Virtue and a Sledgehammer reviews
Updated 2026-10-29
Three numbers were live on 29 October 2026, and they are not the same thing. I am not averaging them into one “real” score.
| Source | Score | Sample | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacritic | 80 | 13 scored (8 positive, 5 mixed) | Page also says 14 all-platform reviews. User score tbd. |
| OpenCritic | 76 | 12 critic reviews | 75% recommend. Player rating is hidden until 20 ratings; 0/20 is not a player score. |
| Steam | 98% very positive | 96 reviews | Adventure Gamers saw 59 all-positive the day after launch. |
Why 80 and 76 disagree
Metacritic and OpenCritic do not share one critic pool. Metacritic’s rendered cards include Digitally Downloaded, covergeek, and Finger Guns. OpenCritic includes GamerFocus, CrazyGameCommunity, and AnaitGames. The maths differ too: a Metascore versus a top-critic average. Metacritic and OpenCritic are the pages to recheck, because both move.
Critic lines, with the outlet named
| Outlet | Score | Date | Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digitally Downloaded | 100 | 2026-10-28 | Good art, not traditional entertainment. Quote via Metacritic; full text not copied. |
| Screen Rant | 8.0 | 2026-10-27 | Emotionally spent; least welcoming Deconstructeam project. |
| SteamDeckHQ | 4/5 | 2026-10-27 | Deep story, basic combat. About 3 hours. |
| SmashPad | 4/5 | 2026-10-27 | Not the studio’s most poignant, still provocative. Two endings. |
| Retcon | 70 | 2026-10-27 | Message holds. About 5 hours or less. |
| COGconnected | 68 | 2026-10-27 | Many will bounce off. Try the demo first. |
| 3DM | 8/10 | 2026-10 | Chinese review. Not part of the Metacritic set above. |
Rock Paper Shotgun, Aftermath, Polygon, and the Guardian piece do not assign a number. I did not invent one. TheSixthAxis and Checkpoint were behind a wall; only the 70 and 85 on the aggregators are used, not their plot detail.
What I would tell a friend
I have not played the build. From the reviews I read, the hammer, the family story, and fingerspit’s music are the reasons people stay, and the single verb of combat is the reason some leave. If you want the short version of the clock, use how long to beat. If you want a neighbour game, see games like this.
Sources and check date
Public sources checked: 2026-10-29.
- Metacritic
- OpenCritic
- Steam store
- Screen Rant review
- SteamDeckHQ review and device test
- SmashPad review
- Retcon review
- COGconnected review
- 3DM review (Chinese)
Figures supported by one provider are single-source snapshots. An API, store page and translation from that same provider are not independent confirmations. Conflicts are preserved; unknown values are left blank. Editorial policy.
Checked 2026-10-29. Corrections: contact.