Oh, I really like the 3rd option! I was brainstorming with some of the top placements (who were also kinda bugged by this even though they won!) and we all agreed that there had to be some way to fix the 1 star bomb ratings, as well as prevent the amount of reviews problem. This head to head option is great, and we also felt that reviews and comments should be hidden until the end of the voting period since you can't change your game anyway.
Also, my heart breaks after looking at the full list of corrected ratings under the bayesian average. So many fan favorites jumped up about 40 spots, while the games many are complaining about dropped by tons. It certainly does seem more fair, even without accounting for the review bombs. Since this is my first game ever, I had no idea itch had such a strange rating system that people have wanted changed for over 10 years, but experiencing it first hand, I want to make a change too!
I felt so bad watching some of the most beloved games drop below me -- I'd have given them my spot if I could! While I'm extremely proud of my game, I definitely don't think I deserved to be higher than Grim Was The Acre, that's insane!
Regardless, there's likely nothing that will be done to remedy this. I just hope that, in the spirit of the game we made, people will continue to pursue their dreams despite what puts them down. There were hundreds of spectacular games this jam with so much heart and soul put into them, and I truly hope no one gives up because of their itch rating! If anyone needs someone to talk to, you can message me on here, or under the same name on discord, youtube, or bluesky! Never give up, dreamers! And good luck! <3