Dark Meadow vs GiraffeGaffe
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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.
GiraffeGaffe
Guide a lonely giraffe on an escape from the zoo in this addictive side-scrolling action game. Maneuver through a hot air balloon, avoid hazards, and collect power-ups to achieve high scores. Enjoy intuitive controls and an infinitely spanning world with multiple backdrops.
- Intuitive one-touch controls
- Four unique power-ups
- Shoot hazards with stars
- Slow time ability
- Interact with objects
- Infinitely spanning world
- Game Center leaderboard
Read full descriptionHide full description
Float, dodge, and flick your way to freedom! Help one determined giraffe escape the zoo in a hot-air balloon held up by three brave balloons. One touch is all it takes: hold to rise, release to sink, and weave through an endless sky of mountains, storm clouds, tornados, and very angry birds. How far can you fly? EASY TO FLY, HARD TO MASTER • Intuitive one-touch control — play with one thumb • Hand-inked cartoon world that shifts from sunny skies to jungle, volcano, and beyond • Every run has its own rhythm: hazard storms, quiet breathers, and mountains of every size • Balloons are your lives — lose all three and the escape is over FOUR POWER-UPS • Shield — bubble up and barge through • Clock — slow the whole world down • Kinesis — freeze a hazard, then fling it away with a flick • Plane — 15 leaves transforms you into a laser-firing flying ace AND MORE • Collect leaves to climb the leaderboards • Game Center achievements and worldwide rankings • Plays fully offline — perfect for the commute • Family-friendly (ages 4+) Strap in, hold on, and fly far, far away. Follow @onefatgiraffe • www.onefatgiraffe.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Dark Meadow at none against GiraffeGaffe's shown. Dark Meadow also leads on ratings volume (6.6K vs 4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks). GiraffeGaffe's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Dark Meadow sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and GiraffeGaffe sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
GiraffeGaffe holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dark Meadow has 6.6K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Dark Meadow's written reviews are positive against 100% of GiraffeGaffe's.
Dark Meadow ships an update every 9 days, GiraffeGaffe every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dark Meadow | GiraffeGaffe |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (6.6K ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.6K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 4.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 547 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Phosphor Games Studio, LLC | One Fat Giraffe |
Customer experience
Dark Meadow
GiraffeGaffe
Bugs and requests
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
GiraffeGaffe
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Dark Meadow
- 35,000 Gold Pieces$0.99
- 100 Sun Coins$0.99
- 100,000 Gold Pieces$1.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- 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
GiraffeGaffe
- 100 Leaves$0.99
- 200 Leaves$1.99
- 500 Leaves$2.99









