Okay, so I just dove into this game called Cattle Country—supposed to be a “Cozy Cowboy Adventure Life Sim.” First off, “cozy” is the buzzword du jour, right? But the cowboy angle? That’s kinda fresh. Let’s unpack this Wild West digital ride a bit.
You start in… yep, the late 1800s. You get this plot of land in a mining town, both of which you name. Why? Who knows. But you meet some folks, maybe even befriend a few. But wait—what’s with the horses and the barely-there buzzards? Is this the Wild West or just a vague somewhere-sometime land?
And oh, the bandits! Sometimes a bush rustles and bam—a bandit! Quick draw time! But you can turn them off if that’s not your thing. Does it take away some flavor? Maybe. But hey, it’s a thoughtful feature.
Visually, it’s all pixel-y in a retro way that kind of works. Changes from day to night, seasonal shifts—there’s some character there. Though, on my old Switch, it stutters a bit. And the music? Supposed to be Wild West-y, but it’s too quiet. Crank it up to 100% and it’s still… meh. Why it sticks with me, I don’t know.
Plenty of stuff to do: clear land, break rocks, plant stuff, and somehow, craft a hard-boiled egg? There’s farming, too—digging and selling crops and as you grow, more animals join your little ranch. Fishing is, well, fishing. Not groundbreaking, and a bit tricky, but you can always resort to “water traps.”
Mining? That’s kinda intriguing. Delving into the earth, battling bats and snakes, collecting treasure. But ugh, that headlamp needs a wider beam. Cook some meals so you don’t pass out underground—or pay the doc, which costs a pretty penny.
Now, the townsfolk. Building a relationship with them helps your town grow. Buddy up with the banker for a bigger vault, get chummy with the saloon lady and she might expand the joint. But it’s a snooze fest, frankly. It’s like—give them stuff, watch hearts rise slooowly. And they wander around aimlessly, saying the same things. Anyone else confused here or just me?
And the game’s all “figure it out yourself.” Admirable? Sure. But a little heads-up would be nice. Even after 25 hours, it felt like trudging through molasses. My wife, she’s a life sim ace, and even she was like, “Yeah, what’s next?”
Some gripes: I want a better interface. Weird that touchscreens aren’t a thing. The controls are decent, though. Lots of icons, too. And not capturing screenshots or videos—um, why? And those annoying “error” messages. I mean, they fixed a crafting bug, but still.
Unique Wild West vibes aside, it’s stuff you’ve seen before. Genre fans might find it a bit cookie-cutter, and bugs don’t help. Maybe wait for a discount before diving in. Just my two cents!
