Farming Simulator 17Game review by Paul Fiander on PS4
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Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Giants Software Formats: Mac, PC, PS4, XO Release Date; 25/10/2016 |
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When it comes to things I never thought I would write about playing a game based on farming would never have crossed my mind. The idea of basing a game on what is essentially a job feels rather odd on the face of it however when you think of Football games and even Military Shooters they are all based on what people do. Admittedly lining up for your country in a world cup or a war are rather extreme examples but the basic idea is there
Of course where Farming Simulator differs is the adrenaline rush idea of other games but this is where game developer Giants Software have weaved in pressure situations based on the real world. The basic idea of the game is to manage a farm and avoid going bankrupt, admittedly making a profit is the ultimate goal but as you will find this is not the easiest thing to do especially when you are starting out. You begin with a few fields, vehicles and buildings and from there you have to literately grow your fortune from the ground up. The real trick though is the complexity of the task. |
I cannot relate to how hard it really is to become a Farmer but I do know a thing about being a small business owner and this is where the game does a great job in capturing reality. You can make the game easier by removing some of your responsibilities or just making them less demanding but throughout you have the demand for your time as an ever present pressure weighing in the top right hand corner of the screen. Keeping afloat is the name of the game and you have to make money to stay in business, this can be done in two ways firstly is the running of your own farm and the second is doing various jobs around the map.
These jobs acts almost as side missions and take the form of tasks like tending field and other farming tasks. For these you are rewarded with differing amounts of money depending on the difficulty of the task. You also get a time bonus for completing the tasks in time giving you a nice additional pressure. Of course while you are doing these tasks time goes on and the jobs on your farm remain in need of attention. This adds a nice choice in doing the jobs yourself or recruiting helpers to work for you.
These jobs acts almost as side missions and take the form of tasks like tending field and other farming tasks. For these you are rewarded with differing amounts of money depending on the difficulty of the task. You also get a time bonus for completing the tasks in time giving you a nice additional pressure. Of course while you are doing these tasks time goes on and the jobs on your farm remain in need of attention. This adds a nice choice in doing the jobs yourself or recruiting helpers to work for you.
A few screenshots.
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The gameplay itself takes place mostly within the confines of a myriad of farm vehicles. The vastly expensive tools range from combine harvesters to tractors. The task of actually growing crops needs more than one implement and mastering each is a challenge that represents the biggest draw to the game. It sounds odd that a desire to sow a field in straight lines or harvest wheat in the least amount of passes can become a little bit of an obsession. The actual mechanics are rather tricky to learn making the tutorials a necessary investment; however the complexity is easy to keep on top of as long as you remember the step by step process.
Visually speaking the game is nice but by no means a system breaker, my PS4 was quiet through playing and as it is a first generation machine it can be rather loud on the heavier demands of top tier games but remained okay while playing Framing Simulator. Thankfully the games visuals remain constant throughout the experience helping to keep the world a nice lovely world to inhabit. The music that can be turned on (and thankfully off) is rather repetitive but making use of sound from other sources is a great way to make the most of the game. In a world of fast paced titles it is sometimes nice to sit back and take your time over the mechanics of gameplay and this is something Farming Simulator does exceedingly well. If you are looking for a different series in which to invest your time then this shows is worthy of your time. However be warned that it is a challenge and does need your attention to succeed. |
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