Four Divine Abidings

About

Four Divine Abidings is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by FourDivineAbidings and was released on July 9, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Four Divine Abidings is a mindfulness-themed idle/incremental game where you cultivate the Four Divine Abidings—Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and Equanimity—through hand-painted art and relaxing music. Progress by completing tasks, sowing karma seeds, and experiencing multiple rebirths to advance on the Path to Full Liberation. The game supports both active and idle playstyles with fair offline progress.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews

music6 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and calming music, creating a relaxing atmosphere for players.
It offers a unique blend of gameplay mechanics and Buddhist themes, encouraging mindfulness and reflection.
The game is free to play with no aggressive microtransactions, making it accessible to a wide audience.

Progress can be frustratingly slow, with some mechanics leading to potential loss of progress, which is not typical for idle games.
The game can become tedious with overly complex tasks and requirements that may hinder enjoyment for casual players.
Some players find the gameplay confusing and overwhelming due to the abundance of systems and terminology introduced.

gameplay
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of unique mechanics and frustrating tasks, with players noting a blend of engaging and tedious elements. While the core gameplay loop is easy to grasp, the complexity of interlinked mechanics can lead to confusion, and some players find the game slow-paced. Overall, the game offers a meditative experience with a rich thematic integration, though it suffers from technical shortcomings and a lack of clarity in its user interface.
- “And both thematically and mechanically, there's a lot of uniqueness to it.”
- “It took me almost no time to learn the game's core gameplay loop, but clarity isn't the same as simplicity—there's a lot going on here.”
- “It is rare to find a game that weaves narrative and mechanics so well.”
- “It's just the intentionally mean game mechanics I've got a problem with.”
- “The brainless gameplay is, unsurprisingly, accompanied with an equally low quality technical implementation and poor presentation, resulting in yet another horribly low quality shovelware game that might as well have been done in a web browser.”
- “Level's 2, 3, and 4 introduce mechanics that can halt your game completely if not done correctly.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
18%
27%
The music in the game is generally praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall serene experience. However, some users suggest expanding the playlist to avoid repetition and even allowing custom background music options. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing positively to the game's meditative atmosphere.
- “Needed 131h to complete the game, nice and relaxing idle game, with a spiritual component and meditative music.”
- “I found the music nice and calming... and it's really free-to-play without bombarding you constantly about some sales or needing to buy something.”
- “Equally serene and comfortable is the background music, which is perfect for this game.”
- “The only recommendation I have for the developer is to consider allowing users to enter a YouTube URL for background music and to consider expanding the playlist, as it can get a bit annoying with the repetition.”
- “The art is pretty, but the music is mediocre; it's free, but as far as any concept of it being a game, it falls short.”
- “Overall, it is quite relaxing, especially the music, but it lacks variety.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the outdated 2D visuals and calling for a shift to 3D graphics, which have been standard since the mid-1990s. However, some users appreciate the beautiful handmade artwork and relaxing aesthetic, highlighting the game's artistic qualities despite its technical limitations.
- “Excellent music, beautiful artwork, and incredibly relaxing.”
- “Beautiful little idler with some really beautiful handmade artwork.”
- “The game features really lackluster 2D visuals (does the developer not know 3D graphics became mainstream in the mid-1990s?).”
- “Gamers don't spend thousands of dollars on gaming rigs and the latest 3D graphics cards to play 2D games.”
- “Even mobile phones and game consoles can do 3D graphics now.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often leading to frustration as they realize that completing the game without multiple rebirths is nearly impossible. The idle progression is particularly criticized for being slow and unengaging, making the overall experience feel like a prolonged wait rather than an enjoyable challenge.
- “Even though I'm on Rebirth 23 right now and have spent a lot of time grinding away previously in the game, trying to avoid rebirths, I'm already in a position where I can't possibly complete the game in under 25 rebirths, guaranteeing I can't 100% this game unless I start all over again.”
- “It's just tedious hurry up and wait for active play, and the idle progression is like watching paint dry.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism for its reliance on microtransactions, with some users expressing strong disapproval of the developer's use of the Buddha's likeness as a means to profit, labeling it as a disrespectful cash grab.
- “There's another review complaining about the game having microtransactions.”
- “There's something seriously bad about this one... the developer uses the likeness of the Buddha in an attempt to profit. I'm sure he'd have something to say about people making lazy cash grabs in his name.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is praised for being engaging and meaningful, providing players with a sense of purpose even during idle moments.
- “Not only is it an amazing story, but it also gives an actual purpose for being idle.”