Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition

Genre: First-Person Simulation

Players: 1

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Review:

Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition is a farming Simulation game (fancy that), but I feel that description requires a bit more elaboration here. This isn’t a farming RPG like Harvest Moon, it’s not a lighthearted time-waster like Farm Together, and this isn’t a “god sim”-style game like The Sims or Sim City. This is a game that actually tries to simulate what it’s like not just to own a farm but to work one as well, and anyone who gets this game thinking they’re getting something like any of those games I mentioned above is going to be in for a huge surprise.

Graphically, this game looks decent. Nothing extraordinary, but sufficient enough, I suppose. However, what it lacks in a wow factor, it more than makes up for in being an accurate simulator… for better or worse…

To give you an idea what I mean, this game is played from the first-person perspective, and farming requires hopping into a tractor, attaching the device to till the soil, attaching a weight for counterbalance, moving over the soil to till it, then detaching that device and attaching a seeder unit, attaching a weight, seeing the land, then detaching that device, attaching a manure spreader, attaching a weight, moving manure over the land… then later, attaching a harvester, harvesting the soil, then moving the harvester over to a truck where the harvested crop can be moved to, then getting out of the tractor and into the truck and taking that truck to a silo or a lot to sell it, then getting back to the farm, switching back to the tractor, attaching a unit to clear the soil and prepare it for use again, attach a weight, and then go over all of the soil… and then you’re ready to start the process over.

Was it agonizing to read that last paragraph? Because I’ll tell you, it was just as agonizing to do it. To be fair, the game does give you the option to hire helpers to do some of these steps for you (although that of course costs money), and I really, really appreciate that the folks behind this game really were dedicated to creating as realistic a simulator as possible, including real brands for tractors and parts and making the process mirror real life as accurately as possible… but wow, was this game not fun for me.

And that’s ultimately what Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition boils down to in my opinion – for someone who wants a realistic simulation of what it’s like to work on a farm, this game really goes above and beyond to deliver that realistic experience… but for average folks like me, it doesn’t make for a very engaging game.

tl;dr – Farming Simulator is a farming Simulation (of course) that tries to depict farming as realistic as possible, and it largely succeeds. However, it does so to an extent where fun is sacrificed in the name of that accuracy, and what’s left is a tedious slog of a game that will appeal to those who want that sort of thing, but most others will find it to be more trouble than it’s worth.

Grade: C

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