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) | – | 76 | 25 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 91 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 80 | 14 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 98% | 93 | 58 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.7, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 11,936 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 166 reviews sampled · 143 total reviews in window · weighted 87.6 up / 2.1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (71)
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.
- 80
“Pikuniku is an entertaining distraction, a wonderful game world to romp around in. And when you've finished the entire story in a day or three of casual play, you can look forward to restarting it with your inventory intact and exploring all the nooks and crannies to find what you missed before, and going back to finding Ernie, and kick, kick, kicking him back up through the tunnels and back to safety. Tell him I said, “Hi.””
read full review ↗ - 80
“If you're looking for something short, sweet and bound to make you smile, you won't be let down by Pikuniku's infectious charm and gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“We struggle to recall a dystopia quite as cheerful as the one found in Pikuniku. It’s a short game, but one packed with heart and imagination, with a great single-player component and excellent couch co-op that can genuinely be enjoyed by anyone. It makes us remember the fun we had cutting pieces from our friends in Snipperclips, but where we occasionally hit a brick wall with that game, Pikuniku sidesteps frustration in favour of a breezy and charming adventure; a perfect salve if you need a break from the backlog, but don’t dive in expecting endless hours of gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If you’re interested to know anything at all about the story in the game you can check out the video, but as a whole I’d say if you’re thinking of getting it you’ll want to see and know as little as possible...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Pikuniku's minimalistic visuals, wacky humour, overall happy vibe, light collect-athon mindset, and simple gameplay mechanics, make it a good pick for those who just want to kill an evening or two with something that's fun, but not that demanding. Sadly, there's a severe lack of content at hand, which is surprising given the length of it all.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Pikuniku is a unique and stand out experience that makes you feel good to play it. It certainly isn’t for someone looking for action or a serious challenge, but those who want a relaxing game where you bounce around, kick things, and make friends will find a lot to like here. ”
read full review ↗ - 60
“A short, quirky adventure mixes simple platforming, light puzzles, and wonderfully odd humour in a minimalist, colourful world. The controls can feel imprecise and the experience is over quickly, but its charm, personality, and playful tone make it an enjoyable little diversion.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Pikuniku happily fills in the gap between bigger and longer games, brightens your day, and leaves a lasting good feeling”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Some mild frustrations and pacing aside, Pikuniku is disarmingly agreeable, revelling in the random while telling a surreal and well-structured story. Both my kids (they’re the reason this review is so far after release, hogging the Switch to play this) and I have had a tonne of fun with this game, inspiring bemused, furrowed brows and face splitting smiles a plenty.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Pikuniku is a seemingly simple game packed full of clever ideas and smart design. It does a lot with very little, and makes for a delightful puzzle-platformer in doing so. It's single-player mode can feel a bit meandering and frustrating at times as you struggle to make any meaningful progress, and its co-op is brilliant but just a little too short. But despite all this, it's a game that platformer fans simply must play. It's sheer brilliance wrapped in a silly, cute package, and it's by far one of the smartest platformers on Switch to date.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pikuniku is a little game that can be a lot of fun and even funny at times, but is, most of the time, monotonous and unoriginal. It shines brightest when it's not afraid to be naturally quirky but sometimes tries too hard to fabricate quirkiness that doesn't belong.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Playing out like an interactive episode of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, Pikuniku is a perfectly formed three hour adventure.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Jump Dash Roll
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
KonsoliFIN
Checkpoint Gaming
FingerGuns
The Game is a Lie
Eurogamer…and 59 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.