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) | – | 65 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 73% | 69 | 51 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
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
- 60
“Spellspire is simple, unique, and will make you feel like your English skills are on par with a 10-year old. The fun blend of word puzzle and fantasy adventure is enough to flesh out hours of content, and the snappy interface makes it easy to jump in for a few floors of spellbinding action. Longer play sessions wear a bit thin due to the need to grind, and the inconsistent difficulty makes progression feel less satisfying than it really should. It's not out to impress with its story or visuals, but if you want something quick and easy to play in handheld mode then it's a pretty solid choice. At its current price we'd only really recommend it to players who enjoy word games in general, and maybe keep a dictionary close to hand...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Spellspire is a nice game to knock around casually while you’re either in-between things or possibly doing something else like watch TV. It is challenging, will keep your brain firing to figure out all of the possible words your set of letters has to offer, and provides you with some opportunities for strategy as well. While lefties and the vocabulary or spelling-challenged may want to think twice about it 10 Tons has brought over yet another quality casual title to fill out the Switch line-up.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The flaws of the free, mobile version have been carried over to the Nintendo Switch port, and as such, destroy what little fun could be had by this word-scramble title, the reason being that, rather than the ability to craft words, Spellspire is all about grinding.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There is little to complain about with Spellspire. It's a jolly little game, with a colorful art style and some nice touches of humor. But this is a word puzzle game; if you're not great with word games like Boggle or Scrabble, then it may not be the game for you..”
read full review ↗ - 80
“On its own, Spellspire is an enjoyable word RPG, somewhat in the same vein as a Puzzle Quest. The replayable nature makes it a nice game to have on hand as a complement to the Switch's other games. It's a focused and fun twist on a known formula, well worth checking out if you need a break from Mario.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Spellspire is a game that knows what it is, and doesn't aim for the stars. It's a more than enjoyable experience worth the price tag. Those looking for a fun little game to play during downtime, or even something to distract the kids, can't go far wrong here.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“In the end, Spellspire is a fun game that's best played in short sessions. The focus on speed is exciting, and the RPG elements make it so that you're forced to put some thought into each of your fights. It can feel rather repetitive since you're always stuck with 10 letters and the monster roster per stage doesn't change. Having said that, it's perfect for the Vita and is a complementary title for those who've already played Letter Quest Remastered.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Whilst Spellspire is not a bad attempt at a word game, adding in the interesting layer of dungeon crawling gameplay on top, but it seems somewhat ill-suited to consoles. The central typing mechanic of the PC version is lost and the clumsiness of navigating an onscreen keyboard causes frustration.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Spellspire may not be the most common game out there, as there aren't many games based on typing, but this production gets it right. Thanks to its addictive progression system, players will be constantly motivated to advance and to come up with more elaborate words to vanquish the enemy monsters.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“While I've seen this kind of word building game on PlayStation before I did enjoy my time with Spellspire at least for awhile. In short bursts it can be fun but if you sit down for any length of time and play through it the lack of gameplay variety will quickly have it feeling stale.”
read full review ↗ - 45
“Spellspire tries to offer an interesting mix of spelling games and RPGs. Unfortunately, too much of the game is left to luck, and the elemental system made to provide something less luck-based never really matters.”
read full review ↗
Fintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
ZTGD
NintendoWorldReport
GameGrin
Worth Playing
TheSixthAxis
FNintendo
ThisGenGaming
TechRaptor…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- DYSMANTLE 1.0 Now AvailableNov 16, 2021
- Skeletal Avenger Full Version Launched on Steam!Sep 29, 2021
- Spellspire launched + Twitch integration!May 24, 2017