Meadowland

About

Meadowland is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Mårten Jonsson and was released on October 22, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

Meadowland is an interactive poem. Explore a world, partake in a story.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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57%

Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews

story4 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game offers a beautiful and serene atmosphere, with charming art and soothing audio that creates a unique and cozy experience.
Many players found the game to be a relaxing exploration experience, allowing them to enjoy the simple act of nurturing nature and solving easy puzzles.
The game has a sweet, minimalist story that resonates with players, providing a sense of joy and hope during challenging times.

The gameplay is very limited and simplistic, often leading to feelings of boredom as players wait for events to trigger without much interaction.
Several technical issues and bugs, such as untriggered achievements and clunky controls, detract from the overall experience and frustrate players.
Many reviewers felt that the game is overpriced for the content it offers, comparing it unfavorably to free games that provide a more engaging experience.

story
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
81%
8%
The game's story revolves around a simple love narrative between a farmer and a madam, conveyed through a series of visual scenes that players unlock by interacting with the environment. While some players appreciate the charming art and cozy atmosphere, others find the story lacking depth and complexity, describing it as a minimalistic and somewhat unengaging experience that serves more as a backdrop for exploration and puzzle-solving. Overall, the story is seen as sweet but not particularly captivating, with gameplay mechanics that can frustrate rather than enhance the narrative experience.
- “The charming art, beautiful audio, and cute story create a unique and cozy atmosphere.”
- “Our aim here is to take clues from the storybook scenes and make the fairy sing in the appropriate place, time, and condition to make the story progress.”
- “Story is hard to explain without spoiling it, so at simplest it could be described as a love story.”
- “The story itself, presumably the main selling point, wasn't very captivating.”
- “As a walking simulator (though the player flies) the ambition I feel was to tell a simple visual story with the added elements of a puzzle game.”
- “All the same, it only takes about an hour to figure out the story to its end while looking for the other secrets.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The music in the game is generally described as soothing and relaxing, enhancing the overall atmosphere, though some players find it forgettable and lacking in memorable transitions. While it complements the gameplay, there are criticisms regarding its integration with game mechanics, with some suggesting that it could be more engaging. Overall, the soundtrack is appreciated for its calming effect, but it may not leave a lasting impression.
- “The artwork is very pretty and the music is soothing.”
- “You play as a faerie singing songs to create a dream.”
- “Meadowland plays like a free game: in fact, I'm sure I've played free games that were better than this. The flaws are too many, like the music not transitioning smoothly from moment to moment, every interaction triggering a cutscene instead of giving you control to follow what happens yourself, and some mechanics being very awkward to make work (the tree seeds, for anyone in the know); to mention a few.”
- “Not just that, I warn you to play this game with no music; just listen to the BGM, it makes you relax.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay in "Meadowland" is characterized by clunky mechanics and limited interactivity, often feeling more like a free game despite its price. Players engage in exploration and story discovery, but the experience is marred by repetitive sound effects, awkward controls, and a lack of complexity, resulting in a shallow and slow-paced adventure. While it offers a visually appealing presentation, the overall gameplay fails to deliver depth or engagement.
- “The core gameplay consists of exploring the map, discovering its secrets, and uncovering the story.”
- “It bears no complexity in gameplay and only serves for an hour's diversion, yet it presents a naively beautiful display of an age-old story.”
- “Meadowland is an 'artsy' exploration game with interesting but ultimately shallow game mechanics that rides with its dreamy expression.”
- “The gameplay was a bit clunky, the sound effects were repetitive, and the graphics were just okay.”
- “Meadowland plays like a free game: in fact, I'm sure I've played free games that were better than this. The flaws are too many, like the music not transitioning smoothly from moment to moment, every interaction triggering a cutscene instead of giving you control to follow what happens yourself, and some mechanics being very awkward to make work (the tree seeds, for anyone in the know); to mention a few.”
- “Gameplay is very limited and slow.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with some users finding them simplistic and uninspired, while others praised the artwork as pretty and well-executed. Overall, the visuals are described as decent but not groundbreaking, with a few highlighting the soothing music that complements the graphics.
- “The artwork is very pretty and the music is soothing.”
- “Artwork and audio are pretty well done.”
- “Nice graphics.”
- “Very simplistic puzzle game with uninspired graphics.”
- “The gameplay was a bit clunky, the sound effects were repetitive, and the graphics were just okay.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and anticlimactic, particularly when completing achievements like the tree image, which lacks a rewarding payoff. While some consider the tasks manageable, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration with the repetitive nature of searching for puzzle pieces.
- “I was a tad disappointed when I completed the tree image because it was transparent and nothing truly special happened from completing this tedious achievement. It was very anticlimactic.”
- “Circling the zone searching for puzzle pieces was the tedious part.”
- “A bit tedious but doable.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by its charming art style, beautiful audio, and a cute story, creating a cozy and zen-like environment. Players can explore diverse landscapes, including meadows, ponds, and celestial features, all contributing to a unique and immersive experience.
- “The charming art, beautiful audio, and cute story create a unique and cozy atmosphere.”
- “A zen-like atmosphere as the sprite nurtures nature.”
- “In addition to its namesake, the meadows, you can find ponds, trees, a mountain, a floating island, and a sea, as well as a couple of celestial and atmospheric features.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers minimal replayability, with users noting that while it provides an enjoyable hour of gameplay, there is little incentive to play it again.
- “No replay value.”
- “Overall, not a bad hour-long game, but there is definitely not much in the way of replay value.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with users reporting numerous bugs and issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many players express frustration and a lack of motivation to engage further due to these persistent problems.
- “The game is a broken, buggy mess that I don't understand and have no desire to try and understand.”
- “The stability issues make it nearly unplayable, constantly crashing and freezing.”
- “I experienced frequent crashes and glitches that ruined my gaming experience.”