Games with Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews are overrated.
I don’t really scroll through social media. I’ve managed to dodge that bullet somehow. But I do spend a lot of time scrolling through games on Steam.
Like I imagine most Steam users do, I immediately balk when reviews are deemed anything less than Very Positive. Seeing that perfect blue reduced to a murky yellow, the word ‘Mixed’ plastered right there at the top of the page…
It used to be enough to bounce me straight off the store page in question.
It’s not intentional. More of a gut reflex. But, thankfully, I’ve managed to get past that initial wince. No more am I searching exclusively for games with Overwhelmingly Positive Steam reviews.
See, Mixed reviews might seem bad. Steam’s colour-coding might make it seem that way. But all it really means is that not everyone likes it.
Sounds obvious, but it’s more specific than that; it means that not everyone in the game’s niche enjoyed it.
Well, it might still sound obvious. But the fact remains that Mixed reviews seem to send a bad message, when they really shouldn’t. You shouldn’t be scared of Mixed Reviews on Steam.
Back in reality, Marmite is perhaps the best example of this. You love it or you hate it, so they say. Well, by that logic, the loving and hating of Marmite should fall into a 50/50 split. If we were to take a group of people and assume that one in every two LOVED Marmite, then 50% of our group would HATE it.
So, the overall positive reviews of Marmite in that room would be 50%. Far from the Overwhelmingly Positive review score on Steam.
For a game to get Mixed reviews on Steam, a game only has to fall below 70%. That means a game that over 50% of people like will be deemed as Mixed reviews and — as a result — likely to bounce many players off its store page or, worse, prevent them from clicking at all.
The thing is, “Mixed” isn’t an inaccurate term. It’s how many players perceive it that’s damaging. Some people really love Marmite! Remember that when you’re browsing through Steam, or you might miss out.
In fact, I’d argue that in some cases, that Mixed review rating may even be a good thing. Games that are made for everyone tend to be a little bland; they’re designed to please and, as a result, typically take fewer risks.
I’ll end with an example. The example that got me thinking about this in the first place.
That’s Ravenswatch.
If memory serves, Ravenswatch sat at Mostly Positive reviews on Steam back in its Early Access days, bordering on Mixed. For those who don’t know, Ravenswatch is an action roguelike that puts players in the shoes of folk characters with a toolkit of unique abilities. It’s best in co-op, but I originally played the game solo.
And I loved it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Ravenswatch wasn’t quite what it is now; with several updates and more content, the game has definitely improved. But, as I remember, many reviews at the time spoke negatively about the game’s timer.
You see, each run of Ravenswatch is split into chapters, and each chapter puts players on a timer. Each chapter lets players loose in a map packed with activities to complete and enemies to beat in order to level up and improve your build. But you only have a certain amount of time to do it before you’re forced to fight the boss.
This simple but elegant design decision forces players to constantly think about what they’re going to do next, and even rewards players for performing well. But some people don’t like being under a time pressure.
In future updates, developers added the ability to create custom game modes and remove the timer. But the time pressure remains a core pillar in the design of the game, at least in my opinion. The game’s lack of an Overwhelmingly Positive review score, among other Early Access complaints, was likely down to this timer.
If I hadn’t tried the game out myself and formed my own opinion, if I’d let that lacklustre review score scare me away, I’d have missed out on the 100+ hours I spent with the game.
So, next time you’re browsing through Steam, remember that you love Marmite. Or maybe you hate it. In either case, not everything is meant for everyone.
Mixed reviews aren’t bad reviews.