GamesRoguelikeDeveloper of ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ Steam city-builder hopes for Metacritic representation: “Players love it, streamers love it, sales are great"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRoguelikeDeveloper of ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ Steam city-builder hopes for Metacritic representation: “Players love it, streamers love it, sales are great"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Michele Pirovano)

DotAGE is the “merciless survival roguelite turn-based city builder” where you, as the appointed village elder, need to guide townsfolk to do your settlement construction, foraging, and usual chores right in the middle of an ongoing apocalypse. The looming threat will take on a new form each time, ranging from rampant diseases and natural disasters to hordes of kittens -the horror!
Featuring over 200 building types, 30 professions, and modable difficulty that means you can treat dotAGE like a chill town management game or an ultra tough fight against certain catastrophe - the game has been met with an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ reception based on over 1,750Steamuser reviews, but it’s still been ignored from major review aggregate sites.
“Ok. Players love it, streamers love it, sales are great,” solo developer Michele Pirovano recently tweeted, alongside images of the game’s glowing user reviews, viralYouTubeLet’s Plays, and money-making stats. “Only… can I get my Metacritic score now thank you very much.”
Ok. Players love it, streamers love it, sales are great.Only… CAN I GET MY METACRITIC SCORE NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCHAnybody wants to help with that?👁️ pic.twitter.com/ohQnap5MuNJuly 17, 2024
Ok. Players love it, streamers love it, sales are great.Only… CAN I GET MY METACRITIC SCORE NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCHAnybody wants to help with that?👁️ pic.twitter.com/ohQnap5MuNJuly 17, 2024
DotAGE currently has two reviews displayed on itsMetacritic listing, and per the site’s requirements, game’s need at least four scored reviews before they can get an aggregate score. Some sites that have reviewed and scored the game might also not be on Metacritic’s list of approved sites, but maybe there should be a better way to gauge common sentiment.
Either way, it doesn’t make much difference to the people playing and enjoying the game right now. According to the stats above, dotAGE is in the top six percent of lifetime units sold and it’s frequently updated. Afternine years in development, Pirovano’s hard worked seems to have paid off.
DotAGE’s developer thought “it will maybe sell some 100 copies” - 20,000 copies later, it’s one of the biggest surprise hits of the year.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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1
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”