Techtonica
The first 3 hours are a test
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (60%); after 20h it's 1 in 3 (35%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 89% of games we track.
- 2% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Black Hole Gun, Wontcha Come” and “Might as Well...”: from 98% to 42% of starters.
- 80% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 3,293 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 298 reviews: 43h for positive, 29.9h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (79.7% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Square Root Awarded for the recovery of key assets in Sector LIMA. 100%
- Black Hole Gun, Wontcha Come Awarded for construction of the M.O.L.E. Terrain Manipulation Device. 98% −2
- Might as Well... Awarded for successfully descending out of a facility by the only means available. Most players quit here 42% −56
- Twist of Freight Awarded for the full establishment of Freight Elevator operations in Sector Victor. 21% −21
- Arrhythmia Awarded for the recovery of all PULSE Situation Room data. 13% −8
- Greater Goods Awarded for the understanding of a greater purpose. 2% −11
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (24)
story milestone ending side
- Square Root Awarded for the recovery of key assets in Sector LIMA. 100%
- Black Hole Gun, Wontcha Come Awarded for construction of the M.O.L.E. Terrain Manipulation Device. 98%
- The Butterfly Effect Awarded for discovery of the Butterfly Grove area. 96%
- Belter Loader Awarded for the placement of 100 Conveyor Belts. 76%
- Groundbreakers, Assemble! Awarded for the initial construction and placement of an Assembler. 72%
- Cold Cut Awarded for enhancing the M.O.L.E with the use of Coolant. 64%
- Chasing Waterfalls Awarded for discovery of the Central Falls area. 63%
- Thresher Refresher Awarded for the construction of 10 Plantmatter Frames. 61%
- Getting the Point Awarded for the construction and placement of 10 Mining Drills. 57%
- STEM Program Awarded for the successful manufacture of Kindlevine Stems. 50%
- Mush Room Awarded for discovery of the Fungus Grotto area. 48%
- Overclocked Awarded for the construction of 10 Processor Units. 48%
- Dreaming of Electric Sheep Awarded for the construction of 100 Electrical Components. 46%
- Cool S Awarded for the construction of 20 Cooling Systems. 42%
- Might as Well... Awarded for successfully descending out of a facility by the only means available. 42%
- Monumental Awarded for the discovery of an unsettling structure. 29%
- Circuit Breaker Awarded for the construction of 10 Advanced Circuits. 23%
- Twist of Freight Awarded for the full establishment of Freight Elevator operations in Sector Victor. 21%
- Blast Radius Awarded for the construction of explosive industrial technologies. 14%
- Arrhythmia Awarded for the recovery of all PULSE Situation Room data. 13%
- Many Hands Awarded for the construction and placement of 100 Assemblers. 9.4%
- Concrete Jungle Awarded for the significant deployment of base building assets. 2.9%
- Greater Goods Awarded for the understanding of a greater purpose. 2.0%
- Peak Performance Awarded for the accomplishment of all objectives. 1.3%