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) | – | 53 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 76% | 71 | 19 |
| 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 (17)
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
“The Forbidden Arts is a nice indie studio entry for the Switch and good for at least 12 hours of gameplay. I say "at least" because if you play like me you will probably get a couple of extra hours out of it (refer to the finicky jumping bits above). It doesn't have all the polish of a big studio game, but it has heart.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“The Forbidden Arts feels like a game from the early GameCube era, but not a particularly good one. Whilst the dungeons are vast and varied, and the platforming mechanics competent enough, the combat really brings the whole experience to its knees thanks to poor enemy AI and half baked elemental mechanics that make the entire experience feel very repetitive. Add to that the lacklustre graphics and empty overworld, and this is a game that only the most ardent of fantasy enthusiasts will enjoy.”
read full review ↗ - 61
“The pitch of a side-scrolling adventure where you'll use elemental powers to combat evil is always a good start, but while The Forbidden Arts has some flourishes in places for the most part it unfortunately fizzles...”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Forbidden Arts is a game that feels like a relic from the past. If someone had told me this was a budget title on Gamecube and somehow got the HD treatment, I would believe them. It just lacks polish and interesting content to keep players interested. I doubt many people have heard of this title and even fewer will remember it. It is just a plain adventure title that never steps outside the boundaries of mediocrity. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Having seen the end of its development, Stingbot Games’ The Forbidden Arts is a platformer worth looking into. With plenty of refinement from the start of its Early Access to the final releases on both the PC and the consoles, this 2D meets 3D adventure of a Pyromancer coming into his power is a lot of fun.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Forbidden Arts tries recreating games of old, but it manages to conjure flaws that should have stayed buried.”
read full review ↗ - 54
“The Forbidden Arts had a lot of potentials to be a good platformer but because of many technical issues in different parts and aspects of the game, it is far from being good. There are very annoying issues in gameplay like sloping down from flat surfaces that could simply irritate anyone after some time and there are also some parts in the game that seem very incomplete and redundant. There are other issues in terms of sound and technical aspect of graphics. The game has a good overall level design and the artistic aspect of graphics is also very good with a beautiful style, but unfortunately, these are not enough to make this game a good choice to play, because technical issues affected every elements if the game.”
read full review ↗ - 68
“The Forbidden Arts is charming, colorful, and has its heart in the right place. The 2D portions make up the bulk of the experience resulting in fun exploration and boss fights. The 3D portions are bland and empty making it not the focus if that was one's assumption. That leaves everything else riding on the 2D levels which are fine as they are, being varied and full of enemies, hazards and platforming challenges. It's the poor implementation of the mechanics and design that hinders the experience. What you think should work and doesn't only causes frustration. Toss in a few glitches and you only wish this had more time in the oven. Still, it's a solid effort that's likable. If you can get past the hurdles, you'll be left satisfied with a side of disappointment for dessert.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Forbidden Arts has the potential to be great with its interesting world and premise, but the strange level design and problems with the gameplay keep it from igniting into something impressive.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“There’s a fair amount of content to go through here, and there’s sparks of enjoyment scattered throughout the game. Most of the time, however, I was left frustrated and disappointed by the game’s rough combat, mediocre platforming, and lackluster presentation.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I thoroughly enjoyed playing The Forbidden Arts. Though the controls and overall gameplay was simple, the premise was what intrigued me the most and encouraged me to keep playing.”
read full review ↗ - 45
“The gameplay, art, and controls are all solid, the music is nice but an odd choice for a platformer, and the voice acting is good, but it's largely marred by the mashup fanfic plot. I found a few bugs, and there was some lag in controls, but they were largely incidental, and to be expected in a small team game this soon out of Early Access.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
GameSkinny
Gamefa
Switching Worlds
Geeks Under Grace
Switch Atlantic
But Why Tho?
GameSpace…and 5 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 1.0.3.0 is live!Sep 10, 2019
- Patch 1.0.2 is here!Aug 11, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Full Release Aug 7, 2019! Details!Jul 18, 2019
- Version 0.9.8.0 is live! Almost there!Jun 11, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.7.0 is live! Last Early Access Build?May 22, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.6.0 is live! + Development UpdateApr 10, 2019
- Version 0.9.5.0 is live! We're in beta!Mar 1, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.4.0 is live!Feb 5, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.3.0 is live! Must Read!Jan 11, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Happy New Year! New Version - 0.9.2.0 is Live + News!Jan 2, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.1.0 is Live! Massive Update!Dec 11, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.9.0.0 is Live! Localization and tons more!Nov 8, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.8.2 is live!Oct 20, 2018
- Version 0.8.1 is live! New animation system + moreOct 3, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.8 is Live! MUST READ!Sep 22, 2018
- Version 0.7.3.0 is live!Aug 24, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.7.2.0 is Live!Aug 17, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.7.1.0 is live! Check out what's new!Jul 31, 2018
- Version 0.7.0.0. Fixed!Jul 21, 2018
- New content available - The Desert of MarzuleJul 21, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Build 0.6.6.0 is LiveJun 18, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Recent Changes and things to comeJun 13, 2018
- Version 0.6.5.0 is live!Jun 1, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Version 0.6.2.0 is Live! + NewsMay 11, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Major Update version 0.6.1.0 is live!Apr 24, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- New Content Available - The Swamp of Green MistApr 4, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- New Content Available - The Swamp of Green MistApr 4, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- New Content Status UpdateMar 27, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- New Content Status UpdateMar 27, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Next content update and changes to comeMar 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Next content update and changes to comeMar 13, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Build 0.5.5.0 is liveMar 8, 2018
- Build 0.5.5.0 is liveMar 8, 2018
- Build 0.5.3.0 is Live!Mar 3, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Build 0.5.3.0 is Live!Mar 3, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Status Update and New Build 0.5.2.0 is LiveFeb 27, 2018significant · resets scoring window
- Status Update and New Build 0.5.2.0 is LiveFeb 27, 2018significant · resets scoring window
…and 14 earlier patch announcements.