Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch is a peaceful and fun game that is wonderful for young players.
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch was surprisingly therapeutic. I did not know what I was getting myself into when I decided to play this game. It had many layers, making it a rich and enjoyable experience. I chose to start the game without reading too much about it, just to experience some surprises, and I’m glad that I did. Horse Tales is a decent game that is very child-friendly, as I can see my childhood self playing it for hours.
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch takes place in a land of wispy grass hills, sandy beaches, dark woods, a castle, and an entire inherited estate for the player to rebuild. Starting with just one horse and nothing but an estate in ruins, the player must collect items and learn how to build a life surrounded by horses. You will learn to ride, jump, duck, and race.
There are many things the player must learn how to do as an amateur rancher. This includes determining what the horses eat, how to brush and clean them, learning how to build in construction zones, where to breed horses, and how to run a successful, thriving ranch full of horses.
You cannot die in Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch, and you have many chances to try again when you mess up (such as falling in the water where you can potentially drown). There are no points lost, and the more items you collect, the more you can build around the giant estate. In Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch, the player gets to meet all of the locals.
Meeting the locals is a treat, as there is a real sense of community to this game. People do favors, and the player does favors for the community. The real bummer is how unknown the aunt of the main character was and how much she neglected the family ranch. There are helpful people everywhere, and the player has the opportunity to bring themselves to fame through racing.
One great thing about the game was that each horse has their unique characteristics and comes with different sets of strengths and weaknesses. I picked an out-of-shape horse to see how that would go, and I quickly learned that you could change any drawbacks by working with the horse. I was able to make my horse fit again.
To review Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch, I found it quite peaceful and easy to explore. I enjoyed the fact that there was a lot more area to discover than I originally anticipated. I found the missions simple to tackle, which is great for those who prefer non-intimidating challenges. I was impressed with how the horse will correct itself if you run into a wall or a cliff, and it will continue to turn until it makes it back to open land.
I ran into some bushes, and my horse awkwardly tipped at a 90-degree angle, which I was able to laugh over before I moved on. I did find the compass that measured distance to my missions a bit confusing at times. It works a little too much like a compass, and I found myself going the wrong way for a while before having to turn around.
This is because it indicates distance by pointing with an arrow rather than telling me where to go. So, I did get lost a few times and had to trial and error the way I rode. I was glad the horse had decent speed. I believe I would prefer that I could find the route on the map, or the compass could at least tell me which way to turn, as well as tell me how far I am from the destination. I at least discovered many places while getting lost, so it wasn’t all that bad.
The map itself was cool to look at, and it was nice to watch clouds expose more areas as I discovered them with my horse. I had trouble trying to zoom in on the map to be able to use the symbols provided in the key. This was not a huge deal since I didn’t use the map much and instead got to know the land by heart as I explored.
Something I will say about the ability to tend to the horses’ needs is that it was mostly straightforward. I was able to figure out how to feed the horse and determine the optimal feeding schedule. I was also able to brush the horse. However, I was continuously notified about needing to wash the horse, and that it would get crusty if I didn’t. I searched for a long time for a way to wash the horse, and my horse got crusty! I had a crusty horse, and I did not know what to do.
I eventually made it to the bath quest, where I was finally able to learn how to wash my horse and have a designated area available for doing so. I feel that it should have been available sooner, as it was certainly frustrating to be notified of my crusty horse when there was no location I could find to wash it. I felt helpless in a way.
All in all, Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch was peaceful and fun. I loved the extra care and details given to the horses, such as their likes and dislikes, as well as their mannerisms, which made me truly feel that this game was made by horse lovers. I appreciate all people who have their hearts belong to animals. I think this game is amazing for kids, and I would give this a higher score if I were writing it for my kids.
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch is available on Steam, Switch, and PlayStation. Thank you for reading! Keep up to date with the latest and greatest by reading more of our gaming reviews, and check out what is new with our gaming news.
