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) | – | 69 | 15 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 76% | 71 | 153 |
| 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 1.9 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (38)
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 Spectrum Retreat is an interesting project, made by one person, which guarantees several hours of active brain work in exchange for a variety of emotions.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Small and not too deep, but still fun experience with smart puzzles and solid story.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Spectrum Retreat impresses with its devilishly tricky puzzle solving, which rewards exploration and new ways of thinking about challenges. A real delight, check yourself into the Penrose Hotel today.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Spectrum Retreat is a valiant stab at a Portal-esque puzzler which largely pulls off what it sets out to achieve. It lacks the dynamite script and surgical timing of Valve's masterpiece, but the test chambers (sorry, ‘authentication challenges') withstand the comparison. If Gone Home's pace is a touch too navel-gazing for your liking, we'd heartily recommend a trip to The Penrose Hotel.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The Spectrum Retreat is a fun game that doesn't outstay its welcome. The failed attempt to reconcile the narrative and gameplay aspects may leave the player seeing each as an obstacle. The voice acting, soundtrack, and visuals are well executed but not enough to elevate the game quality.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“I would be remiss in not recommending The Spectrum Retreat if you’re a fan of Portal-esque puzzle solving.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Putting these two halves together The Spectrum Retreat is a surprising treat, with both elements of the gameplay motivating me to get further so I could understand or solve more. While I wish there were more room for discovery in the hotel sequences I suppose the deliberate and slow doling out of clues keeps the revelations around what’s happening at a specific pace. I will say that some of the backtracking through the hotel got tedious when there wasn’t anything of value to do along the way, but it usually didn’t waste too much time. Right through the game’s conclusion I was pretty satisfied with the experience and would love to see more titles with this pairing of gameplay styles in the future.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Spectrum Retreat is a pleasant surprise. The colour coded puzzles are intelligently designed and present a decent challenge, while the Penrose hotel is an absorbing backdrop that creates an unsettling atmosphere. While it's a shame more isn't made of this setting, the game's storytelling, design, and puzzle solving is a compelling mix, and for less than a tenner, provides a unique experience across its six-hour runtime.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“But, those challenges are all in the later half of the journey, so getting to them will be a chore. I think all of the concepts here, warrant a sequel, that I would gladly come back to. A few tweaks here and there, would assist in the overall experience, but all in all I recommend checking into The Penrose for a few puzzling nights.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“Narrative The Spectrum Retreat remains quite exciting and stands out from the standard "walking simulators", so that one is curious to see how the story goes on. Even the narrative offers some space for interpretation. Technically, the game is solid and does its job well, especially the soundtrack is very atmospheric and the speakers deliver a good performance. Fortunately, the English language version was kept here, but there are German subtitles. The Spectrum Retreat is for anyone who likes narrative games like Firewatch and can also start with puzzles.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Spectrum Retrait combines the mysterious story with a puzzle system that focuses on thinking, trial and error. and that system allows us to look at it from a different side.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Expertly created puzzles, a setting which is as equally enticing as it is unsettling, a thought provoking narrative, excellent music and top draw voice work combine to form a truly enjoyable puzzle game that’ll have me leaving a very positive Trip Advisor review.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
3DNews
Jump Dash Roll
Nintendo Life
Fun Factor
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
neXGam
Merlin'in Kazanı
FingerGuns…and 26 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.