Steam's rating system has always been considered the easiest and most effective way to judge a game's merits. Because the sources of negative reviews are all real players who have experienced the game, they will make their own judgments based on their own gaming experience. At the same time, giving a bad review to a game is also the most convenient way for players to put pressure on the manufacturer.
But do you know how a bad review can affect a game?
Recently, a game called "Cryptmaster" has shown its own real experience. This is a very special dungeon adventure game that relies entirely on voice control. Everything in the game is controlled by words, and finding the right words is the key to success. Because of the peculiarity of the gameplay, this small indie game seems to be relatively unpopular.
However, one player who recognized the gameplay and quality of Cryptmaster made a perverse move on Steam. After compiling a text appreciating the game, he finally chose a bad review. There's no reason for him, he just thinks that a bad review won't affect the game.
But is that really the case?
This comment was subsequently posted on social media by the game's developer, Paul Hart. He posted that because of this bad review, the game's praise rate dropped to 95%, leaving the ranks of "rave reviews" to "particularly praised". In fact, only a game of its size can ignore a small number of bad reviews, but Cryptmaster doesn't belong to that category.
Paul Hart is trying to convey the same dilemma that many small indie games are doing today. Compared with big games, their ability to withstand all aspects is actually weak. Even a bad review can lower the overall rating of the game. In the past, there have even been cases where due to the limited size of the game, players have refunded after two hours of clearance.
Steam's rating system is a powerful weapon and is in the hands of players. This year alone, there have been two cases of players fighting for their own rights and interests by brushing bad reviews.
One example is that "Jedi Submarine 2" finally adjusted the rules because it forced players to bind PSN accounts, and was bombarded with bad reviews; Another example is the difficulty of the Elden Ring DLC, which was violently complained about, and after a large number of players gave bad reviews, the official compromise made a game balance update. Negative review pressure is effective, but only if it is not abused.
Currently, Cryptmaster's positive rating has risen back to 97% after attracting the attention of other players. And through this incident, I hope that players can be more tolerant of indie games in the future.
So what do you have to say about it?