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) | – | 79 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 86% | 80 | 162 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 1 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 2 reviews sampled · 2 total reviews in window · weighted 1.4 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.
- 80
“This is an old-school 2D shooter that serves as an effective tribute to the classics while successfully managing to inject some fresh ideas of its own. Super Hydorah doesn't reinvent the side-scrolling shmup, but it does kit it out with some cool new gadgets. At $19.99 / £17.49 it's perhaps a little on the pricey side, but fans of the genre will see this as money well spent.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Overall I really can’t find any significant fault of note in the game, it plays well, borrows some classic concepts while still doing things its own way, and even offers hidden bonuses in each level that more obsessed fans should enjoy trying to find. The branching paths don’t simply make you choose to move ahead, you can circle back and hit everything if you’re determined to give yourself as many options as possible. Make no mistake, this has old school arcade sensibilities so while it won’t be stealing your quarters the first time you try to get through some stages you’re going to get taken down by some environmental surprises in some stages. All in all it’s a great arcade shooting experience that feels like it was lost back in the 80s and just rediscovered. Highly recommended for classic arcade shooter fans!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Super Hydorah does a lot of things right, and is a great homage to the classic shoot 'em ups. There is a constant push to be better, whether that is to get a new high score, speedrun the campaign, or perhaps to finish without using continues, and the replayability comes from the arcade experience. While the challenge might not be for everyone, friend decreases it, and the nostalgia and modern polish make it worth the struggle.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Overall, Super Hydorah takes the classic shmup mold and bolts on its own unique elements to produce something new and bold. Definitely give it some consideration the next time you’re strolling through the eShop.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Super Hydorah is a game for those who appreciate the space shooters of yore. It isn't forgiving in the slightest, but it also doesn't overwhelm you with bullet hell sensibilities. It looks and feels so much like those old games that you could mistake it for a long-lost classic. Even if it didn't come with a co-op mode or a nice bonus game, Super Hydorah is so fun that it would still be a recommended purchase for genre fans.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Super Hydorah follows the footsteps of old-school 2D shooters of the 16-bit era and inevitably, the result is a game with a very demanding difficulty level (which ventures into frustration at some moments), along with some very eye-filling visuals. Super Hydorah is an experience that lives up to the 2D shooters of other days and a very worthy effort within the Nintendo Switch catalogue.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The bite-sized nature of each level you take on, and the weapon progress will keep you coming back for more until you've managed to complete a full run through one of the potential routes before diving right back into it for another go. I highly recommend that you give Super Hydorah a go on PlayStation, I'm sure you're going to love it!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A great -but short- homage to the old shoot'em up classic that is as hard as satisfying.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Super Hydorah is a game that reaches across the gaming sphere to hardcore gamers and newbies alike. With game play that's easy to pickup and has a lot to build on, the game is both friendly and challenging. Super Hydorah has the feel of an old space shooter, with a few twists you can expect from the indie genre.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“I will admit that I was simply unable to beat Super Hydorah for this review. Some may think I gave up too quickly, but I easily put in 8-10 hours and countless continues in my attempt to beat a 2 hour game and probably got through 80-90% of it. While reasonably priced at $19.99, I can’t recommend this to any besides truly hardcore fans of the SHMUP genre. I appreciate what Locomalito and Gryzor87 were attempting here. There’s a lot of good in this game and it is a fond nod to the genre, but sadly the good is hidden behind hardcore game design and frustrating decisions. Ultimately, I was more of a fan of Cursed Castilla EX. That said, I appreciated the opportunity to tackle Super Hydorah, and will look forward to the next game by this team.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“A classic fun shoot´em up, which brings back memories from R-Type, darius and Gradius, and offers great multiplayer and replayability. On the downside, it´s not too long and difficulty is not always well balanced.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Super Hydorah is a solid tribute to old-school shoot ‘em up that also does its own thing to give us a great PS4 release you need to play. Older players who actually went to the arcade back in the 1980s are going to love this one, and those new to the genre are going to find a great 2D pixel shooter to keep them busy for many hours.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Nintendojo
Worth Playing
FNintendo
PS3Blog.net
IGN
Geeks Under Grace
oprainfall
Hobby Consolas
PS4Blog.net…and 9 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- UntitledNov 15, 2018
- UntitledNov 15, 2018
- Super Hydorah has been updated!Nov 15, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Upcoming update for Super HydorahNov 23, 2017
- Upcoming update for Super HydorahNov 23, 2017