steam-lens

← all reports

Dead Cells

analyzed 2026-08-27 · sample of 379 English reviews across the whole review history

Players consistently point to Dead Cells’ gameplay as its strongest draw, with the "2D platforming that is satisfying" and "fluid and responsive movement" coming up most often. The difficulty is a frequent topic, and while many describe it as fair—"there are times that it may be difficult, but not at an unfair point"—a smaller group criticizes the balance, citing moments of being "oneshotted by a random enemy" or feeling that later stages rely on "just increasing enemy health and taking away healing points." The controls earn similar praise for being "tight controls that feel satisfying to master," and the addictiveness is a recurring note, with one player writing that "every time I die I have the insatiable urge to try again." Opinion splits most clearly on progression and story. Many appreciate that "even if you die, you make a small amount of progress which is perm," while others find the unlock system less rewarding. The story is praised by some as "immersive and rich," but a few reviewers express disappointment. The art style and music are near-universally celebrated, with comments like "beautiful animations and art" and "Soundtrack is awesome too." Players also frequently mention the content volume and replayability, noting "so many maps achievments and weapons" and the appeal of "Everything is randomly generated!? you die and respawn with a BRAND NEW MAP!" The developer’s ongoing support is appreciated, with one review noting that "new free DLC is still being released for this game at all, three years later, is impressive."

quotes copied verbatim from reviews · plain text is the language model's own wording

Aspects

share of sample, axis to 30% · ± is the sampling uncertainty around each share

  • positive
  • mixed / neutral
  • negative
  • gameplay

    72 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • An extremely good and hard rougelite with smooth gameplay and a cheap price-tag
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104897171
    • Best high-tempo roguelike game out there with tons of gameplay and an amazing team behind it offering awesome updates fixing things and constantly increasing its content
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104901424
    • A tremendously innovative and fun game.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104905368
  • difficulty

    50 positive · 18 negative · 4 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Dead Cells will kick your ass and you will enjoy it.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101991692
    • The game is amazingly balanced, there are times that it may be difficult, but not at an unfair point, and adding that rogue-lite touch, makes you want to get deeper every time you die, maybe because you want to know …
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
    • An extremely good and hard rougelite with smooth gameplay and a cheap price-tag
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104897171
  • combat

    30 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I recommend this game to anyone who likes rogue likes, challenging games generally, beautiful animations and art, and especially anyone who enjoys an emphasis on fluid and responsive movement in their games and a constantly rotating inventory of weapons with a lot of variety.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100248734
    • good combat
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107010592
    • The dodges and climbing is nice, and combining that with the attachs of different weapons hightens my liking even more.
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107016067
  • controls

    28 positive · 5 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • gorgeous art style with very smooth movement and clean animation.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100236918
    • I always look for good movement because it's what I like and it has it.
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107016067
    • Good controls, difficulty design with priority to be skill-based with little RNG involved, fast-paced combat (not if you use slow weapons with basically zero benefits, of course).
      positive · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114742669
  • addictiveness

    29 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Addicting, nefarious but forgiving and actually stunning beautiful yet grim I very much indeed recommend to ye peeps
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104907687
    • Not at all what I expected but brilliantly done and every time I die I have the insatiable urge to try again
      positive · Feb 28, 2022 · review 111242911
    • Fun addictive gameplay with awesome unique weapons.
      positive · Feb 28, 2023 · review 133822029
  • progression

    22 positive · 8 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • - great progression (but you'll have to "git gud")
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104903137
    • This is the kind of game where even if you die, you make a small amount of progress which is perm.
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107012178
    • This game is fun as hell, and it only gets better as you unlock stuff, i havent gotten past 2 stem cells and i didnt get my hands on the queen dlc but still, incredible game
      positive · May 31, 2022 · review 116306580
  • content amount

    24 positive · 4 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • SOO MUCH content and is a artistic master piece.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100236918
    • Basically, there are issues with the game, don't let the overwhelmingly positive reviews fool you in to thinking this game necessarily has a huge amount of depth even if the first 40-80 hours are a lot of fun.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100248734
    • SUCH A FUN GAME, so many maps achievments and weapons in the game highly recommended to get both DLC (the bad seed) and (fatal falls)
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998476
  • replayability

    22 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Did i forget Everything is randomly generated!? you die and respawn with a BRAND NEW MAP!
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100236918
    • … amazingly balanced, there are times that it may be difficult, but not at an unfair point, and adding that rogue-lite touch, makes you want to get deeper every time you die, maybe because you want to know every detail about the lore, you want to find every secret, unlock everything, or all the …
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
    • The artstyle, gameplay and replayability make it one of the favorite games I have ever played.
      positive · Feb 28, 2022 · review 111261986
  • art style

    23 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • gorgeous art style with very smooth movement and clean animation.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100236918
    • I recommend this game to anyone who likes rogue likes, challenging games generally, beautiful animations and art, and especially anyone who enjoys an emphasis on fluid and responsive movement in their games and a constantly rotating inventory of weapons with a lot of variety.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100248734
    • Artisticly it's beautiful, and the soundtrack.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
  • music

    22 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Artisticly it's beautiful, and the soundtrack... God... That ♥♥♥♥♥♥' soundtrack, I swear there are songs, like the Undying Shores one, that I need to listen to just because of how awesome it is (it doesn't matter when you are reading this, I'm listening to it right now).
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
    • Soundtrack is awesome too.
      positive · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109210519
    • The soundtrack is also godlike.
      positive · Feb 28, 2022 · review 111257226
see more
  • updates

    15 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • I am looking forward to trying out the DLC at some point, and the fact that new free DLC is still being released for this game at all, three years later, is impressive.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100248734
    • Best high-tempo roguelike game out there with tons of gameplay and an amazing team behind it offering awesome updates fixing things and constantly increasing its content
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104901424
    • and AMAZING support through the years.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104903137
  • build variety

    15 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • - tons of viable builds
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104903137
    • Between the various stages, weapons and bosses there are more than a few ways to play.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104905368
    • Tons of weapons and gadgets so runs and builds never seem to feel stale.
      positive · Jan 31, 2022 · review 109210519
  • balance

    2 positive · 12 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Issues are that Dead Cells becomes pretty miserably difficult at around two boss cells, like, in a way that isn't really as much fun with not enough variety in gameplay to spice things up and make it more interesting, just increasing enemy health and taking away healing points.
      negative · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100248734
    • From mutations and legendary equipment (super op before, super op now, but only with few affixes; many weapons still have placeholders), to overall weapon balance.
      negative · Apr 30, 2022 · review 114742669
    • <> Broken combos (face flask-spite sword-vengeance and more), survival as a whole, broken items (diverse deck, legendary Greed Shield, legendary Flint and more) and the generally low-difficulty of most normal bosses (Queen, Scarecrow, Giant .....) make the game too easy. The 5 BC final …
      negative · Jul 31, 2023 · review 143158054
  • graphics

    14 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • The graphics are amazing (not everything has to be photorealistic) and the story is immersive and rich.
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107012178
    • It's one of the best platformers with the smoothest movement, the most epic combat and some of the most beautiful 2D pixel graphics out there.
      positive · Sep 30, 2023 · review 147393770
    • Clean, crisp, and visually satisfying.
      positive · Dec 31, 2023 · review 154931356
  • learning curve

    9 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 2 neutral

    • I have never been able to get into metroidvanias or roguelikes but there is something about the fluid action and ease of entry to this game that has pulled me in.
      positive · May 31, 2017 · review 32096724
    • Dead Cells doesnt hold your hand too much but rather lets you figure things out through failing and improving.
      positive · Nov 30, 2017 · review 37959883
    • The curve feels really nice too: You struggle at first, but keep inching further and further as you unlock new perks and items.
      positive · Dec 31, 2017 · review 38914671
  • developer conduct

    9 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Best high-tempo roguelike game out there with tons of gameplay and an amazing team behind it offering awesome updates fixing things and constantly increasing its content
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104901424
    • An absolute must buy, this game is so well supported by the devs and beloved by the community.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104903801
    • Great game made by great devs.
      positive · Feb 28, 2023 · review 133828682
  • level design

    8 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Weapon choices are cool and it manages it use procedurally generated level layouts in a way that usually isn't extremely obnoxious nor boring, but honestly, it's a very meh game in terms of gameplay for me.
      positive · Jul 31, 2024 · review 171186461
    • Amazing game design, graphically, aurally, and whatever they did to auto-generate the levels.
      positive · Sep 30, 2025 · review 205575945
    • The procedural level design keeps each run fresh, while exploration rewards curiosity with hidden paths, secrets, and upgrades.
      positive · Jan 31, 2026 · review 217295590
  • dlc

    6 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral

    • SUCH A FUN GAME, so many maps achievments and weapons in the game highly recommended to get both DLC (the bad seed) and (fatal falls)
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998476
    • The best part in my opinion though is that the developer's have kept supporting the game, both through free ad-ons and fairly priced DLC.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104905368
    • It's super worth the money and all of the DLCs add a lot of good content.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127637616
  • story

    5 positive · 3 negative · 0 mixed · 1 neutral

    • The graphics are amazing (not everything has to be photorealistic) and the story is immersive and rich.
      positive · Dec 31, 2021 · review 107012178
    • - I see this game as a very promising game, has a very good gameplay, very good pixel art, and for the moment a good story (yes, it may not look like it but has history if you think).
      positive · Jun 30, 2017 · review 33059074
    • I love the silent protagonist, the little secrets you can uncover by playing the game, the way the story unfolds little by little.
      positive · Aug 31, 2020 · review 75230354
  • price value

    8 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • i can only assume that this game will consume HOURS of time and is 100% worth every penny.
      positive · Sep 30, 2021 · review 100236918
    • An extremely good and hard rougelite with smooth gameplay and a cheap price-tag
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104897171
    • It's super worth the money and all of the DLCs add a lot of good content.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127637616
  • animation

    6 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • the game is absolutely beautiful, and the animations are very smooth and life-like, an amazing thing to see in pixel art.
      positive · Nov 30, 2022 · review 127646019
    • For a game called dead cells the movement is pretty damn alive
      positive · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152613576
    • Good controls, fluid animations and satisfying combat with a nice variety of weapons and tactics at your disposal.
      positive · Jan 31, 2018 · review 39757625
  • exploration

    5 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • … that rogue-lite touch, makes you want to get deeper every time you die, maybe because you want to know every detail about the lore, you want to find every secret, unlock everything, or all the previous reasons together.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
    • i enjoy the exploration and combat of metroidvanias, but when i lose all progress on both of those every time i die, it stops being very fun.
      positive · Jan 31, 2023 · review 131963870
    • The procedural level design keeps each run fresh, while exploration rewards curiosity with hidden paths, secrets, and upgrades.
      positive · Jan 31, 2026 · review 217295590
  • game length

    5 positive · 1 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • A great way to spend a hundred hours or more.
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104905368
    • I doubt I'll ever defeat the "true" final boss legitimately, as playing on the required difficulty level isn't enjoyable, but it was 77 hours well spent nonetheless.
      positive · Mar 31, 2023 · review 135819270
    • Each run typically lasts about 30 minutes, making it an ideal choice for players who can only squeeze in short gaming sessions.
      positive · Sep 30, 2024 · review 176120948
  • lore

    4 positive · 2 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • … but not at an unfair point, and adding that rogue-lite touch, makes you want to get deeper every time you die, maybe because you want to know every detail about the lore, you want to find every secret, unlock everything, or all the previous reasons together.
      positive · Oct 31, 2021 · review 101998885
    • It's kind of hard to experience it within the game itself because of the random dungeons and difficulty, but Dead Cells has some of the most fascinating lore ever!
      positive · Sep 30, 2023 · review 147393770
    • There is just enough lore given to you to make you want more.
      positive · Mar 31, 2021 · review 89447892
  • atmosphere

    5 positive · 0 negative · 0 mixed · 0 neutral

    • Addicting, nefarious but forgiving and actually stunning beautiful yet grim I very much indeed recommend to ye peeps
      positive · Nov 30, 2021 · review 104907687
    • If it gets too intense, don't forget to just stop for a bit to take in the beautiful art and amazing music.
      positive · Sep 30, 2023 · review 147393770
    • Excellent game with varied and engaging combat, has an incredibly immersive atmosphere, dark humor that doesn't take itself too seriously, and on the highest difficulties is a game I can pour hours and hours into.
      positive · Nov 30, 2023 · review 152596834

Review timeline

monthly peak 5,170 reviews · all languages

review volume 2,000 4,000 0 positive review share 100% 50% 0% 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 May 2017 · 3,334 reviews (3,185 up · 149 down) · 96% positive Jun 2017 · 1,908 reviews (1,859 up · 49 down) · 97% positive Jul 2017 · 1,492 reviews (1,407 up · 85 down) · 94% positive Aug 2017 · 530 reviews (501 up · 29 down) · 95% positive Sep 2017 · 530 reviews (510 up · 20 down) · 96% positive Oct 2017 · 266 reviews (254 up · 12 down) · 95% positive Nov 2017 · 1,947 reviews (1,896 up · 51 down) · 97% positive Dec 2017 · 656 reviews (616 up · 40 down) · 94% positive Jan 2018 · 882 reviews (841 up · 41 down) · 95% positive Feb 2018 · 332 reviews (322 up · 10 down) · 97% positive Mar 2018 · 667 reviews (641 up · 26 down) · 96% positive Apr 2018 · 266 reviews (248 up · 18 down) · 93% positive May 2018 · 363 reviews (337 up · 26 down) · 93% positive Jun 2018 · 751 reviews (719 up · 32 down) · 96% positive Jul 2018 · 591 reviews (555 up · 36 down) · 94% positive Aug 2018 · 1,894 reviews (1,751 up · 143 down) · 92% positive Sep 2018 · 360 reviews (322 up · 38 down) · 89% positive Oct 2018 · 403 reviews (373 up · 30 down) · 93% positive Nov 2018 · 2,658 reviews (2,628 up · 30 down) · 99% positive Dec 2018 · 555 reviews (506 up · 49 down) · 91% positive Jan 2019 · 420 reviews (377 up · 43 down) · 90% positive Feb 2019 · 282 reviews (268 up · 14 down) · 95% positive Mar 2019 · 517 reviews (493 up · 24 down) · 95% positive Apr 2019 · 496 reviews (459 up · 37 down) · 93% positive May 2019 · 300 reviews (273 up · 27 down) · 91% positive Jun 2019 · 1,716 reviews (1,691 up · 25 down) · 99% positive Jul 2019 · 1,865 reviews (1,830 up · 35 down) · 98% positive Aug 2019 · 473 reviews (451 up · 22 down) · 95% positive Sep 2019 · 202 reviews (187 up · 15 down) · 93% positive Oct 2019 · 350 reviews (343 up · 7 down) · 98% positive Nov 2019 · 2,661 reviews (2,637 up · 24 down) · 99% positive Dec 2019 · 2,349 reviews (2,308 up · 41 down) · 98% positive Jan 2020 · 1,774 reviews (1,745 up · 29 down) · 98% positive Feb 2020 · 3,937 reviews (3,860 up · 77 down) · 98% positive Mar 2020 · 2,009 reviews (1,976 up · 33 down) · 98% positive Apr 2020 · 1,872 reviews (1,826 up · 46 down) · 98% positive May 2020 · 1,281 reviews (1,254 up · 27 down) · 98% positive Jun 2020 · 1,449 reviews (1,420 up · 29 down) · 98% positive Jul 2020 · 2,433 reviews (2,344 up · 89 down) · 96% positive Aug 2020 · 2,358 reviews (2,287 up · 71 down) · 97% positive Sep 2020 · 1,039 reviews (1,005 up · 34 down) · 97% positive Oct 2020 · 811 reviews (781 up · 30 down) · 96% positive Nov 2020 · 1,583 reviews (1,557 up · 26 down) · 98% positive Dec 2020 · 1,426 reviews (1,381 up · 45 down) · 97% positive Jan 2021 · 2,562 reviews (2,493 up · 69 down) · 97% positive Feb 2021 · 4,475 reviews (4,359 up · 116 down) · 97% positive Mar 2021 · 1,769 reviews (1,705 up · 64 down) · 96% positive Apr 2021 · 1,849 reviews (1,812 up · 37 down) · 98% positive May 2021 · 1,368 reviews (1,316 up · 52 down) · 96% positive Jun 2021 · 1,805 reviews (1,743 up · 62 down) · 97% positive Jul 2021 · 2,307 reviews (2,229 up · 78 down) · 97% positive Aug 2021 · 1,643 reviews (1,591 up · 52 down) · 97% positive Sep 2021 · 1,518 reviews (1,470 up · 48 down) · 97% positive Oct 2021 · 1,289 reviews (1,252 up · 37 down) · 97% positive Nov 2021 · 3,566 reviews (3,512 up · 54 down) · 98% positive Dec 2021 · 2,536 reviews (2,468 up · 68 down) · 97% positive Jan 2022 · 5,170 reviews (5,002 up · 168 down) · 97% positive Feb 2022 · 2,267 reviews (2,193 up · 74 down) · 97% positive Mar 2022 · 1,654 reviews (1,589 up · 65 down) · 96% positive Apr 2022 · 1,575 reviews (1,522 up · 53 down) · 97% positive May 2022 · 1,832 reviews (1,767 up · 65 down) · 96% positive Jun 2022 · 1,460 reviews (1,388 up · 72 down) · 95% positive Jul 2022 · 1,875 reviews (1,789 up · 86 down) · 95% positive Aug 2022 · 1,975 reviews (1,839 up · 136 down) · 93% positive Sep 2022 · 961 reviews (922 up · 39 down) · 96% positive Oct 2022 · 959 reviews (929 up · 30 down) · 97% positive Nov 2022 · 4,489 reviews (4,431 up · 58 down) · 99% positive Dec 2022 · 2,226 reviews (2,159 up · 67 down) · 97% positive Jan 2023 · 2,423 reviews (2,359 up · 64 down) · 97% positive Feb 2023 · 1,363 reviews (1,313 up · 50 down) · 96% positive Mar 2023 · 3,294 reviews (3,175 up · 119 down) · 96% positive Apr 2023 · 1,493 reviews (1,441 up · 52 down) · 97% positive May 2023 · 1,412 reviews (1,357 up · 55 down) · 96% positive Jun 2023 · 1,141 reviews (1,108 up · 33 down) · 97% positive Jul 2023 · 2,175 reviews (2,104 up · 71 down) · 97% positive Aug 2023 · 1,483 reviews (1,422 up · 61 down) · 96% positive Sep 2023 · 1,028 reviews (996 up · 32 down) · 97% positive Oct 2023 · 1,286 reviews (1,247 up · 39 down) · 97% positive Nov 2023 · 2,339 reviews (2,305 up · 34 down) · 99% positive Dec 2023 · 1,681 reviews (1,626 up · 55 down) · 97% positive Jan 2024 · 1,702 reviews (1,635 up · 67 down) · 96% positive Feb 2024 · 1,033 reviews (990 up · 43 down) · 96% positive Mar 2024 · 1,962 reviews (1,889 up · 73 down) · 96% positive Apr 2024 · 1,180 reviews (1,133 up · 47 down) · 96% positive May 2024 · 1,302 reviews (1,257 up · 45 down) · 97% positive Jun 2024 · 1,323 reviews (1,271 up · 52 down) · 96% positive Jul 2024 · 1,599 reviews (1,536 up · 63 down) · 96% positive Aug 2024 · 1,592 reviews (1,526 up · 66 down) · 96% positive Sep 2024 · 1,179 reviews (1,126 up · 53 down) · 96% positive Oct 2024 · 1,441 reviews (1,369 up · 72 down) · 95% positive Nov 2024 · 915 reviews (879 up · 36 down) · 96% positive Dec 2024 · 1,666 reviews (1,606 up · 60 down) · 96% positive Jan 2025 · 1,403 reviews (1,336 up · 67 down) · 95% positive Feb 2025 · 1,034 reviews (988 up · 46 down) · 96% positive Mar 2025 · 1,339 reviews (1,274 up · 65 down) · 95% positive Apr 2025 · 915 reviews (873 up · 42 down) · 95% positive May 2025 · 1,344 reviews (1,292 up · 52 down) · 96% positive Jun 2025 · 1,042 reviews (984 up · 58 down) · 94% positive Jul 2025 · 1,698 reviews (1,635 up · 63 down) · 96% positive Aug 2025 · 962 reviews (919 up · 43 down) · 96% positive Sep 2025 · 1,105 reviews (1,052 up · 53 down) · 95% positive Oct 2025 · 989 reviews (959 up · 30 down) · 97% positive Nov 2025 · 875 reviews (839 up · 36 down) · 96% positive Dec 2025 · 1,150 reviews (1,106 up · 44 down) · 96% positive Jan 2026 · 1,094 reviews (1,048 up · 46 down) · 96% positive Feb 2026 · 768 reviews (739 up · 29 down) · 96% positive Mar 2026 · 1,230 reviews (1,170 up · 60 down) · 95% positive Apr 2026 · 831 reviews (796 up · 35 down) · 96% positive May 2026 · 701 reviews (676 up · 25 down) · 96% positive Jun 2026 · 1,005 reviews (963 up · 42 down) · 96% positive Jul 2026 · 966 reviews (927 up · 39 down) · 96% positive Aug 2026 · 802 reviews (766 up · 36 down) · 96% positive

monthly share rated positive · 50% reference · months with <5 reviews faded

the timeline as a table
Reviews per month, all languages; months with no reviews are left out.
month reviews up down positive note
May 2017 3,334 3,185 149 96%
Jun 2017 1,908 1,859 49 97%
Jul 2017 1,492 1,407 85 94%
Aug 2017 530 501 29 95%
Sep 2017 530 510 20 96%
Oct 2017 266 254 12 95%
Nov 2017 1,947 1,896 51 97%
Dec 2017 656 616 40 94%
Jan 2018 882 841 41 95%
Feb 2018 332 322 10 97%
Mar 2018 667 641 26 96%
Apr 2018 266 248 18 93%
May 2018 363 337 26 93%
Jun 2018 751 719 32 96%
Jul 2018 591 555 36 94%
Aug 2018 1,894 1,751 143 92%
Sep 2018 360 322 38 89%
Oct 2018 403 373 30 93%
Nov 2018 2,658 2,628 30 99%
Dec 2018 555 506 49 91%
Jan 2019 420 377 43 90%
Feb 2019 282 268 14 95%
Mar 2019 517 493 24 95%
Apr 2019 496 459 37 93%
May 2019 300 273 27 91%
Jun 2019 1,716 1,691 25 99%
Jul 2019 1,865 1,830 35 98%
Aug 2019 473 451 22 95%
Sep 2019 202 187 15 93%
Oct 2019 350 343 7 98%
Nov 2019 2,661 2,637 24 99%
Dec 2019 2,349 2,308 41 98%
Jan 2020 1,774 1,745 29 98%
Feb 2020 3,937 3,860 77 98%
Mar 2020 2,009 1,976 33 98%
Apr 2020 1,872 1,826 46 98%
May 2020 1,281 1,254 27 98%
Jun 2020 1,449 1,420 29 98%
Jul 2020 2,433 2,344 89 96%
Aug 2020 2,358 2,287 71 97%
Sep 2020 1,039 1,005 34 97%
Oct 2020 811 781 30 96%
Nov 2020 1,583 1,557 26 98%
Dec 2020 1,426 1,381 45 97%
Jan 2021 2,562 2,493 69 97%
Feb 2021 4,475 4,359 116 97%
Mar 2021 1,769 1,705 64 96%
Apr 2021 1,849 1,812 37 98%
May 2021 1,368 1,316 52 96%
Jun 2021 1,805 1,743 62 97%
Jul 2021 2,307 2,229 78 97%
Aug 2021 1,643 1,591 52 97%
Sep 2021 1,518 1,470 48 97%
Oct 2021 1,289 1,252 37 97%
Nov 2021 3,566 3,512 54 98%
Dec 2021 2,536 2,468 68 97%
Jan 2022 5,170 5,002 168 97%
Feb 2022 2,267 2,193 74 97%
Mar 2022 1,654 1,589 65 96%
Apr 2022 1,575 1,522 53 97%
May 2022 1,832 1,767 65 96%
Jun 2022 1,460 1,388 72 95%
Jul 2022 1,875 1,789 86 95%
Aug 2022 1,975 1,839 136 93%
Sep 2022 961 922 39 96%
Oct 2022 959 929 30 97%
Nov 2022 4,489 4,431 58 99%
Dec 2022 2,226 2,159 67 97%
Jan 2023 2,423 2,359 64 97%
Feb 2023 1,363 1,313 50 96%
Mar 2023 3,294 3,175 119 96%
Apr 2023 1,493 1,441 52 97%
May 2023 1,412 1,357 55 96%
Jun 2023 1,141 1,108 33 97%
Jul 2023 2,175 2,104 71 97%
Aug 2023 1,483 1,422 61 96%
Sep 2023 1,028 996 32 97%
Oct 2023 1,286 1,247 39 97%
Nov 2023 2,339 2,305 34 99%
Dec 2023 1,681 1,626 55 97%
Jan 2024 1,702 1,635 67 96%
Feb 2024 1,033 990 43 96%
Mar 2024 1,962 1,889 73 96%
Apr 2024 1,180 1,133 47 96%
May 2024 1,302 1,257 45 97%
Jun 2024 1,323 1,271 52 96%
Jul 2024 1,599 1,536 63 96%
Aug 2024 1,592 1,526 66 96%
Sep 2024 1,179 1,126 53 96%
Oct 2024 1,441 1,369 72 95%
Nov 2024 915 879 36 96%
Dec 2024 1,666 1,606 60 96%
Jan 2025 1,403 1,336 67 95%
Feb 2025 1,034 988 46 96%
Mar 2025 1,339 1,274 65 95%
Apr 2025 915 873 42 95%
May 2025 1,344 1,292 52 96%
Jun 2025 1,042 984 58 94%
Jul 2025 1,698 1,635 63 96%
Aug 2025 962 919 43 96%
Sep 2025 1,105 1,052 53 95%
Oct 2025 989 959 30 97%
Nov 2025 875 839 36 96%
Dec 2025 1,150 1,106 44 96%
Jan 2026 1,094 1,048 46 96%
Feb 2026 768 739 29 96%
Mar 2026 1,230 1,170 60 95%
Apr 2026 831 796 35 96%
May 2026 701 676 25 96%
Jun 2026 1,005 963 42 96%
Jul 2026 966 927 39 96%
Aug 2026 802 766 36 96%

How this report was made
Population
all Steam reviews of the game (every language, purchase type, and verdict), walked newest-first per window; only English-language reviews are analyzed
Sample
379 English reviews, time-proportional draw over 112 windows (newest-first within each), taken from an all-language walk and kept English-only — where English is a minority the sample runs smaller than the draw, and every margin of error is computed at 379
Aspect yield
194 of 379 analyzed reviews carry at least one aspect (51.2%); every share on this page divides by all 379
Interval regime
calm: standard margins of error for a share of a sample (Wilson interval), no widening needed
Fetch paths
112 time windows fetched directly (windowed)
Language mix
1,000 fetched: english 380 · russian 160 · schinese 120 · 20 more
Steam-marked windows
none flagged by Steam (Valve's off-topic flagging began March 2019)
Marked share
0.0% of sample inside marked windows, under the 2% floor
Narrative
passed the grounding gate first try
Evidence floor
aspects and emergent themes appear only with 5+ supporting reviews; smaller counts sit at the classifier's false-positive floor
Instrument readings
measured once on the study corpus for this model and prompt: frozen calibration, not properties of this run
· aspect tagging vs. human labels
0.766 [0.713–0.811] (F1 against a human-labeled test set; 1.0 is best)
· quotes filed under the wrong aspect
11.6% [6.6–19.6] of quotes, measured by hand on a sample; lower is better
· independent model vs. production labels
0.791 [0.772–0.810] (F1 of the production labeler against an independent judge model)
Versions
deepseek-v4-flash · prompt classify-v1 · ontology v2
Run
serve-20260827T191330Z-1ce43a2b · code 94c9718

full methodology in the milestone write-ups