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) | – | 77 | 35 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 83% | 76 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 62% | 61 | 4 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 12 reviews sampled · 12 total reviews in window · weighted 5.5 up / 3.4 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (55)
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
“Star Renegades is a highly replayable puzzle/strategy RPG with a couple of interesting twists and loads of play time. Although the path through the game is linear, the rougelite features keep things from being overly repetitive. This is a good value and a solid entry for the Nintendo Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Star Renegades looks fantastic, has a ton of room for experimentation, and has some of the best turn-based combat I’ve seen from this genre. I had a blast trying out different party setups, optimizing each character’s loadout, and finally taking down those tough bosses. The game could use improvements in some areas (most notably with its UI), but it’s a fun experience regardless and one I would recommend if you’re into turn-based RPGs.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It feels like Star Renegades just can't decide what it wants to be. If the game was more like a traditional turn-based JRPG, it would be fine, but as of now way too many gameplay mechanics feels out of place. Roguelike elements are here too, some of them are pretty questionable, but can still win you over. But despite all of that, Star Renegades is a game with a great visual style and an engaging combat system, which is more than enough to hold your attetion, at least for a couple of runs.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Star Renegades deserves to be in the conversation of the best games of 2020 that you've never heard of. Like a lot of indies, its primary sales pitch is how it fuses ideas from a bunch of popular and well-respected releases, but it succeeds where many others fail in actually making something inventive and compelling with those borrowed ideas. At its best, Star Renegades is a gorgeous, deep, challenging, and thoroughly gripping release that successfully delivers a fun and enjoyable experience. There are some technical issues that hold it back from perfection, but there's little else here that otherwise feels below par. Star Renegades is a title that absolutely belongs in your Switch library; if you're a fan of roguelites, RPGs, or strategy games, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I can't ever get enough roguelike games in my life it seems, and I'm always intrigued to see how it can be used as a catalyst for changing up expectations for new genres and break ground...”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Much like Halcyon 6 before it, this has tremendous potential, but is simply lost in its own slog. As such, it remains tough to recommend on a higher level, as battles just take too long, with too much punishment for straying from an ideal strategy. If there was an expansion of story, streamlining of combat, upgrading character pixels, and overall improving some of the aspects touched on, would go a very long way. In a game that felt like it could have been a awesome Edge of Tomorrow kind of deal, it feels more like being an accountant with a glitchy spreadsheet piece of software.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“There's quite a bit to take in here, but the bottom line is Star Renegades is a solid rogue-lite adventure. It might struggle to concisely convey all its systems, but give it some time and there's a deep, challenging game to sink your teeth into.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Switch players should avoid this version for now, however. Fortunately, the developers have indicated long-term support for the game, so keep an eye out for updates in the meantime. You'll definitely want to live, die, repeat, but ideally in the game, rather than playing crash, reboot, reload with your Switch console.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Star Renegades had me enamored from the opening cutscene and sunk its claws deep with its tactically-sound combat, incredible aesthetic, pulse-pounding soundtrack, great story elements, and superb writing. I wish that its meta progression elements were more significant and that it didn't insist on being yet another rogue-lite, but I still felt compelled - even after some really sour defeats - to come back and fight the good fight against the Imperium.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“The gameplay loop here is going to be hit or miss, based on your fondness of the roguelike genre. I enjoyed the combat enough that I kept coming back to Star Renegades over and over again, but the repetition might not be for everyone. Unlocking new characters and improving my team incrementally was just enough of a dangling carrot that I never felt crushed by watching my dimension lose time and time again. It helps that the RPG/Strategy hybrid genre is one of my favorites, and Star Renegades is a fine addition to it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Star Renegades is a challenging yet engaging rouge-lite strategy RPG. Join J5T-1N to recruit a ragtag group for a world-hopping and dimension-saving adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“These factors add up to a game that starts strong, but that can quickly become a frustrating and repetitious experience. I allow for the possibility that Massive Damage's target demographic for Star Renegades are players who will have an easier time progressing through the game and thus won't spend as much time replaying the same sequences. But it is a game with repetition built into its DNA. Therefore, it feels fair to criticize the game when that repetition begins to feel like a chore. Despite all of that, the game's depth is impressive. It's remarkable how every system, from character selection to movement on the map to the campfire conversations are all interlinked and can make a significant difference in your success or failure. If the game's respawn system were a bit more forgiving, or the playthroughs more varied, this could be an absolute success. As it is, hardcore grinders are the most likely to appreciate this cyclical adventure.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
cublikefoot
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
GameWatcher
Chalgyr's Game Room
CFG Games
ComicBook.com…and 43 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update v1.5.1.5Feb 17, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Update v1.5.1.3Jan 11, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.1.3 (Public Testing)Jan 6, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix v1.5.1.2Dec 21, 2021
- Hotfix v1.5.1.1Dec 18, 2021
- The Prime Dimension - Free Content Update!Dec 16, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.0.5 (Public Testing)Dec 16, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.0.4 (Public Testing)Dec 15, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.0.3 (Public Testing)Dec 14, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.0.2 (Public Testing)Dec 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.5.0.1 (Public Testing)Dec 10, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- The spooky 1.4.2 update is now live!Oct 28, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Update v1.4.2 (Public Testing)Oct 27, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Update v1.4.1.3Aug 19, 2021
- Update v1.4.1Jul 29, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Playing-With-Fire: Hotfix v1.4.0.9 (Public Testing)Jul 19, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Guardian Of The Metaverse - Free Content Update!Jun 24, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- 🔥Playing with Fire: Update 1.4 (Public Testing)Jun 17, 2021
- 2021 Roadmap Update Extravaganza!May 20, 2021
- Hotfix v1.3.2.2Apr 27, 2021
- Playing-With-Fire: Hotfix v1.3.2.2Apr 20, 2021
- Hotfix v1.3.2.1Apr 13, 2021
- Playing-With-Fire: Hotfix v1.3.2.1Apr 12, 2021
- 1.3.2 Reverted To 1.3.1!Apr 11, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch v1.3.2Apr 8, 2021
- Playing-With-Fire: Patch v1.3.2Apr 8, 2021
- Patch v1.3.1.1Mar 4, 2021significant · resets scoring window
…and 24 earlier patch announcements.