Meeple Station
- April 10, 2020
- Gameclaw Studio
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Meeple Station is a pixel-art space station management sim, inspired by games like Dwarf Fortress and Rimworld. Build and maintain a thriving station for your Meeple inhabitants, providing them with essentials like oxygen, food, and bathrooms. The game's major Planets Update allows for Meeple to expand across the solar system, with more features to come in future updates."
Mac OS
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has a fun and interesting concept with engaging mechanics.
- The graphics are charming and the pixel art style is appealing.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates and bug fixes.
- The game is plagued with bugs that can hinder gameplay, such as pathfinding issues and doctors not healing injured meeples.
- The user interface is clunky and not intuitive, making it difficult to manage the station effectively.
- There is a lack of content and depth, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of being unfinished.
- stability56 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly hinder gameplay and enjoyment. Players report issues such as meeples getting stuck, doctors failing to perform their tasks, and frequent pathfinding problems, leading to a frustrating experience. While some users still find the game enjoyable despite these issues, many feel it is unplayable in its current state and express disappointment over its apparent lack of ongoing support or updates.
“Good idea, would love to play it, but just way too buggy in game-breaking ways.”
“A buggy, frustrating mess of a game only slightly less enjoyable than Spacebase DF-9.”
“The game is too buggy to play; meeples continually get stuck on nothing and can't be reset or unstuck.”
“It's a buggy mess to say the least (and no, it's not early access anymore).”
- gameplay48 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Meeple Station is a mixed bag, with players appreciating its unique mechanics and relaxing atmosphere, but frequently encountering significant bugs and pathfinding issues that detract from the experience. While the building mechanics are intuitive and the game offers a charming aesthetic, many users report frustration with AI behavior and job assignments, leading to a need for constant oversight. Overall, the game shows potential for fun and engaging gameplay, but requires substantial improvements and bug fixes to fully realize that potential.
“If you like space base building with a cute aesthetic and relaxing but challenging gameplay, this is your game.”
“I can say that this game is fun and looks easy but is hard to master; also, behind the cute graphics, there is complex gameplay.”
“Fun, relaxing gameplay.”
“This game plays well for the early hours, but the more complex your station gets, the more the pathfinding, UI, and gameplay shortfalls rear their heads.”
“This game is very buggy, so you can't even really enjoy it in the passive sense because you are constantly having to obsessively monitor meeples who should do their jobs, should be happy and satisfied because the mechanics say so, and they stand there doing nothing because the pathfinding sucks.”
“I decided not to try a third station, partly because what gameplay I had experienced aside from trying to troubleshoot bugs and holding the AI's hands was mostly boring, and it made me wish this game had a 'fast-fast-forward' button, due to just watching the AI wander around and occasionally do their jobs.”
- story42 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as cute, engaging, and enjoyable, with players appreciating its fun plot and charming art style. However, many reviewers express frustration with the AI mechanics and bugs that hinder gameplay, making it difficult to fully experience the storyline. Overall, while the narrative is well-crafted and adds to the game's appeal, technical issues and AI problems detract from the overall experience.
“I finished the campaign, which tells an engaging, thoughtful story.”
“The story is good and full of mystery, good enough to make me go through the challenge to see what will happen.”
“The gameplay is fun and the story is pretty well done.”
“Never finished the storyline because of the doctors prioritizing food over someone bleeding to death, and my entire crew dying in a simple pirate raid.”
“It was so glitchy that you couldn't progress the story, so I stopped playing.”
“There is no storyline, campaign, or even a basic tutorial.”
- graphics38 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel-art style that many players find cute and aesthetically pleasing, though opinions vary on their quality. While some appreciate the retro visuals and simple design, others criticize them as grainy or unpolished, with issues in resolution and clarity. Overall, the graphics contribute to a fun and engaging atmosphere, particularly for fans of space base-building games, but may not satisfy those seeking high-fidelity visuals.
“Absolutely delightful game, the writing is funny and the aesthetic is wonderful!”
“The graphics are deceptively simple and quite well-done.”
“There's all sorts of sci-fi themed features (research, space mining, oxygen, water, and food management, etc.), awesome cute graphics, chill music, and even some funny interactions.”
“Grainy pixel graphics, so the old look isn't everyone's cup of tea.”
“Don't waste your money...the actual gameplay graphics suck, the trailer video is misleading.”
“Very little animations or movement and the graphics, even for a pixel game, are quite bad and hard to distinguish.”
- humor15 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- -13 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charming and quirky writing, with players enjoying the comedic interactions and mishaps that arise during gameplay, such as the antics of the adorable characters and unexpected events like "crapsplosions." While some users found certain aspects of the humor to be off-putting or unrefined, the overall consensus is that the game offers a delightful blend of cutesy aesthetics and funny scenarios, making it an engaging experience, especially in its early access state. The potential for future content is seen as a promising avenue for enhancing the game's comedic elements even further.
“Absolutely delightful game, the writing is funny and the aesthetic is wonderful!”
“Good price for it too, great humor, especially when you get new people joining your station because they thought the pirate training was boring, so they brought in real pirates.”
“Tons of suicides, crapsplosions, and other mishaps make the early game absolutely hilarious.”
“This is not funny; it's disgusting and makes no sense.”
“The humor falls flat and often feels forced.”
“I expected laughs, but instead, I was just cringing.”
- music11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for being relaxing and atmospheric, complementing the cute pixel art and engaging gameplay. While some players find the soundtrack to be a single long track, others appreciate its chill vibe and the overall sound design, which includes fun sound effects and character dialects. Overall, the music enhances the game's charm and contributes to its addictive yet laid-back experience.
“The soundtrack is well done and fits the mood of the game.”
“There's all sorts of sci-fi themed features, awesome cute graphics, chill music, and even some funny interactions.”
“Meeple Station is a fantastic little game, with adorable pixel art, chilled out and atmospheric music, and addictive yet relaxing gameplay.”
“From there, they will basically have to fight musical chairs as they run through their preference route.”
“Graphics are a cute pixelated isometric view, and music is just one long spacey track.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly due to repetitive tasks like clicking trade arrows and enduring unskippable lore explanations. Many feel that the grinding is overwhelming and time-consuming, suggesting that it requires a significant investment of time to progress.
“You have to click a little trade arrow several hundred times; it's super tedious.”
“It's a seemingly tedious task that only stops once you have quite a bit of leg room.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
While some users note limited progress and replayability, many express confidence in the game's potential for future updates, highlighting its current enjoyable and replayable nature. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for fun, though it may benefit from enhancements to its replay value.
“I have full confidence that this game is really going places, and even at this early stage, it's a ton of replayable fun.”
“Cons: limited progress and replayability.”
“The game lacks the depth needed for true replayability.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed perception of the game's monetization, with some users appreciating the developer's ongoing support while others criticize it as a cash grab, suggesting a lack of value for money.
“This game is a cash grab.”
“Thank you for continuing to work on this game and not leaving it as a broken cash grab like so many other small dev teams on Steam.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a generally positive experience with optimization, noting that once they overcome initial challenges, the game runs smoothly and allows for enjoyable progression.
“I've had fun trying to get past the first stage of the station, and now that I have a station that runs smoothly for 5 minutes, I'm enjoying the progression a lot.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Meeple Station creates a charming and engaging atmosphere with its adorable pixel art and relaxing music, drawing players into a unique blend of resource management and comedic crisis simulation. The game's characters, each with distinct personalities, enhance the experience, allowing for varied play styles and interactions that keep gameplay fresh and entertaining. Despite being in early access, the game's depth and potential for future content promise an even richer atmosphere.
“Meeple Station is a fantastic little game, deceptively simple, with all kinds of hidden depths, adorable pixel art, chilled-out and atmospheric music, and addictive yet relaxing gameplay. It is consuming far more of my time than anything since 'FTL' or 'Slay the Spire'.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly engaging, with the charming meeple characters full of personality, from my psychotic yet cheerful station captain to my surly, lazy janitor. Each character's traits interact in the funniest ways, creating a unique and entertaining experience.”
“The beauty of Meeple Station lies in its atmosphere; there are so many ways to play it, and the player's choices shape the nature of the game entirely. The planned content promises to elevate this already immersive experience even further.”
