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) | – | 74 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 93% | 87 | 359 |
| 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) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.6 up / 0 down · computed 11h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (25)
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
“Although it wears its inspirations on its sleeve, you needn't have knowledge of point-and-click adventure classics to enjoy Darkestville Castle. The jokes are fine, the characters are fun, and the puzzles are comfortably illogical. Enjoy your visit.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Darkestville Castle doesn’t deliver anything new to this classic genre, nor does it need to. A fun, well written, over the top and ridiculous story, fronted by one of the more memorable protagonists I have played in some time.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Darkestville Castle never hides the source of its inspiration, but it matters not as this is no mere cheap imitation, instead proving to be a love letter to the classics in the point-and-click genre. It easily matches some of the best of yesteryear, whilst retaining a fantastic fresh feeling, bringing along very inventive puzzles, plus a humorous and engaging script, all wrapped up in a gorgeously presented package. Hopefully, this is not the last time Cid Threep…sorry, Cid the Demon gets to go on a zany adventure.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“While it brings with it some of their flaws, it is absolutely dripping with charm. Some of the corners are a little rough when it comes to character design and world building, but the story had me brushing past these inconsistencies without a second thought, not to mention that the Switch port itself is excellently done. If you're craving something in the vein of Monkey Island on your Nintendo Switch, I can't think of anything better than Darkestville Castle. Just brace yourself for the occasional esoteric puzzle solution.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Darkestville Castle feels at home on the Switch, and with a strong narrative and clever puzzles cements itself as a decent point-and-click adventure, despite some niggles.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“For content starved fans of the classic point and click adventure, it's hard not to get excited about a new entry in the genre, particularly one whose visuals inspire a feel good nostalgic hit for all things LucasArts. Dig a little deeper though and you'll find this is an underwhelming imitator of the legends of yesteryear. Too many obscure puzzles and too many unfunny jokes prevent Darkestville Castle from being the Secret of Monkey Island successor it so obsessively wants to be.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Darkestville Castle is one of the best point-and-click games of this year, with lovable characters and unpredictable humor. The quality of this game is so great that its small problems are easily forgotten.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“An enjoyable graphic adventure heavily inspired by the great classics of the past, with a light-hearted approach to storytelling and plenty of puzzles to solve. It's not a new masterpiece but it can provide hours of entertainment for all the fans of old school adventure games.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Darkestville Castle does a wonderful job at capturing the joy of the classic point-and-click genre.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“If you want a brain-scratching and belly-tickling point and click puzzler, Darkestville Castle is a great option though it won’t be one which appeals to everyone.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Darkestville Castle is a creepy point and click adventure from Epic Llama/Buka Development. It takes you on a journey full of puzzles, mythical creatures and unusual conversations, all from the perspective of a demon. Here is what I made of it all.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“I keep bringing this series up, but if you liked the Monkey Island games, you'll almost certainly enjoy Darkestville Castle. In fact, if you've always wanted to try one and are allergic to PC gaming, this is not a bad experience on Switch at all. The visuals and humor are worth it, at the very least.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Seasoned Gaming
Cubed3
NintendoWorldReport
FingerGuns
TheSixthAxis
Gamefa
IGN
GameSpew
GameByte
Rapid Reviews UK
Nintendo Enthusiast…and 13 more tracked reviews.