Comparison

Meridian 157 vs Recursion

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Meridian 157

Embark on a thrilling point-and-click adventure as a forensic meteorologist trapped on a mysterious island. Solve intricate puzzles and uncover secrets to escape a dangerous underground environment. This installment features immersive visuals, custom music, and a logical hint system.

Highlights
  • Interactive point-and-click puzzles
  • Intriguing storyline across chapters
  • Immersive environments and high-quality visuals
  • Item combine feature
  • Logical hint system
  • Multi-language support
  • Color blind mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

In both a figurative and literal sense, forensic meteorologist David Zander has hit rock bottom. Trapped deep underground on a lost and forgotten island, David’s priority shifts from finding answers about the mystery surrounding him, to surviving the crisis he now finds himself trapped in. It’s now up to you to find an escape from the madness of meridian 157, but be warned, as escape may not come so easily. Will David find the answers he searched so hard for, or will his efforts all be in vain? Meridian 157 is a point and click adventure series involving interactive puzzles and an intriguing storyline taking place over a long series of chapters. Built using state of the art rendering technology, this installment focuses on immersing players in unique and frightening environments, while allowing them to enjoy notable puzzles and engaging interactions. Try out the fully free prologue to get a taste for what the Meridian series has to offer! Features: • Custom written music to compliment the high quality visuals • All new item combine feature, supporting many different styles of play • Latest episode continuing a spooky and thrilling storyline • Challenging but • A logical hint system for some of the most difficult riddles • Available in 8 languages, including English, French, Russian, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese! • New colour blind mode available for people who might have trouble with colour based puzzles Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive all the latest news! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NovaSoftInteractive/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/novasoftint

About

Recursion

Embark on a mind-bending puzzle adventure where you're trapped in a repeating time loop. Use your wits and a special device to solve mysteries, find clues, and shut down a machine before the loop resets. This compact mystery game offers challenging puzzles and a unique narrative.

Highlights
  • Time-loop mechanic
  • First-person point and click adventure
  • Mystery and puzzle solving
  • Clue finding
  • Hint system
  • Immersive soundtrack and sound effects
Features
Read full description

Enter a mind-bending first-person puzzle adventure. Explore mysterious rooms, solve glitches, and navigate a time loop to uncover the truth. Something is wrong. All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again. Explore a strange, glitch-filled facility and uncover the secrets hidden within Recursion. Features: • Immersive first-person escape room gameplay • Mind-bending riddles, hidden clues, and layered mysteries • The Glitch Camera — capture details and reveal secrets others miss • Intuitive controls for a smooth, engaging experience • No ads, no interruptions — just pure puzzle adventure Can you escape the glitch? Download Recursion now and dive into a sci-fi puzzle adventure unlike any other! From Glitch Games, a small indie team crafting unique memory puzzles, point-and-click mysteries, and immersive story experiences. Follow us for updates, news, and behind-the-scenes content: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlitchGames/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/glitch.games Newsletter: https://glitch.games/newsletter Twitter: https://x.com/GlitchGames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglitchgames/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GlitchGames

Screenshots

Meridian 1574 screens
Recursion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Meridian 157 at 4.8 against Recursion's 4.2. Meridian 157 also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 65%) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 67). Recursion's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Meridian 157 costs $2.99 and Recursion $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Meridian 157 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meridian 157 has 4.2K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Meridian 157's written reviews are positive against 65% of Recursion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Meridian 157 ships an update every 5 weeks, Recursion every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Meridian 157 versus Recursion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMeridian 157Recursion
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.8 (4.2K ratings) — better4.2 (67 ratings)
Positive reviews93.8% of reviews — better64.7% of reviews
Number of ratings4.2K — better67
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#188 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size326 MB550 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperNovaSoft Interactive LtdGlitch Games

Customer experience

Meridian 157

All ratings4,162 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral2.0%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews385 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.4%
Negative2.9%

Recursion

All ratings67 ratings
Positive76.1%
Neutral7.5%
Negative16.4%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral11.8%
Negative23.5%

User reviews

Meridian 157

From 4.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging story
  • 👍 Challenging but fair puzzles
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and atmosphere
  • 🔍 Intriguing mystery
  • 📷 Useful camera feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches or bugs
  • 🔍 Some puzzles lack clear logic
  • ⏱️ Chapters can be short
  • 🔍 Hints sometimes too revealing

Recursion

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics
  • 😂 Lots of fun and laughter
  • 👍 Great twist on game types
  • 🧠 Mind-bending puzzles
  • 🌟 High-quality games from developer

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive tasks and puzzles
  • ⏳ Too much dying and restarting
  • 😩 Tedious and frustrating experience
  • ⏱️ Time loop/timer causes anxiety
  • ⏳ Game feels too short

Bugs and requests

Meridian 157

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Red drawer not opening with key
  • Sound turning off when device locked
  • Pipe puzzle clues not clear

Requested features

4 requests
  • More chapters/episodes
  • Ability to revisit past diary entries
  • More varied puzzle types
  • Panning/zooming camera controls

Recursion

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Lift doors in chapter 3 wouldn't open
  • Wireless controller doesn't appear
  • Game crashes on start-up
  • Stuck in the elevator (potential bug)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add a setting to remove the time loop
  • Option to disable the timer
  • Longer game duration
  • Richer story content
  • More variety in game environments (less industrial)
Show 1 more
  • Sequels to previous games (Veritas, All That Remains)

In-app purchases

None

Meridian 157

No in-app purchases

None

Recursion

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Meridian 157 free?
Meridian 157 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Recursion free?
Recursion costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Meridian 157 or Recursion?
Meridian 157 is rated higher. Meridian 157 averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Recursion averages 4.2 from 67 ratings.
Do Meridian 157 or Recursion have ads?
Neither Meridian 157 nor Recursion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Meridian 157 or Recursion?
Meridian 157 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Recursion every 2 weeks. Most recently, Meridian 157 was updated on September 25, 2026 and Recursion on September 20, 2026.

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