Meridian: Squad 22

Polished and pretty, the dazzling visuals and crisp sound aren’t enough to overlook Meridian: Squad 22’s many issues. This RTS is every bit as unremarkable as its story. Even at $15, this is one to skip.

65%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, optimization

65% User Score Based on 71 reviews

Critic Score 65%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.97

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About

Meridian: Squad 22 is a real-time strategy game that takes place in a procedurally generated universe. As the commander of Squad 22, players must explore, expand, and exploit resources to build and maintain their space fleet. Complex decision-making and strategic planning are essential to succeed in encounters with hostile alien races and defend humanity's interests in the Meridian galaxy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 71 reviews

story16 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Significant improvements over the previous game, with better gameplay mechanics and a more engaging campaign.
Visually appealing with great graphics and sound design, creating an immersive experience.
Short campaign length makes it accessible and enjoyable without overstaying its welcome.

AI behavior is predictable and repetitive, leading to a lack of challenge in gameplay.
Limited content and modes after completing the campaign, resulting in low replay value.
Gameplay feels unpolished with issues like unit pathfinding and control limitations.

story
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
77%
4%
The story aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its engaging narrative and character development, while others criticize it for being disjointed, predictable, and overly simplistic. Many find the campaign short and lacking depth, often feeling like a tutorial rather than a fully fleshed-out experience. However, some players highlight the potential for a more meaningful story in the sequel, which introduces choices that can impact the narrative progression.
- “The last thing is the story; it’s well-paced and reasonable.”
- “What I like about Meridian is it doesn't try to be anything but what it is, a solid, good-playing old school RTS with a great single-player story campaign, just like how RTS should be played.”
- “Has an amazing story to tell, and with its RTS mechanics, it can tell it in such a unique way!”
- “The campaign serves as a tutorial for the conquest mode, plastering a forgettable story over nine missions with wildly changing difficulty.”
- “The story is disjointed, makes very little sense, and does nothing to ease you into it.”
- “The campaign takes about an hour -- if that -- to complete, with some of the nine missions taking a whopping five minutes or less to complete.”
gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
37%
21%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the streamlined mechanics and engaging campaign, while others criticize it for being boring and reminiscent of outdated interfaces. Improvements like camera control and a research system are noted, but issues such as poor unit behavior and a lack of speed settings detract from the experience. Overall, while the game offers nostalgic elements and a solid story, its gameplay struggles to stand out in the crowded RTS genre.
- “The gameplay mechanics are greatly improved and streamlined, and the campaign is much more engaging in terms of story, characters, and gameplay.”
- “Elder Games has taken a more strategic approach to real-time strategy games, making Meridian: Squad 22 more story-driven and building-oriented than most other games of the genre, with some mechanics similar to those found in tower defense games.”
- “Its graphics are beautiful, its gameplay is very smooth and functional, its sounds and music are epic, and it has a very old-school vibe, feeling like a remastered RTS game from the 90s.”
- “The gameplay itself is boring too.”
- “Storyline was hokey as heck, gameplay reminded me of Command & Conquer with a user interface still deeply rooted in 1995; frustrating and hard to use.”
- “But since the main gameplay is still pretty poor (sometimes even more than before, actually, for example, situations when units will try to shoot each other through walls and hills are pretty common now), it's not like you'll want to bother.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
21%
16%
The graphics in the game receive high praise for their outstanding quality, with many reviewers noting them as a standout feature that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, smooth animations, and a nostalgic yet modern aesthetic reminiscent of classic RTS games. However, some comments suggest that while the graphics are impressive, they may not fully compensate for shortcomings in other gameplay aspects.
- “Fantastic graphics and sound design is the true standout of this game, a good story does help this game, but in the end, the gameplay is the core of a game, especially a strategy game, and that’s where the problem lies.”
- “The graphics are outstanding; it looks so realistic.”
- “The graphics are absolutely remarkable, making it truly feel like a game based in the future.”
- “While the graphics are okay for an indie game, most other aspects are pretty underwhelming.”
- “Outside of slightly improved graphics, a new campaign, and the conquest mode, Meridian: Squad 22 is the same real-time strategy experience.”
- “-Graphics are okay, but in the desert, everything is much brighter.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
9%
27%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many users praising its epic soundtrack and immersive sound design that enhances the overall experience. Composed by Hexany Audio, the music complements the game's beautiful graphics and sci-fi atmosphere, evoking a nostalgic, old-school vibe reminiscent of 90s RTS games. Overall, the soundtrack and sound effects are considered standout features, significantly contributing to the game's appeal.
- “The other great thing in this game is the soundtrack and overall sound design.”
- “The music and sound effects also blew my mind and to me, these are easily the highlights!”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The sound score has been composed by Hexany Audio and it truly gives this game a soundtrack to match its looks and sci-fi atmosphere.”
- “The music and sound effects also blew my mind, and to me, these are easily the highlights!”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
While the game has a short playtime and limited overall replay value, it offers unique skill trees that encourage different playstyles, adding some depth to replayability. Players appreciate the thoughtful design and heart put into the game, which enhances the experience despite its brevity.
- “Also, it is well thought out. I find it hard to decide which skill I should spend these canisters on, and each tree offers its own unique playstyle, which adds some replay value.”
- “This provides us with a well-deserved replay value even if the game itself is anything but short.”
- “Also, it is well thought out. I find it hard to decide which skills I should spend these canisters on, and each tree offers its own unique playstyle, which adds some replay value.”
- “This provides us with well-deserved replay value, even if the game itself is anything but short.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Squad 22 is derived from the absurdity of its AI, which players find "hilariously stupid." However, the game's restrictive terrain and base-building mechanics detract from the overall comedic experience, leading to frustration rather than amusement.
- “The AI is hilariously stupid.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game is highly praised for its impressive voice acting, good graphics, and well-optimized HUD, contributing to a smooth user experience. Players noted extremely fast loading times and significant performance improvements made during the closed beta, reflecting the developers' responsiveness to feedback. Overall, the optimization aspects enhance the overall gameplay and campaign understanding.
- “The HUD is very cool and well optimized, and the game loads extremely fast; you double-click on the icon and it starts instantly!”
- “During the closed beta, the developer listened to all feedback, resulting in many changes, including significant AI balancing and improved performance.”
- “The game still suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite some improvements, the overall performance remains inconsistent, making it hard to enjoy the experience fully.”
- “I expected better optimization after the beta, but the game still struggles with long loading times and laggy controls.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting frequent bugs that disrupt gameplay.
- “The game is plagued by buggy gameplay that disrupts the experience.”
- “Frequent crashes make it nearly impossible to enjoy the game.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that severely affected stability.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a captivating soundtrack composed by Hexany Audio, perfectly complementing its stunning visuals and sci-fi theme.
- “The sound score has been composed by Hexany Audio, and it truly gives this game a soundtrack that matches its stunning visuals and immersive sci-fi atmosphere.”