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) | – | 72 | 12 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 81 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 78% | 73 | 6 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 14 reviews sampled · 18 total reviews in window · weighted 10.6 up / 3 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.
- 60
“What starts as a challenging and potentially exciting management sim, Idol Manager fails to keep your attention in the long term. Once you overcome those early financial hurdles and the money starts rolling in, the challenge ends, making for a stale simulated day-to-day experience.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Idol Manager is a relaxing game that will keep you entertained for hours on end, though its repetitive nature can become tedious over time. Fortunately, there are various mods available to spice up your gameplay. For example, you can create a star-studded cast made up entirely of porn stars or add Rem from the anime Re:Zero.”
read full review ↗ - 67
“Management sims have tended to be pretty wild in their variety and their degree of quality on the Switch...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“There really is a lot to this game in the way of management and strategy, and you can tell the developers put a lot of time and effort into making sure you always have something to do. Idol Manager has the potential to become the game you ignore other new releases for, and if that doesn’t speak volumes about how good the game is, I don’t know what will.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If you are looking for 3D sims with a cute anime cast, Idol manager is not your piece of cake. However, if you want to take things up a notch and want to play management sims, it is a solid entry point for beginners and veterans alike. Its in-game forecasts and audience give the game a sense of realism rarely seen in such genres.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Overall there is a lot to take in when you first start off Idol Manager, and this may scare off some new players, but if you give the game a chance it is a decent little sim. Idol manager has some good ideas but is a little too hard at times and may get a bit repetitive after a bit as you are staring at the same screen for hours. I enjoyed my time with Idol Manager, and while it’s not perfect in any way, it gets the job done. Give this a try if you’re into hardcore simulation and maybe you will feel the same as me.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Glitch Pitch's Idol Manager is an engrossing industry angle on the Japanese idol scene, but stumbles a bit in the spotlight.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Idol Manager is a simulation management game in which you try to exploit idols for profit while protecting them from the darker side of the industry. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be a producer in Japan’s idol industry, this is an experience for you.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Idol Manager is a riveting hidden gem buried underneath piss poor performance. The way mechanics actively attempt to sabotage each other is quite the head-scratcher, too.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Idol Manager is an enjoyable management simulator with a unique subject matter that hasn’t been seen in the genre before. The story has its moments, and any fan of idols will likely have a chuckle or make a grim nod at least once or twice. Additionally, it has some thoughtful difficulty and gameplay options in its free play mode that adds multiple ways for folks to enjoy a second or third playthrough. It does have some faults, most notably in its UI, but only so far as to be inconvenient. For fans of management sims and/or idol culture, Idol Manager is recommended.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“There’s an analogy to be drawn here from comments made by the in-game characters about the appeal of idols. It’s not just about becoming a fan of someone who’s already talented and successful; it’s about following an idol as she develops her career. As someone who first played Idol Manager as a finished product, I don’t have that kind of emotional investment in the development process. But as in the game, hardcore and casual fans are attracted by different things, and that’s okay.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While K-pop groups like Blackpink and BTS are credited with popularizing idols in the West, the concept of idols and idol culture originated in Japan and continues to thrive there. Idol Manager is all about creating the next big group to top the charts and sell out arenas while navigating the cutthroat Japanese idol scene. It’s a harsh but unrelenting look at all the behind-the-scenes work that it takes to make it to the world stage, and it’s an absolutely addicting (if not soul-crushing) experience.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Gaming Professors
Nindie Spotlight
Prima Games
Gameffine
Chalgyr's Game Room
Siliconera
IGN
WayTooManyGames
NookGaming
Noisy Pixel
Goomba Stomp…and 5 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- v.1.0.6 Patch NotesSep 21, 2021
- v.1.0.5 Patch NotesAug 31, 2021
- v.1.0.4 Patch NotesAug 28, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- v.1.0.3 Patch NotesAug 11, 2021
- v1.0.2 Patch NotesAug 7, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- v1.0.1 Patch NotesJul 31, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Idol Manager Closed Beta Update #9: Friendship, romance, and blackmailAug 17, 2019significant · resets scoring window