Alright, so here’s this game, Cattle Country—yeah, the name says it all, doesn’t it? “Cozy Cowboy Adventure Life Sim” they call it. Sounds like the kind of thing you’d dream up after binge-watching old Westerns while wearing fuzzy slippers. I don’t know why “cozy” is slapped on everything these days, but hey, let’s take a wander through this Wild West world anyway.
Picture this: you’re tossed into the 1800s. You get a piece of land out in some mining town—yeah, it’s your job to name it, and you’re supposed to do all this mingling with NPCs. Oddly enough, you’re in this Western setting, yet it doesn’t always scream “Howdy, partner!” I mean, sure, you see horses hitched around and some buzzards acting like buzzards do, but sometimes it feels like you’re just in a random pixel town, you know?
Now, when you do stumble into bandits—and they literally pop out of bushes—things get a wee bit more interesting. You’ve gotta be quick on the draw, or you can just pretend they don’t exist by turning them off. Some folks might find that robs the game of its flavor. It’s a quirky feature, though.
Speaking of quirks, the game’s got this pixel art style that does a decent job, even if the Switch starts to stutter now and then. Day turns to night, and seasons switch up, making the game look all cute and retro. But the music… geez, it’s like turning the volume up to hear a whisper. Even cranked to the max, it let me down. Maybe I’m just too picky.
And then there’s all the busy work! You’ve got your standard chores—chopping trees, smashing rocks. Crafting stuff means going from sprinklers to… hard-boiled eggs? Farming’s a whole thing too—dig, plant, harvest, sell. And fishing’s there if you’re into that—I wasn’t so much. A bit fiddly, if you ask me.
Mining, though, that’s got a little extra zest to it. Going underground to snag treasures while fending off critters like bats and snakes kind of keeps you on your toes. Oh, and mind the darkness–it’ll suck your stamina faster than you can say, “Where’d the light go?”
And let’s talk relationships. You befriend the townsfolk to grow your place into a bustling town. Like, make pals with the banker, and boom, bigger bank vault. The saloon gal gets cozy, and suddenly, there’s a restaurant. But man, does it take its sweet time to get friendly. You give them what they want, and they say, “You’ve made my week!” but nope, hearts barely budge. Frustrating, right?
Also, the game’s not too clear on what you’re supposed to be doing. Even after 25 hours, progress felt like watching paint dry—slow and kinda meh. My wife, who’s way into life sims, agreed. Pacing’s off.
Now, to wrap it up with a bow—more like a tangled string—there’s room for improvement here. The UI needs a little love, and not having touch controls is a bummer. And don’t get me started on the glitches. Seeing “Software closed because of an error”? Yeah, not cool. Luckily, some bugs got fixed, glass-crafting and all.
The Wild West theme’s kinda fresh for a life sim, but Cattle Country’s more meh than amazing. If you’re itching for something groundbreaking or at least polished, you might wanna wait for a sale. Until then, keep your hat on tight and your expectations loose.
