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 | 5 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 80 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 54 |
| 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) · 0 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (13)
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
“Black Bird has a distinctly creepy fairytale feel about it, with a dark story and the kind of retro explosions that will appeal to any lifelong gamer.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Black Bird is a unique little shooter that only gets better as you play it more and uncover its secrets. Its vintage-style art direction is charmingly melancholy, and its strange soundtrack only adds an extra layer of quirkiness to proceedings. It's very much a score challenge game, though, meaning players expecting a wealth of things to see and do may be left feeling underwhelmed by its meagre four stages - especially when you consider the rather high price tag. This is very much a case of quality over quantity, and as long as you're up for repeat playthroughs, you're in for a wonderfully bizarre treat.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I wish there was more to it, or at the very least that it was a little more forgiving. The style of Black Bird is masterful as the mixture of the peculiar soundtrack, dour pixel art, and elegantly simple gameplay makes for a fun yet fleeting experience. It's just over too soon for everyone except shoot-'em-up savants.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Black Bird's irreverent take on shoot-'em-up is fun while it lasts, but there's not enough content to sustain repeat playthroughs.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Black Bird is an excellent shoot ’em up and a landmark release for Onion Games. As this is their first release on proper gaming platforms, it makes sense they went all out and produced an exceptional game within a shiny package. It really is a fun time, and can get legit challenging. ”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Black Bird is an enjoyable 2D shoot 'em up that shines on Nintendo Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 85
“There's really nothing left I can write to get across just how much I enjoy Black Bird. In fact, looking at the word count for what is a relatively short game, I've probably written too much. A more succinct version of this review would simply state “Onion Games has done it again.” For fans of the developer, that's pretty much all I'd have to say to convince them it's worth it. For anybody who hasn't had the good fortune of experiencing the studio's previous offerings, well, there are over 1,000 words above to tell you whether or not Black Bird is worth a shot.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Black Bird is one of those rare games that come along and just completely surprises you in every way. It's fun, completely bonkers in a good way, has a quirky musical score, great design, and is only let down in my view by the slightly high price being asked for. If you can stomach that then give some support to Onion games because this is worthy of being in any Shoot 'em up fans collection.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“I really liked the 8-bit sepia-toned pixelated art style mixed in with some bright colors here and there. The game's visuals are top-notch with a lot of attention to detail. Same goes for the game's music which is a weird, quirky and eccentric soundtrack that perfectly complements the experience.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Black Bird is a wonderful, sad, strange, funny, cute and bizarre shooter that can't quite make its gameplay match the quality of everything else.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Black Bird is one of the most interesting games I've played in a long time with loads of surprises all over the place.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
NintendoWorldReport
GameSpot
Niche Gamer
PS3Blog.net
peppage
Destructoid
SwitchWatch
PS4Blog.net
Hardcore Gamer
God is a Geek…and 1 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Update: Now compatible with 64bit Mac OS!Jan 28, 2021
- New version released!May 21, 2019
- New version released!Apr 3, 2019
- BLACK BIRD supports Chinese!Jan 31, 2019