Nine Parchments
Give it 10 hours
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 2 reviews are negative (52%); after 10h it's 1 in 9 (11%).
- The opening is criticised more than in 80% of games we track.
- 30% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “Graduation?” (Complete the game): only 30% of starters get there.
- 86% 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 4,802 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 297 reviews: 11.2h for positive, 4.7h 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 (86.5% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Graduation? Complete the game Most players quit here 30% −70
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (54)
story milestone ending side
- The Staff Meeting Collect a wizarding staff 100%
- A Fashionable Hat Collect a hat 90%
- Quite Exciting Kill one of the large and scary monsters that tend to guard mystical spell parchments 86%
- Jack and the Beam Stalk Combine beams three times into one beam 83%
- Ice Sculpting Keep a target frozen for 8 seconds straight 81%
- Arcane Elements Possess spells of four different elements in your spellbook 76%
- Untouchable Complete a battle with all players uninjured 69%
- Magnificent Healing Heal for 1000 points in a single fight 66%
- Being Patient Receive 300 points worth of healing from someone else during a single fight 64%
- How Stunning! Five targets are stunned at the same time 63%
- De-Ranged Frost Using only Ice spells, prevent a ranged enemy from attacking with ranged abilities during a fight 62%
- Broken Alliances Have the monsters or students kill each other at least five times during a single fight 55%
- Clean Hands Have five enemies kill each other during one fight 55%
- Tremendously Deadly Deal 2000 Death damage during a single fight 55%
- Firefighter Win a fight using only Fire spells 51%
- De-Ranged Lightning Using only Lightning spells, prevent a ranged enemy from attacking with ranged abilities during a fight 48%
- Timor Mortis Deal at least 2000 damage with a single spell cast 47%
- Frostfall Kill five characters with a single Ice spell cast 44%
- Death's Domain Kill five targets with a single area spell cast 41%
- The Deadliest Plan Win a fight using only Death spells 38%
- Everybody Freeze! In a single fight, freeze any five targets within one second of each other 37%
- Burn Deal at least 1500 damage with a single Fire spell cast 36%
- Thunder and Boom Win a fight using only Lightning spells 36%
- Biting Cold Deal at least 1500 damage with a single Ice spell cast 32%
- That Hits the Spot Kill five characters with a single Lightning spell cast 31%
- Sightseer Visit every level in the game 30%
- Graduation? Complete the game 30%
- Arson Kill at least five targets with a single Fire spell cast 28%
- Splashing Sparks Deal fire damage to eight targets within one second 27%
- Arcane Fisticuffs Kill a target in full health with a single physically dealt damage 26%
- Stormy Weather Deal at least 1500 damage with a single Lightning spell cast 24%
- Major in Ice Possess three different Ice spells in your spellbook 24%
- Incendiary Kill five enemies within ten seconds with the Fire Beam spell 24%
- Major in Healing Possess three different Life spells in your spellbook 18%
- The Stick of Bludgeoning Melee all enemies in a single fight 17%
- Help Yourself Heal yourself with Heal Barrage, Bouncing Heal, Huge Healball or Healing Beam 17%
- Galerum Inexpeditum Collect a hat in Hardcore difficulty 17%
- The Whipping Boy Take 1000 damage during a single Arena 14%
- A Difficult Journey Complete the game in Hard difficulty 12%
- Magisterium Complete a fight in five seconds in Hardcore difficulty 11%
- Major in Death Possess four different Death spells in your spellbook 11%
- Major in Fire Possess four different Fire spells in your spellbook 10%
- Rising Through Ranks Deal 5000 damage during a single enemy wave in an Arena 10%
- These Things Happen Kill yourself or a fellow student with the box spell 9.0%
- Efficiency Clear three enemy waves in a row before the timer runs out in an Arena 8.6%
- Major in Lightning Possess four different Lightning spells in your spellbook 7.6%
- Top of Class Clear an Arena without dying 6.5%
- Boxing Match Create three boxes during a single fight 6.2%
- Augmented Performance Pick up all three different boosts in a single Arena 5.9%
- The Undefeatable Box Wizard Defeat the game in Hardcore difficulty 5.8%
- Unboxing New Spells Obtain four different elemental spells as Amadeus 4.6%
- Piercing Assault Kill five enemies in two seconds with the Piercing Shadow 3.5%
- Fireball Come To Me! Collect nine parchments as Amadeus 3.2%
- The Hero of Trine Defeat all bosses as Amadeus 2.8%