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) | – | 75 | 7 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 78 | 61 |
| 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) · 0 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (22)
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.
- 70
“There's plenty to enjoy with Iron Crypticle. It will definitely suit fans of retro aesthetics and arcade-esque titles, but shooting using the right stick in only eight directions is a hindering experience which is likely to frustrate players, in an otherwise solid game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Tikipod has done it again with Iron Crypticle, successfully reviving an old-school arcade concept and infusing it with some modern ideas. Iron Crypticle may not do a ton of innovative or new things with that twin-stick concept, but it nonetheless hits all the right notes in recreating that gameplay that made Smash TV such a smash hit. If you've ever been into twin-stick shooters or want another game for local co-op, Iron Crypticle is a great choice; fun gameplay, high replayability, and decent presentation make this one easy to recommend.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Who said you couldn’t have a great time with a budget retro arcade shooter? Iron Crypticle has a smart but classic arcade style of play that will challenge you solo, or you can join up with 3 friends as well...”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Iron Crypticle is one of the best newcomers to the dungeon crawler genre. While it doesn't come without its share of issues, it's one of the most exciting takes to come along in some time. So grab yourself a few buddies and get ready to die a lot. Just like any good dungeon crawler, Iron Crypticle is all about learning from mistakes, no matter how many times Game Over assaults the television screen.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A fun throwback to a number of different beloved titles, Iron Crypticle is fun in short bursts and can be a blast with friends. Yet, aside from the charm of the 8-bit visuals, there isn't an enormous amount here to keep you dungeon running once the initial novelty wears thin.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It's not articulated particularly well and can lead to some confusion at first, but once fully understood it proves to be a lot of fun. The pace of the game tends to be a bit slow, especially on early floors which don't present as much of a challenge as later floors. However, branching paths, local co-op, multiple difficulties, and even online leaderboards help round out the overall package.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Iron Crypticle can be fun, I enjoyed it in short burst sessions and there's definitely that "just one more go" factor and for high score junkies this will appeal to you. It's not a terrible game, there are just better examples out there.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“While this isn’t really a game that’s practical or easy to beat, the journey in your attempts to try and beat the game is where the fun is, and I still had a lot of fun just playing for the sake of a higher score, even when I didn’t particularly care about progressing.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Iron Crypticle is arcade shoot ‘em up done right with decent twin stick gameplay that changes up often enough to keep the player engaged for many runs. With the addition of powerful bosses, impressive power ups, diverse enemies, and an interesting main concept, this title is quite a hidden gem.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Iron Crypticle is a fantastic rogue-lite update of some of the seminal arcade experiences of my youth, and provides a rewarding challenge even at its easiest setting.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Iron Crypticle is the perfect example of a game whose whole is worth more than the sum of its parts.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, I had time with Iron Crypticle, especially once I started to get better at the game. You'll need to play this one over and over again to be able to survive for longer during your subsequent runs, so be sure to stick with the game for a bit!”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
FingerGuns
Seafoam Gaming
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis
ThisGenGaming
PS3Blog.net…and 10 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Text fixDec 7, 2022
- IRON CRYPTICLE Patch 1.01.05 out now!Aug 19, 2017
- IRON CRYPTICLE Patch 1.01.05 out now!Aug 19, 2017