Turn-based tactics
How Important Is Theme in Tactics Games?
We analyzed 100K reviews of 20 tactics games. Theme is loud in the genre, but it is mostly a risk to manage, not a lever that wins players.
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Notes from the field
Case studies, genre deep dives and perspectives on the industry.
IRON NEST
How IRON NEST Expanded a Niche HighFleet Already Proved
HighFleet proved the demand and named the problems. A two-person studio kept its fantasy, fixed the barriers, and outsold it in week one.
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Does AI Give Different Answers Each Time? We Tested Ours
We ran four independent samples of one game's reviews through Ludopsy. The readings held steady, except exactly where they should move.
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Why Do Games Fail?
A hit needs creative direction, commercial reality and team capability aligned. Lose one overlap and you get a predictable failure mode.
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How Much Does Poor Optimization Cost Your Steam Score?
Across 1.86M Steam reviews, technical issues cut recommendations by about 12 points even when players like the gameplay. Here is where the bar sits.
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Above $35, PC Players Judge Value Differently
Across 282,140 Steam reviews that discuss pricing, sentiment drops sharply above $35, where players get far stricter about content scope and quality.
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Souls-like
Beyond Difficulty: What Souls-like Players Respond To
We analyzed 150K reviews of 24 souls-likes. Challenge is table stakes; skill expression, narrative momentum and social play set games apart.
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Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 Shakes Up the ARPG Formula, But What Do Early Access Players Think?
Path of Exile 2 rethinks the ARPG formula around action and skill expression. Here is what early access players think, from 20,000+ Steam reviews.
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