Floating Downstream and Admiring Quiet Scenes with Meadow
Relax on a beautiful stroll through nature where joy can be found in everything from busy insects to serene waterfalls in Meadow.
There are some solo games that promise a certain type of cozy experience, and Meadow is one of those. This is about as calm and relaxing as possible! I never feel rushed, and although I tend to focus on scoring well, it’s all about the journey and appreciating all of these pieces of art. Just laying out the components is a happy occasion. Time for more coziness!
Game Overview
Game Name: Meadow
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Klemens Kalicki
Artists: Karolina Kijak & Katarzyna Fiebiger
Publisher: Rebel Studio
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
The ultimate goal is to collect victory points by stacking cards with different requirements. In practice, it’s about feeling like stepping into a painting. Little scenes offer a nice moment to slow down, even though there are some important strategies to keep in mind. Just a lovely time!
First Play
March 12, 2022
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 14, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
18
Play Time
1 Hour
High Score
75
Game Area
46" x 22"
Low Score
40
Traveling Far, Far Away
Every card feels like a little scene from a walk through the countryside and forest. I use the first main expansion, too, so the river is another fantastic place to walk by!
Choices exist with the different cards and their specific requirements. Not everything pans out, of course, yet I love working through the puzzle and smiling at these cards.
I sometimes get a little too focused on point values, but there is a lot of balance going on. No bad cards in the game!
The scenes are great, too, and feel like a delightful way to fall in love with the simple beauty that nature offers.
Down the River
This expansion is excellent! The added table space is pretty significant, but I found an arrangement that worked. The new cards are great, as is the slow journey downstream.
Another variant exists on the other side, yet I felt like the lazy river described the cozy feeling I wanted to capture.
The scenes along the river banks are just as peaceful. Many birds and fish can be found, along with other card types.
Having another board with extra actions can add to the thought process a bit, although I like the added challenge. The new art certainly makes up for the extra decisions!
You “Otter” Pick That!
Well, I listened when there was a clear demand that I find the best card in the river deck. Mission accomplished! My matching Calico Critters were extremely pleased. Aww!
This whole plan to play cozy games has me picking out these adorable animal figures more often. I love adding them to my photos, but sometimes, they’re too cute!
Hopefully, this photo makes someone out there smile as much as I do when I see it. Happy times with solo games.
However, I had to break the news that the otter doesn’t show up all the time… But Calico Critters seem to. Ha ha!
Quiet Scenery
During some of my plays, I noticed that I didn’t have a lot of major animals to admire. For instance, here I just had a couple of birds mixed in with the natural scenery.
Very pretty birds, of course! Yet what struck me was how I could pick up cards with simple scenes and still move ahead.
I tried to move down the river a lot during this play, as indicated by the paddles on a lot of cards. It was just nice to enjoy the greenery and quiet streams all around, though.
The game does a wonderful job of conveying that idea of feeling joy in nature without any expectations or demands.
Returning to the Core Joy and Calm of a Game
I picked up the more recent expansion, Meadow: Adventure Book, around a year ago, and it didn’t quite work for me. It took away the relaxing nature of the game in a way that felt more stressful than I wanted. Happily, that copy moved onto a new home and this was a session all about getting back to the main reasons why I fell in love with the original solo game.
Fantastic! It was wonderful to discover the wonderful atmosphere I loved during my first few plays. Very rarely does an expansion not pan out for me, yet I was happy to be able to come back and enjoy the original and first expansion again.
Treasured Keepsakes
Landscapes also dotted my walks, marking some of the more memorable general scenes. So many to enjoy here! I liked the sunset art on a few cards that flowed together.
And the trinkets! These add a little flavor to these walks, too, and I enjoyed imagining how I might have stumbled across each one. Just another way to remember a journey.
Gameplay was rather smooth, although I felt like each play was just slightly too long. Not a big deal, though.
It also seems like a solo game that’s best enjoyed from time to time, and not in a bunch of back-to-back plays.
Another Full Scene
A pretty owl and raccoon! Another stroll gave me more scenes to enjoy. It was tricky to meet the requirements, but I managed to think things through and make it all work.
The random solo opponent is easy enough to run, yet can certainly take the right card at the wrong time! Many times, I had to adjust as a sight disappeared from view.
Keeping the play area organized took a little effort, as it all spread out so much. No matter, though: Look at that art!
My scores were also pretty consistent, although I was just shy of my personal scoring goal. Onward to play again!
Making Waves
Hello! As I moved downstream, more otters came out to offer up some adorable waves from the shore. Their expertly coordinated outfits certainly stood out along the riverbank!
Paddling downstream can be a major part of final scoring, but I love the way it’s about taking a slow journey.
The raging rapids variant is one I plan to try at some point, yet I love the cozy nature of this side of the board. I wonder what these otters would make of the rapids. Ha ha!
I kept telling myself I was about done with this session, only to feel like I wanted to play once more to see more artwork.
Unexpected Visitors
I somehow never come across the famous stoat from the box cover, but I snapped up the card when it finally showed up during this play! As always, lots of pretty sights.
A seal was a most surprising sort of sight along this trek. So cute! I almost have a matching Calico Critter family, if I can just locate it. It’s as elusive as the stoat card. Ha!
The game is one of the coziest out there without much stress, although finding the right cards can be difficult.
It felt like I was happy playing just a couple of times at once, although this was a wonderful time exploring the river!
Session Overview
Play Number: 15-18
Expansion: Meadow: Downstream
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Lazy River Variant
Outcome: 62, 69, 65, 67 (4 Losses)
No actual victories, but every walk was a lovely one! Every piece of art flows nicely into the others, and there are no bad cards to come across. Just beautiful! I got a little burned out after playing so many times in a short span of time, although I was mostly excited to return to play after over a year. This one is solidly in my cozy solo games category!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each piece of card art is fantastic, depicting beautiful or adorable scenes in nature that bring the illustrations to life.
- Not much effort is needed to run the solo mode, which mostly removes card options to think more about priorities.
- There is a very calm and relaxing atmosphere to the entire game, from its appearance to low-stress gameplay.
- Adding in the first expansion adds to the play time, yet provides new choices that complement the base game well.
- Iconography is important for meeting requirements, and these are large and easy to locate at a glance on the cards.
- A good deal of variety is present with the cards, as it takes a few plays to see all of the different ones from the decks.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Play time can feel like it drags on during the last couple of rounds, and the game can sometimes last a little too long.
- Keeping the play area organized with the stacked card stacks can take a bit of effort, especially as it spreads out.
- The first expansion is fantastic in terms of gameplay and other decisions, but the new board is rather enormous.
- Gameplay is very relaxing and cozy, although playing many times in a row in a short span of time can be repetitive.
Victory Conditions
Score 70+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 55 points.
Score at least 60 points.
Score at least 65 points.
Score at least 70 points.
Score at least 75 points.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite part of Meadow? Is there a card you always try to pick up when it shows up? This is about as calm of a solo game as possible. I had a wonderful time walking through these scenes and feeling like I was in the art. The main draw is appreciating the little details in nature, and that’s precisely what happened! So glad to have this in my collection.
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