Meridian: New World
- September 26, 2014
- Elder Games
- 12h median play time
Meridian: New World is a single-player, real-time strategy game set in a sci-fi universe. As the captain of the spaceship S.S. Meridian, you'll explore a new planet, combat alien lifeforms, and manage your crew's needs and skills. Your decisions will shape the outcome of the mission and the fate of your crew.
Reviews
- The game has charming graphics and a solid soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- It offers a unique take on the RTS genre with customizable unit loadouts and an interesting storyline.
- Despite its flaws, it provides a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RTS games like Command & Conquer.
- The AI is poorly designed, often leading units to act suicidally and not respond effectively to commands.
- There are significant gameplay issues, including lack of zoom, clunky controls, and frustrating pathfinding.
- The campaign is short and some missions, particularly turret defense and stealth, are poorly executed and tedious.
- story188 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and filled with surprising twists, while others criticize it as uninspired and derivative, likening it to a cheesy Michael Bay film. The narrative is interspersed with gameplay elements that allow exploration and character interaction, but many feel that the execution is lacking, with forced dialogue and poor voice acting detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while some appreciate the unique approach and RPG elements, many agree that the story does not stand out significantly in the crowded RTS genre.
“However, the story was good and I was surprised by several of the twists, even if the characters didn't act as surprised as I would have.”
“It has an original story, is relatively polished, is playable in its pre-release state, and leaves you wanting to click the 'next mission' button.”
“Very fun game has a sort of new style for an RTS and I quite like the story in the campaign and I cannot wait for them to add new content and missions in the campaign.”
“The story feels simple, the cut scenes don’t support the whole flow of the game, and are completely useless (why then?).”
“Dialogues feel forced and unnatural (the bad voice acting makes it even worse), and the game tries to be too much like other games, providing unnecessary story sections, where you can wander around the ship, but it only makes all your choices and answers feel completely weightless.”
“The story is uninteresting, poorly translated into English, and with pretty awful voice acting.”
- gameplay108 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it monotonous, clunky, and lacking depth, particularly in AI and mechanics. While some appreciate the nostalgic RTS elements and smooth mechanics, others criticize the simplistic design and poor pathfinding issues. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from significant gameplay flaws that detract from the experience.
“The gameplay itself is fun though; I like the game mechanics.”
“Meridian: New World is an RTS that I can highly recommend to anyone that loves this style of gaming. You can tell that there has been a lot of work put into this game, and it shows with the gameplay.”
“The graphics are on par with many modern RTS titles, and the gameplay is, for the most part, slick and elegant.”
“Interesting plot, but horrible AI and boring gameplay.”
“Looks okay in screenshots, but the gameplay is clunky and dreadful.”
“Unfortunately, the developer made a few gameplay decisions which entirely spoiled this game for me, especially since this is a strategy game.”
- graphics84 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the visual aesthetics as impressive, especially for a small development team, and noting that they are on par with modern RTS titles. However, some users criticized the graphics as inconsistent or sub-par, suggesting that while the visuals are appealing, they do not compensate for shortcomings in gameplay and mechanics. Overall, the graphics are generally considered a strong point, but they are overshadowed by issues in other areas of the game.
“The graphics are fantastic and I really like the part where you can walk about the ship free roam.”
“What a refreshing game with a good storyline, detailed graphics and a truly awesome soundtrack.”
“The graphics are great especially for a very small development team.”
“The graphics are sub-par.”
“Many sound effects are missing, the pathfinding is broken at best, the voice acting and writing are stilted and boring, the graphics are inconsistent and the actual level and map design is terrible.”
“Poor controls, optimization, visuals, voice acting, and a general feeling of shabbiness ruin what may have, at one time, had the potential for an interesting experience.”
- music32 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack as enjoyable and atmospheric, while others criticize it as generic and lacking depth. Many appreciate the music's ability to enhance the gaming experience, though some find it out of place or annoying. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong point for the game, despite some inconsistencies in quality and execution.
“Its a single player game that is exactly what it needs to be and the soundtrack is a great listen too!”
“What a refreshing game with a good storyline, detailed graphics and a truly awesome soundtrack.”
“Well what can I say about this game, it's beautiful graphically and the soundtrack is ace; I've found myself distracted from building troops because of the soundtrack.”
“Music is more annoying than enjoyable.”
“Highly generic electronic music without a soul.”
“The music is generic, the characters are boring, the exposition for the story is so rote that you can guess the characters a mile away, and so on.”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant issue, with numerous users reporting constant crashes and startup errors despite following troubleshooting steps and installing necessary libraries. While some players found the crash reports helpful, the overall experience is marred by persistent bugs and a lack of originality, leading to frustration and a diminished desire to continue playing.
“Game constantly crashed regardless of whether I went through all of the troubleshooting steps on the forum and installed the third-party libraries that the game doesn't bother to install itself.”
“Game won't work, tried to jump through all the troubleshooting hoops but even after all that the game will not load.”
“No point in attempting further troubleshooting steps on a game I no longer feel any will to play.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users noting poor controls and visuals that contribute to an overall feeling of shabbiness. This lack of polish detracts significantly from the potential enjoyment of the experience.
“Poor controls, optimization, visuals, voice acting, and a general feeling of shabbiness ruin what may have, at one time, had the potential for an interesting experience.”
“The game is ugly and poorly optimized.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the enhanced replayability offered by multiplayer modes, yet many express a desire for new games that capture the essence of their favorite titles. This suggests that while multiplayer features extend playtime, there is a longing for fresh experiences within familiar gameplay styles.
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently highlighted, with multiple users praising the campaign for its comedic elements. Overall, the campaign is regarded as entertaining and amusing.
“The campaign is filled with hilarious moments that kept me laughing throughout.”
“I loved the humor in the campaign; it added a unique twist to the gameplay.”
“The funny campaign had me in stitches with its clever jokes and witty dialogue.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is not explicitly detailed in the reviews, but it is suggested that the game positions itself as a more enjoyable alternative to Starcraft, potentially indicating a focus on attracting players through engaging gameplay rather than aggressive monetization tactics.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the exceptional music and overall ambiance that enhance the gaming experience.
“Great music, great atmosphere, great support.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the campaign to be tedious, indicating that it may detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“As for the campaign... it's tedious.”
“As for the campaign... it's tedious.”