The Epic Games Store has been around for a few years now, giving PC gamers a way to legally buy games without going through Origin or Steam. The service also offered tons of free games, but it wasn’t without criticism.
When the Epic Games Store launched, it lacked a significant number of features that gamers have come to expect from other platforms. Over time, some of these features have finally started coming to the service, and it looks like the ability for users to review their games is rolling out.
Several Epic Games Store users took to social media to share the prompts they had received asking them to review the game they had just played. In one instance, the prompt asked the player to simply provide a rating for the game, ranging from 1 to 5. Another specifically asked the player if the game features enjoyable boss fights, allowing them to choose yes or no. , then showing a poll breakdown of the responses the game had received from other users.
A quick look at game pages on the Epic Games Store shows these ratings populating game purchase pages. Along with displaying an overall star rating from users and game reviews, games are also ranked by certain aspects, like the aforementioned boss battles, whether a game is diverse, fun, challenging, or beginner-friendly. The ratings do not show what percentage of gamers felt gambling was one of these metrics, but it can be assumed that the majority of gamers surveyed agreed.
It’s a big step forward for the Epic Games Store, but there are still some shortcomings compared to other services. While platforms like Steam allow players to review their games in detail, for now it seems like players are limited to adding a score, rather than a full review on their own. However, it should still provide a useful metric for those who buy a game and aren’t sure if it’s right for them.
It remains to be seen if the Epic Games Store will add full user reviews in the future. While some would have preferred this to be an option from the get-go, there are definite pitfalls that need to be avoided which add challenges for the business. Review bombardment has become commonplace in gaming, and separating reviews with legitimate concerns and complaints can be difficult. It’s gotten to the point that Metacritic is now blocking users from reviewing games within the first 36 hours of release, but even that hasn’t stopped it. For now, sticking to simple star ratings and a yes/no polling system may be best for Epic Games and its users.
