AdventureCasualIndie
The Descendant
Give it 3 hours
Gets good by 3h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Reach the ending 42% of players who started
Started playing 13% of owners
Steam reviews 88% positive of 7,154
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 5 reviews are negative (22%); after 4h it's 1 in 13 (8%).
- 42% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Out of the Frying Pan” (You completed Episode 3: "What Lies Beneath") and “Open Sesame” (You completed Episode 4: "Cerberus"): from 86% to 62% of starters.
- Only 12% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.
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 7,261 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 37 reviews: 7.1h for positive, 5.8h 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 (12.5% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- At World’s End You started playing Episode 1: "Aftermath" 100%
- At Episode’s End You completed Episode 1: "Aftermath" 91% −9
- Out of the Frying Pan You completed Episode 3: "What Lies Beneath" 86% −5
- Open Sesame You completed Episode 4: "Cerberus" Most players quit here 62% −25
- The New World You completed Episode 5: "Ultimatum" 42% −20
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (50)
story milestone ending side
- At World’s End You started playing Episode 1: "Aftermath" 100%
- I've Got a Bad Feeling About This As Donnie, you gained access to Ark-01. 94%
- Big Bada Boom! You triggered the explosion on your first try. 94%
- Master of None You chose Mia’s area of expertise. 93%
- At Episode’s End You completed Episode 1: "Aftermath" 91%
- Hostile Work Environment You were THIS close to averting a crisis… or six. Maybe next time. 89%
- Simmer Down You successfully averted a crisis. 89%
- Then You Better Make It Count You saw someone get sent to their doom. 89%
- Icebreaker Your chilled approach to problem-solving is admirable. 88%
- We're gonna need to see some identification You found an ID card on your way to solving a crisis. 88%
- Into the Storm Your route to the tower includes a significant diversion. 88%
- The Fast and The Studious You successfully averted a crisis in less than ten minutes. 88%
- With Great Power… You successfully helped Randolph accomplish his task. 88%
- 20th Century Box You refused to be boxed in. 87%
- A Spoonful of Sugar ...helps the medicine go down. 87%
- Donald Thump You saw Donnie express his right to protest. 87%
- Fan Service You successfully helped Donnie accomplish his task. 87%
- Home Improvement You’ve enabled everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. 87%
- Dishonesty is the Best Policy? You chose to lie to Silas. 87%
- Once More Into the Fray You reached your destination, but the journey is far from over. 87%
- Ark-eologist You found artifacts of a previous civilization. 86%
- Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Sometimes, you can be too clean. 86%
- Fan-tastic! You successfully escaped a sticky situation on your first try. 86%
- Four's a Party You gained Level 4 Security Clearance. 86%
- Great Kid, Don’t Get Cocky You helped Randolph without making a single mistake. 86%
- Out of the Frying Pan You completed Episode 3: "What Lies Beneath" 86%
- The Patients of a Saint You saved a life by administering emergency first aid. 86%
- Three's a Crowd You gained Level 3 Security Clearance. 86%
- Today's Your Lucky Day The world may be about to end, but at least you're not alone. 86%
- Twisted Firestarter You discovered the clues as to how the inferno was caused. 86%
- Two's Company You gained Level 2 Security Clearance. 86%
- Trial by Fire You helped Mia to survive the inferno. 86%
- Get Your Sneak On You helped Donnie and Randolph discover a new path. 85%
- Chosen! You survived your encounter with a disgruntled colleague. 63%
- Better Safe Than Silas You helped Mia find sanctuary. 62%
- Friend or Foe? You had a most curious conversation. 62%
- Hoarder You found all the possessions of a missing person. 62%
- On the Right Track You found a way to travel in style. 62%
- Blast from the Past You saw Donnie begin his last day on the job. 62%
- Open Sesame You completed Episode 4: "Cerberus" 62%
- Patriotic Persistence If at first you don't succeed, try try try try again. 62%
- That'll Leave a Mark They made their choices. You made yours. 62%
- Due Diligence You made Donnie check everything possible while in the Descendant Chambers of both Arks. 61%
- Enemy of the State The final janitor of Ark-01 became a threat to the descendants. 61%
- Less than Twelve Parsecs When seeking Donnie, your route was pretty much flawless. 61%
- Lethal Protector The final janitor of Ark-01 removed a threat to the descendants. 61%
- Ark Angel You prevented every avoidable descendant death across all episodes of THE DESCENDANT. 42%
- Humanity's Finest The final janitor of Ark-01 refused to let anyone else die. 42%
- The New World You completed Episode 5: "Ultimatum" 42%
- Employee of the Year You unlocked every achievement across all episodes of THE DESCENDANT. 41%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-19.