Comparison

Commander Pixman vs Dark Meadow

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

Head to head
About

Commander Pixman

Embark on a retro action-platformer adventure with fast-paced combat and hundreds of enemies. Navigate 145 challenging levels filled with traps and obstacles to escape an alien base. Enjoy a premium, ad-free experience with responsive controls and extensive features.

Highlights
  • 145+ levels
  • Hundreds of enemies
  • Thousands of traps
  • Retro action-platformer gameplay
  • Responsive controls
  • External controller support
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

Retro action-platformer for the iOS! Fast-paced action, gun in your hands, 145 levels to master, hundreds of enemies to kill and thousands traps to avoid! Everything is packed with retro style and responsive controls! Guide trapped Andrew "Pixman" Blazkowicz to leave the alien base. Destroy every creature, jump over treacherous holes and traps on his way. Find your rocket and get the hell out of there! FEATURED AS "NEW & NOTEWORTHY", "WHAT'S HOT" in USA, Germany, Canada, Australia and other countries! Wonderful reviews on TouchArcade, TouchGen, AppSpy, PocketGamer, 148Apps! So many people can't be wrong. This game is a fully premium experience, you won't be asked about any additional purchases and your game won't be interrupted by any ads. If you want to try it first, check out "Commander Pixman - First Blood", free version of Commander Pixman. WHAT YOU GET: •- 145 levels + MORE WITH UPDATES! - Over 20 hazards, monsters and utilities - •Complete missions to unlock new levels! •- Watch replays of every game after finish! •- Universal game - play on your iPad and iPhone! •- External controllers support! iOS - Keyboard support! •- Game Center support with leaderboards and achievements. •- Scoring - get to the leaderboards from the first game! Try also my other games: Colorbs, Matchblocks and Infiniball! www.one-minute-games.com www.twitter.com/oneminutegames

About

Dark Meadow

Explore a decaying hospital in a dark fairytale mystery. Engage in thrilling combat with gesture-based controls, uncover secrets, and upgrade your gear. This visually stunning adventure offers a gripping story and atmospheric gameplay.

Highlights
  • Visually stunning Unreal 3 engine graphics
  • Mature dark fairytale plot
  • Gesture-based combat (crossbow and sword)
  • Deep exploration and item discovery
  • In-world storytelling and acting
  • RPG elements for character progression
Features
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FREE VERSION OF THE VISUALLY STUNNING, ENGROSSING STORYTELLING GAME ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE! Nominated for Mobile Game of the Year from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences * IGN: "worth playing just to experience the game’s huge amount of eccentric dialogue, and to experience the unfolding mystery.... one of the best to hit the App Store in recent memory." * KOTAKU: "at home in the halls of BioShock's Rapture...disturbingly gorgeous experience." * DESTRUCTOID: "a very atmospheric and engrossing game with a delicious streak of dark humor coursing through its veins.. worth picking up for anybody with an interest in iOS gaming." * JOYSTIQ: "It's a surprisingly funny, gorgeous game that's an easy recommendation... ram home the truth that mobile games are getting surprisingly good at creating big worlds on tiny screens." * TOUCH ARCADE: "The Dark Meadow is a standout in almost every way. From look to setting to the touch-centric gameplay, it shines, and you can tell this title was crafted with much love " * GIZMODO.UK: "a splendid achievement. The bar has been raised, the gauntlet has been thrown down, and the hyperbole has been exhausted. We can’t wait to see the next game that tries to go one better." * MODOJO: "a cross between BioShock and Infinity Blade... a hauntingly beautiful and intriguing game everyone should play, as it offers both a compelling adventure and a glimpse into the future of smart phone gaming. " * GAMEZEBO: "arguably the best title to come to the genre. It's gorgeous, it's creepy, and it's a blast to play. This is the perfect game to play during the Halloween season. " A dark fairytale of intrigue and mystery, where the sins of the past must be paid for… So sets the stage for The Dark Meadow -- a visually stunning world of deep exploration, gripping story, and heart racing combat, created with the unrivaled power of the Unreal Engine 3. You awake in a hospital uncertain of how you arrived there or why. An old man warns of a beautiful witch whose minions roam the halls seeking the living. It is only when the witch is destroyed that you will be released from this unrelenting torment. Using fun and intuitive fully gesture-based controls, you explore the decaying ruins of Montclair Hospital, armed with your crossbow for long-range combat as well as your sword for up close and personal melee battles. The best elements from role-playing games encourage exploration as a wide variety of items are secreted throughout the world – from hidden scraps of paper that reveal the mystery of your imprisonment, to weapons and items, to money which can be used to purchase better equipment and weapons. - Visually stunning, photo-realistic world built with the Unreal 3 engine - A mature plot, stylized as a dark modern fairytale with bizarre twists and turns; - In-world storytelling and quality acting - Gesture-based action: crossbow ranged combat with ‘pull back and fire’ mechanic, slashing melee combat with dodging, blocking, and combos; - Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean , Italian, Simplified Chinese, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese languages.

Screenshots

Commander Pixman4 screens
Dark Meadow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dark Meadow at Free against Commander Pixman's $3.99. Dark Meadow also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (6.6K vs 24). Commander Pixman's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). On review sentiment, ads 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

Dark Meadow is free to download; Commander Pixman costs $3.99 up front. Dark Meadow sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Commander Pixman asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Commander Pixman holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dark Meadow has 6.6K ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Commander Pixman's written reviews are positive against 81% of Dark Meadow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Commander Pixman ships an update every 3 months, Dark Meadow every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Commander Pixman versus Dark Meadow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommander PixmanDark Meadow
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.6 (24 ratings) — better4.4 (6.6K ratings)
Positive reviews89.1% of reviews — better81.4% of reviews
Number of ratings246.6K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB547 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperOne Minute GamesPhosphor Games, LLC

Customer experience

Commander Pixman

All ratings24 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive89.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative6.5%

Dark Meadow

All ratings6,649 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews307 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral7.8%
Negative10.7%

User reviews

Commander Pixman

From 24 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay
  • 🎨 Charming retro pixel art style
  • 🎵 Catchy 8-bit chiptune soundtrack
  • ⚡ Instant level restart on death
  • 📱 Works well on older iOS devices

Room to improve

  • 🕹️ Floaty, unintuitive jump mechanics
  • ⏱️ Excessive controller lag
  • 📱 On-screen controls too small and poorly positioned
  • 🎮 Steep learning curve for jumping
  • 🐛 Movement controls sometimes stick

Dark Meadow

From 6.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great graphics
  • 👍 Engaging story and characters
  • 🎮 Unique and immersive gameplay
  • 💎 Creepy and atmospheric

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🤑 Aggressive monetization through in-app purchases
  • 🕹️ Repetitive combat and gameplay loop
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Bugs and requests

Commander Pixman

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Progress reset after app updates despite Game Center points remaining
  • Levels locked/reset after completing all levels multiple times
  • Controller lag making precision jumps difficult
  • Movement controls occasionally get stuck
  • No Stratus controller support despite iOS7 approval

Requested features

10 requests
  • Multiplayer modes (1v1, 2v2, map creation)
  • Additional weapons and power-ups (shields, rockets)
  • More levels and content updates
  • iPad/Universal app support
  • Customizable control button positioning
Show 5 more
  • Adjustable on-screen control sizes
  • Level editor for user-created content
  • Ability to record and save gameplay to camera roll
  • Better controller support (Stratus compatibility)
  • Improved jump physics

Dark Meadow

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup or during gameplay
  • Inability to pick up items in certain areas
  • Inconsistent controls and camera movement
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Update for newer iOS versions
  • More varied enemy types and combat mechanics
  • Ability to save progress and resume later
  • Optimization for larger screens like iPhone 5

In-app purchases

None

Commander Pixman

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Dark Meadow

One-time10
  • 35,000 Gold Pieces$0.99
  • 100 Sun Coins$0.99
  • 100,000 Gold Pieces$1.99
Show 7 more
  • 210 Sun Coins$1.99
  • Premium Upgrade$1.99
  • 300,000 Gold Pieces$4.99
  • 550 Sun Coins$4.99
  • 800,000 Gold Pieces$9.99
  • 1250 Sun Coins$9.99
  • 2,000,000 Gold Pieces$19.99

Questions

Is Commander Pixman free?
Commander Pixman costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dark Meadow free?
Dark Meadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Commander Pixman or Dark Meadow?
Commander Pixman is rated higher. Commander Pixman averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Dark Meadow averages 4.4 from 6.6K ratings.
Do Commander Pixman or Dark Meadow have ads?
Neither Commander Pixman nor Dark Meadow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Commander Pixman or Dark Meadow?
Commander Pixman ships an update every 3 months, and Dark Meadow every 9 days. Most recently, Commander Pixman was updated on November 9, 2026 and Dark Meadow on November 6, 2026.

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