26, 2017
  30. New Beta Update 4: Patch Notes
    Jul 19, 2017significant · resets scoring window
  31. New Beta Update 4: Patch Notes
    Jul 19, 2017