Mýrdalssandur, Iceland

About

Mýrdalssandur, Iceland is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Matt Newell and was released on March 1, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

Experience a realistically inspired recreation of iceland's southern coast. Take photos and explore the world at your own pace, become immsersed with some of the latest visual tech provided by Unreal Engine 4.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 784 reviews

graphics73 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and beautiful landscapes that create a mesmerizing experience.
It's a relaxing walking simulator that allows players to explore the serene environment of Iceland.
The game is free to play, making it accessible for anyone looking for a calming experience.

There are numerous invisible walls and teleportation mechanics that limit exploration and can break immersion.
The game suffers from motion blur and locked resolution settings, which can cause discomfort for some players.
The foggy environment often obscures visibility, making it difficult to fully appreciate the scenery.

graphics
123 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
3%
The graphics in this game receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising the stunning visuals, lifelike landscapes, and impressive detail, often describing them as some of the best they've seen. However, there are mentions of graphical glitches and a lack of customization options for settings, which detracts slightly from the overall experience. Despite some criticisms, the game's graphics are highlighted as a major draw, creating an immersive and visually captivating environment.
- “The graphics are absolutely stunning and it really feels like walking around in Iceland.”
- “Incredible graphics.”
- “The combination of stunning visuals and well-curated music creates one of the most immersive experiences I have had playing a game in quite a while.”
- “The state of graphics has declined so far in only 5 years that it breaks the hearts of so many casual gamers like me, and repels us from investing in the industry.”
- “For a game that's entirely about graphics, this is pretty lame.”
- “Poor graphics options and poor effects and textures; it looks crappy in 4K (I don't even think it renders in 4K, 1080 at best).”
music
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
33%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and enhancing the overall immersive experience. Players find the soundtrack soothing and ideal for relaxation, often recommending it for listening on platforms like Spotify. While some critiques mention a repetitive nature in certain tracks, the majority agree that the music significantly contributes to the game's tranquil ambiance and emotional depth.
- “The music perfectly complements the visuals and is a very soothing game; if stressed or feeling down, this game is a great way to make you feel better.”
- “The combination of stunning visuals and well-curated music creates one of the most immersive experiences I have had playing a game in quite a while.”
- “The music is ambient and perfect for the mood of the game, and it's just so relaxing; I can't stress that enough.”
- “The music is so cerebral, and the general atmosphere is really well done.”
- “25 degrees slope, buggy, horrible background music aaaand not vr unless you buy the vr dlc.”
- “The music is very peaceful and relaxing and adds to the experience, though you can pause it and play your own if you like.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
20%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and calming qualities, enhanced by a beautifully crafted environment and a fitting, serene soundtrack. Players appreciate the photorealistic landscapes that evoke a sense of tranquility and exploration, making it a memorable experience that encourages revisiting. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and atmospheric music creates a relaxing ambiance that captivates players.
- “The calm music works well with the beautiful landscape, creating an overall relaxing atmosphere that prompts you to explore the game and inspires you to travel to Iceland yourself and experience the Mýrdalssandur for yourself.”
- “Each section of its environment is accurate and recreated in immaculate detail, which, alongside the enchanting music, creates an atmosphere that the player will not soon forget.”
- “The graphics are amazing, the music is calm, and the overall atmosphere is just relaxing.”
- “The dark, cold atmosphere made it almost impossible to just relax and enjoy the scenery.”
- “For an experience that can be completed in less than an hour, it is much like a place in real life one would want to frequently revisit for the sheer beauty, tranquility, and atmosphere.”
- “Beautifully made game, there seems to be a lot of work put into the landscapes and the realistic look of Iceland, the atmosphere fits very well with the foggy Icelandic weather.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
53%
14%
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players appreciating the freedom to explore and the engaging mechanics of taking photos, while others criticize the immersion-breaking "loss" mechanic that forces players back to checkpoints. The graphics are widely praised, but there are complaints about the gameplay being simplistic or frustrating due to certain design choices, such as forced teleportation and camera positioning. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of relaxing exploration and occasional annoyance.
- “Relaxing, good graphics, dark, good gameplay.”
- “Graphics are beautiful, gameplay is simple yet engaging.”
- “I think it's great that you can be left to do what you like and roam around freely and be able to take in the lovely scenery, and something to edge you on to do that is the main mechanic of taking photos of amazing places.”
- “There's this 'loss' mechanic that gets annoying where sometimes you start again from a checkpoint when you get too far off the path, which breaks immersion way more than just stumbling into an invisible collision box and going on with your thing.”
- “This made me uneasy, as I really liked the exploration and landscape but I lost motivation after immersion broke too many times with this mechanic.”
- “Also, I didn't particularly like the 'forced teleportation' mechanic which throws you back on the main track when you try to move over the edge of the map - it could disorient the player, especially in the foggy part.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The story aspect of the game received mixed reviews, with many users noting its lack of depth and coherence, rating it as low as 2. However, there is a consensus that the game has significant potential for a more engaging narrative, with suggestions for incorporating quests and story-driven elements similar to titles like "Everybody's Gone to the Rapture." Overall, while the current story is minimal, players see opportunities for future development in this area.
- “There is a lot of potential for a story-based adventure, similar to 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture', where you may have to take photographs to unravel the story.”
- “There is a lot of potential for a story-based adventure, similar to 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture', where you maybe have to take photographs to unravel the story.”
- “Would be fantastic to have a walking simulator game similar to this with a bit of a story behind it (something like The Fidelio Incident comes to mind) that looks this good.”
- “This game has real potential to become a massive open world with a storyline.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its impressive performance and smooth graphics, with many users reporting minimal stuttering and no crashes. While some players noted a lack of performance improvement across different hardware setups, the VR optimization is particularly highlighted as excellent, accommodating various headsets without significant performance loss. Despite some concerns about micro-stuttering and potential optimization for older hardware, the game generally runs well even on lower-end systems.
- “Furthermore, the performance is amazing, runs super smooth, no stuttering and no crashes.”
- “Its beautiful and actually very well optimized.”
- “Insanely good graphics, and very well optimized.”
- “I've run the game on both an FX-4 series with a GTX 960 and a Ryzen 3700X with a 5700XT, and I saw no performance increase, which makes me think that the game just has poor optimization.”
- “However, when looking around, there's a degree of micro-stuttering.”
- “Lots of room for the optimization of most-efficient routes and pathfinding.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional responses, with players describing it as "absolutely heartbreaking" and capable of inducing tears through its nostalgic beauty and immersive atmosphere. Many find it to be a relaxing and wholesome experience that resonates deeply, even evoking feelings for places they've never visited.
- “It made me cry, like feeling nostalgia for a place I have never been.”
- “The beauty of this game actually made me cry.”
- “Absolutely heartbreaking when I remember this gem.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many users reporting significant bugs, graphical glitches, and incomplete elements, such as floating rocks and unnatural water surfaces. While some players praise its visual appeal and overall performance, the consensus indicates that it requires further polishing to address these issues.
- “Absolutely stunning, looks great and runs great. Great job!”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or glitches, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to fully immerse myself in the story.”
- “This game is very buggy and incomplete.”
- “Also, there are some graphical glitches with the fog banks.”
- “Though, right now it still needs a bit of polishing - I found some floating rocks and small glitches near the edges of the space open for movement, and the big river looks a bit unnatural (the perspective breaks here so you could assume that the water surface is not horizontal at all).”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express that grinding in the game can be a tedious and time-consuming experience, often requiring significant effort that may feel overwhelming. Some find it a necessary aspect for relaxation, while others suggest it demands an excessive commitment, likening it to needing a "second life" to manage the grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Download it, install it, and run it just to feel peace and relieve yourself from the tensions of grinding.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game presents a paradox in its replayability; while some players feel it has endless replay value, others argue that it lacks significant replayability features.
- “For that reason, I feel it's a game that may never truly exhaust its replay value.”
- “However, it does not have any replayability.”