Reviews

• 

  battlemaster

  Oct 3, 2022

  Dead game. There is nobody here. The game has no story, nothing to do. RIP
• 

  Owlen

  Oct 4, 2022

  Surprisingly good for what it is A quiet multiplayer game, no talking, just exploring grab a friend or two or three and run around unlocking things and exploring the world it may not be for everyone, but it was an enjoyable experience while I did play it 9/10
• 

  Austhetic

  Oct 5, 2022

  I literally haven't played this game in three years, and I don't think my computer can even run it.. I recall it being good, despite it being played at 20FPS
• 

  gill my beloved

  Oct 27, 2016

  i honestly bought it on a whim because it looked kind of cute. i have no idea what i'm doing but i'm enjoying it so far. spent a good chunk of my playtime following around another badger with us 'chatting' back and forth. then he disappeared and i was alone. i lost my only friend... where are you badger cub friend...
• 

  luke

  Oct 27, 2016

  i ran around aimlessly barking as a badger cub. realized there was a map/radar, saw two blips nearby. chased them down. many hellos, a frog and a bear cub. we jumped around, climbed stuff, and collected shiny things. ran around in an area full of balls that made noise and poofed. obviously we jumped around in that for a bit. we merged with a large group of maybe ten or more other animals. stampeded around for a while. after a bit everyone ended up split into smaller groups again. i jumped off the end of the earth, which was hilarious and strange. walked alone in a snowy region when a frog, maybe the same from earlier, maybe a different, found me. explored with the frog for a bit. lost him when we merged with another pack, i was ready to sniff around alone for a bit. got sad, it's not about being alone. i had a ridiculous amount of fun. felt real connections with such little communication. 10/10 it's not the kind of game i typically play. i might never play again, maybe i will. but i don't think i'll ever forget about it.
• 

  BlackDove634

  Oct 29, 2016

  Fun game for the price, but the way you unlock the "higher tier" animals is a little misleading. As a beginner you're sort of led to believe that the yellow crystals unlock animals (which they do), but only the frog, rabbit, and goat. For any other animal (lynx, etc) you need to buy/own other games and DLC by the company. Not to mention that the eagle is unlocked by either owning everything or being top 10 on the leaderboards (surely an implausible feat for later players). Instead of relaxing with a nice atmospheric exploring game, I kinda felt duped in the end to be honest. Otherwise I would totally give it a thumbs-up. Hopefully the makers will eventually do the player base right and make the content more accessible. Personally, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest in the end, as forcing me to buy basic content makes me less inclined to sample their other products.
• 

  Frankieeeee

  Nov 1, 2016

  Listen, I know it sounds like a walking simulator. And really, if you're looking for a fast paced game, turn away. With Meadow, you get the ambience that Shelter, Shelter 2 and Paws delivered. The art style, as always from Might and Delight, is absolutely breathtaking. I've spent about an hour and a half now, squeaking around the map as a badger cub. I'm adorable. So are the other 20 badger cubs with me. Some of that time was spent trying to climb a hill. Why? I thought there was something on top. Spoiler; there was. Meadow is relaxing. It's peaceful. It's a walking simulator for people who want to take a walk but also would like to interact non-verbally. It reminds me of Journey, in a way, because you'll come across people who you'll have never met- and won't ever meet again. Your brief time bonding will be characterised by scampering around and cute emotes. I can't wait for what else they put in. Hell, maybe for those people who do want a bit of action, they'll be survival servers. I don't know. All I know is at present I'm a huge Shelter fan with a huge amount of college-stress and Meadow helps take the edge off.
• 

  Mango

  Nov 10, 2016

  It's quite a relaxing game with some light objectives in the form of seeking out stones/flowers to unlock more animals/skins/emotes. There's no violence. No one raging over VOIP. Just you and a bunch of other players roaming the land and communicating exclusively via movement, emotes, and sounds. And sometimes that's all you need.
• 

  magnificunt

  Nov 21, 2016

  helps me forget about my crippling depression.
• 

  Lawlsomedude

  Dec 8, 2016

  I was walking for a good hour, no one in sight. Then one lone lynx cub found me. They led me back to an entire pack of animals. We all roved around the forest together until we hit a mountain. All of us started to head around, but the lynx wanted to show me something. We seperated from the pack, just the lynx and I, and went through a cave instead. The cave was lined with beautiful purple crystals and the slight sound of a waterfall echoed in the distance. We took our time walking through, soaking in the scenery. When we found the exit the rest of the pack was just getting around the mountain, and we continued roaming together. The only word to describe this game is magical.
• 

  Føx

  Feb 28, 2017

  Two nights ago I bought this game, this is how it went... -Woke up in forest as a badger cub -Have no idea what Im doing -Walk around for like 5 minutes with no purpose -A lynx appears -I wave to the lynx and the lynx waves back -I think I've already made a friend -Fast forward two hours -I've been following this lynx around and we've been having a good time -suddenly, lynx stops -I give a ? emote -The lynx lays down and does a sad emote -Im confused and a little anxious because for some reason I feel like this lynx is my best friend -The lynx gives one more sad emote then disappears -I felt empty inside This game caused me intense emotion by just running aruond and making friends using emotes and not language. 10/10
• 

  Kerbear

  May 22, 2017

  I love this game. Let me start of by saying, it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea; if you're looking for a game with strategy or fighting or a clear end goal with a huge community online daily, this is not for you. Meadow is a game where you play as a variety of different animals, which are unlocked as you play or by owning previous Shelter titles, which the game is based on, with different minor skillsets - frog swims faster than others, pheasant has a short range fly, eagle can fly properly etc. You explore the map, discovering caves and little known groves while searching for collectables called essence. Essence comes in two main forms: - flowers of varying rarity for which there are achievements for collecting. - puzzle pieces that allow you to unlock new skins and emotes for your current animal, but also unlock new animals to play as. Group play is rewarded by randomly spawning obelisks in the world that require a minimum of two animals to unlock and some larger require a group of six including specific animals. The community is small but very friendly. Communication is through the use of emotes showing things in the world such as essence, flowers, obelisks, a "this way" arrow, "we need to climb/swim" etc, and emotional expressions for your animal - happy, sad, waving etc. Despite minimum levels of communication, bonds form quickly after running with the same animals for a while, people often come back and help if you're stuck climbing somewhere or have fallen behind and people are usually sad to see you go after being part of their mixed up herd for a few hours. As the game goes, there's no end goal, it's exploring and collecting. The game looks beautiful and the map is large with multiple terrain types. There are a variety of animals and skins to collect and a leaderboard for essence collected. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, I've found this game has a calming effect and helps me unwind for a few hours and I've seen this stated in more than one review before my own. Highly recommend this game if it sounds like your cup of tea and can't wait for new animals to be released!
• 

  Kuja The Great

  May 29, 2017

  Who needs a chat anyway ? With Meadow, you can interact with other players (inb4 animals) just by using emotes and gestures. Think it sounds stupid ? Well I think that, in these times of hard-stressing, fast and competitive games, Meadow is the ideal thing to play when you feel bad about something. Sure it won't make the stress disappearing, but at least it will be easy. Poping somewhere on the map Check for people to join Run as fast as you can to catch them Look for "fragments" stones Be nice Because they are nice. Maybe that communicating is a bit special in this game, but honestly, you have to give it a shot. I never met someone mean on Meadow. Because you can't be mean in Meadow. And that, my friend, is wonderful.
• 

  SharpieShark

  Jun 11, 2017

  First few minutes. -see a cluster of people on my map -run towards them -Spot a deer leading an army of badgers -Deer leads us to the food and the promised land -All hail The Badger king
• 

  Bayrock

  Jun 14, 2017

  When you remove the ability to hate, the world becomes a remarkably different place.
• 

  stef

  Jun 17, 2017

  Meadow is a relaxing online multiplayer game made by the same people who made the Shelter series. Meadow isn't much of a "game" but it is a great stress reducing experience. You get to choose an animal and then play in an open world map with other online players. The main gameplay is to search out things such as obelisks and flowers, which will in return give you unlockable animals, skins, emotes, etc. Other things you can do are roleplay, go on a solo search for things, or lounge around with other players. There isn't a hunger or thirst system and the hunting is gone too. Meadow was meant to be a relaxing social platform and it achieves exactly what it set out to be. In Meadow there is also no chat box. The chat is replaced by personalized emotes and symbols which helps keep the game stress free and a unique experience. Pros: [b] - Beautiful world. [/b] The art is gorgeous and there is a day and night cycle. Also fog, rain, snow etc. [b] - Great community. [/b] The people in the game are very friendly and are what make the game as wonderful as it is. [b] - The group dynamic. [/b] Being alone is quite boring but finding a group adds a whole new experience. [b] - Animals. [/b] There are so many choices between badgers, frogs, foxes and more. Every animal plays differently. [b] - Emotes. [/b] No angry yelling or meme usage here. Personalized emotes and actions add a uniqueness to meadow. [b] - Relaxing. [/b] Between the music, art, and simplistic gameplay; Meadow is the best game to play after a stressful day. Cons: [b] - No "brb" or "afk" emote. [/b] In a game where you travel in large groups who are almost always running, its a bummer to step away for a second to find out your entire group is gone. We need a way to communicate that we'll be back in a minute. [b] - Some glitches/game crashes. [/b] I've run into a few glitches here and there, but not enough to ruin the experience. The game does crash every single time I try to exit though. Not sure if anyone else is having that problem. Nuetrals: [b] - Exclusive animals. [/b] Meadow has a large variety of animals, but some are only unlocked by owning other Shelter titles. That also goes for different sounds and emotes. On one hand I wish I could unlock, not buy, all the features. On the other hand, it is a nice reward for those who have supported the series. [b] - Survival mode. [/b] I really want to see a survival mode incorporated into a seperate server in Meadow. There is a roleplay server, but you have to pretend to hunt, eat, and drink. It would be cool if people can play the game casually like intended, but others can hop onto the survival mode and play the more intense version of the game. TLDR: Meadow is a relaxing open world multiplayer game where you can meet new people and collect items together. Unlock skins, personal emotes, and animals and enjoy your time in the world that was built for you :)
• 

  Shoobap

  Jun 27, 2017

  > Finds a cool cave. > Needs a friend to explore with. > Finds badger. > Badger agrees to go to mountains. > Look for cave. > Climb a bunch of mountains with my friend. > Find a big group of people. > Badger agrees to join. > Lose badger among many other badgers. > Walk around spamming the crying emote along with a question mark, in hopes of him finding me. > Two badgers respond identically. > What > One loses patience. > The remaining one I ask if we went to mountains using emotes. > Says yes. > Jump around with him. > 5 mins later > Badger lies down on ground, says the negative and crying emote > Oh no > Badger disappears > Cry lying on ground in-game > Jump off the map. 10/10 would have a dramatic friendship with a badger again
• 

  Jeez Luis

  Mar 26, 2018

  • No idea what doing • Wander around figuring out controls • Find a frog who I can’t seem to figure out how to interact with • Realize it’s a player and not a computer • He seems to be afk • Run off and find another player this time a stag • Spend a few minutes trying to figure out how to talk • Realize there is no voice chat and all communication is done via emotes and symbols • Stag seems to be asking if I want to run with him • I say yes • We spend the next hour as what I can only describe as an actual Disney film • We cross rivers, venture into caves, play in dirt, swim in lakes, run across fields, climb mountains, and spend breaks resting and sleeping • The art style didn’t completely sell me until I actually started to play the game • This game is gorgeous • We finally loop around after I collect a bunch of new emotes and skins for my animal • Reach the main hub and I tell my friend that ill be right back I’m going to change into the animal I just unlocked • He agrees • I say goodbye • Go to main menu change my badger into a rabbit and sprint back to the tree • When I arrive there’s no animals there • I call out using the little rabbit squeaks but there’s no stag to be found • I spend a few minutes looking but he’s nowhere to be seen • The game music somehow seems to mimic my emotions somehow • Sadness • … • … • … • Find a badger who is walking in circles • Try to communicate for a few minutes • Ask him to follow and he does • Off to start new adventures with new friends • Goodbye old friend, though our encounter was brief, rest assured that it was one of the happiest in my video game career • Hopefully we meet again This game is fucking fantastic 13/10
• 

  Stelmaria

  Aug 30, 2018

  Meadow is a sanctuary for every single people who are stressed out or experiencing a sad period or feeling lonely or just had enough of today's sometimes soulless and cold world. It was a special experience for me and I still love playing with it after 7 months so that tells at least something. Pros: - The game has a unique design so check it before you purchase it as we all are different and for some people the graphics can be disorienting. For me it is simply beautiful and lovely. - If you love animals - this game is for you. You can unlock different animals, each one with a series of skins and voices that can customize them later on. I felt so excited every time I unlocked a skin...:) - There are no chat and it was an absolute positive thing for me. You only have 2 or 3 emoticons in the beginning and you have to collect puzzles to unlock more so you can describe your feelings better to others. So you communicate your feelings with these and you have more signs that you dont have to unlock for the more common things you want to say to other animals. It is lovely... and it wont slow down the gameplay as a real chat would. Everyone has the same arsenal. - Being in a group, experiencing how to work with other animals peacefully in a relaxed environment...it really warms your soul. But be prepared! Sometimes it is really hard to say goodbye. - The Meadow community especially the regular players are really welcoming and kind to new animals, you will definitely find a good companion in the beginning who helps you discover the tresures of Meadow. BUT: I do not recommend it to those who want action and fast paced games. It is the wrong choice for that.
• 

  Siloam

  Apr 29, 2019

  This game answers that one important question: are you a leader or a follower or the goat that runs around screaming at mushrooms. [quote] My first impression, like everyone else I imagine, was that Meadow is utterly pointless: I am a badger. What is my motivation? Oh, a flower! But I soon found that I was giggling and gaffawing and bounding around through flowers like an idiot puppy fresh out of its crate. And after realizing that I had been playing the game for two hours and my cheeks were sore because I had not stopped grinning the entire time, I decided I should probably like this game. By my third hour, I was talking to the other animals in a baby voice. That’s when I decided I should stop. But I didn’t. [/quote] I should mention that I played Shelter 2 (a singleplayer predecessor), and though it had a great deal more point to it, I still found it rather dull—sweet, yes—but monotonous. I’m not really one to run around pretending to be a mommy. Nor am I one to share pics of cuddly bunnies on Facebook. I enjoy blowing up aliens and slicing up griffins as much as the next gamer, and confess to a deep-seated fear of furries. And yet I found myself dancing pirouettes with a row of rabbits all the same—like long eared hippies high on catnip. And at least three times in one day I said the phrase, “so cute!!” which is just not something I say….ever. But [i]you[/i] just try swimming alongside a hedgehog doing the backstroke who then looks over and grins at you and not say, “so cute!” –To yourself. Because you can’t actually talk. Just smile. In simplest terms, Meadow can be described as a jolly game of follow the leader. I felt as though I should be whistling Peter and the Wolf in my procession of friendly fauna bounding pointlessly from one hill to the next. But you really do feel like an animal playing with everything you find, romping through the mud, and running familiar paths through the woods with your tribe for little reason more than the sheer joy you get from running through the woods. [h1] Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood[/h1] [quote]My first friend was a lynx who led me through the moonlight to a secret lagoon and showed my imbecilic badger self how to open an obelisk. He fell asleep under a tree so I wandered the lakes by myself until a frog found me and taught me how to climb mountains. My froggie friend and I sang to stars until he left me too. The following day I made a new bunny friend. Together we explored a crystal cave. We were happy bunnies. We played in the pools of amethyst. But there were no flowers: we were sad bunnies. After we left the cave, my bunny friend had to go. It was a tearful goodbye because we had no goodbye emote. Soon an altruistic eagle discovered me, and he led me through the wilderness like a spirit guide, getting no reward for his effort aside from smiles and chirrups from my frenetic bunny self. [/quote] You can take part in a lazy jaunt through the woods (on American servers), or a tornadic gust of howling animals stretched across the plains (on the more gregarious European servers). But I have also seen groups as well organized as a parade of ants: a slow and confident leader with their lynx lieutenant at their side and one step behind, making sure everyone recognizes who the true leader is (it’s usually not the goat galloping and screaming up the mountain). Then there’s a loner pheasant out on recon, a traffic-directing fox dropping orange cones on the easiest path up the hill, and finally a mama bear taking up drag to make sure no bunny gets left behind. Then all the giggling from the tiny ones in between. The game seems designed for this, with food staging areas to keep the group together. [h1] Running with the Pack [/h1] Along with accepting that there must always be a leader—and there can be only one—, this is a game about group dynamics, mood lifting, and language learning. At first I thought there just wouldn’t be much need for all those emoticons. But no. There is some kind of complicated hieroglyphic language that I really do recommend learning in the guides, because though it is possible to assume that every baby badger screaming “Food! Puzzles!” is an idiot, that’s profiling and it isn’t nice. Niceness is ubiquitous, and kindness abounds in this gregarian society like I’ve never seen in any MMO: overwhelmingly happy love-everybody politeness. There’s even a player apology thread if bawling out your regrets for rudely eating a flower too soon doesn’t soothe your conscience. There are some social expectations you must learn quickly. You will suffer group shaming if you fail to wait for the bebehs, you monster. Incessant chirping, chuffing, and meowling will also get you muted—so meow responsibly please. Though you will meet some naughty kittens, there is no place for trolls. A fearful billygoat gruff is not needed to defend his digital menagerie because they have already implemented the perfect defense: absolute boredom for anyone who comes with the intent to injure or harass the animals. To my knowledge, it’s just not possible. There are no words to insult anyone with. There is no health bar. You can’t steal flowers or trap cubs in corners. The ark reeks of so much cute and adorablness and happy hippie peace-loving fill-my-hair-with-flowers that the very best a troll could do is jump up and down to be annoying—which is what everyone does anyway—and everyone loves it and will just spam your screen with smiles regardless of what you do. The rudest animal I met was a deer that belched everywhere he went, and he couldn’t help it. As any social experiment, it’s not without its drama however—and, as humans, our herd mentality is a bit deficient. Unintentional party splits happen within seconds, mostly over something shiny, but the drama trauma lasts about as long, generally ending in a poignantly spoken derp face. But it really doesn’t take long to become best friends with a frog named … and then you feel inseparable until your tearful goodbyes. That’s not to say the game is entirely without annoyances either. With the occasional hyperactive lynx babies, demanding goats, cats in heat, distractible cubs, and overprotective mammas that keep screaming WAIT FOR THE BEBEHS! (but seriously, do), you’ll have ample opportunities to want to cull the herd. This is a game for achievers. With (currently) 93 Steam achievements and a gabizillion skins to unlock, the only point in this game—other than socializing in a permanent setting of awkward silence—is to find stuff so that your socializing can be better dressed and better expressed. There is apparently a healthy roleplay community in Meadow as well, and dedicated rp servers provided them, but I’ve never been brave enough to enter those groves because it sounds….complicated. [h1] The Habitat[/h1] The music is fantastic, borrowing songs from the other Might and Delight games, meaning the soundtrack grows with every game you buy (along with new skins and emotes). The music is a mix of smooth jazz with a hint of Russian brooding. Perfect for treks through the woods….somehow. The art is unique and a bit disorienting, but it works, and it works by using very little ram, looking as simple as a paper diorama and yet strikingly beautiful all the same. You’re perfectly convinced you’re running through an autumn forest or a rainy desert or a snow field. The biomes themselves are lovely and varied and asking to be explored with little dens and trees to climb. And new content is still being added. The character models and their personalities too are fantastic with jolly hedgehogs, cheeky foxes, sleepy bears, and wolves with enough moxie to make Aesop proud. [h1] Final Emote[/h1] If you feel that bleats are enough to swear your enduring friendship and that a gallop across a foggy moor to howl at the moon is better than a night on the town, then you will be very welcome among the woodland creatures of Meadow.