I love playing these reality
simulations on the Nintendo DS. I am rather addicted to Nintendogs and my Golden
Retriever is doing quite well, thank you. My daughter loves horses, and is
actually able to play my "dog sim," despite her age being under the minimum.
However, from the opening introduction, Ubisoft’s Horsez is nothing like
the other pet sims I have played. Not in a good way, I’m afraid.
This game promises everything that
you’d want out of the thriving genre of having virtual pets. Having grown up
with horses, I can appreciate that they are vastly more complicated than raising
a kitten. In addition to the training and care of the animal, this one requires
you to attend classes and take on the persona of a specific character, versus
creating your own persona/image/avatar. You are Ginger. That’s it.
You can choose the way you want to
play, and though there are nice colors/breeds to choose from, the differences
are not a factor. The only major option when selecting the horse is whether or
not you want to start with a foal or horse (or both, if you like punishment). It
takes a lot of time and effort to manage your duties. That’s fine, and part of
the challenge of having horses in real life, but your tasks are on a timer, and
you score badly if hooves are not cleaned within the allotted time frame. You
also have to plan out each day’s routine in your scheduler, though you get to
select what chores are done, and when. That doesn’t make it any easier on you.
You have to balance workouts, reading (a must!), grooming, dressage (look that
one up), and more. The same has to be done with most pet sims, but this one does
it with a virtual whip against your backside the entire time. That’s great fun
for some folks, but I find it annoying for someone trying to "grow" skills along
with the animal’s development. That’s a major factor of the game, so playing
against such parameters take the fun out of the potential experience.
As previously mentioned, you must
lay out each day by a series of chores. If you go to clean a stall, you better
do it timely, or you are warned by some unfriendly taskmaster character – The
Foreman. He is over your shoulder at every turn. Taking too long to clean the
hoof? Penalty! There is no joy in laying out your day, as it feels forced and
there isn’t a option to just "enjoy my horse." It IS an Academy environment, but
it feels more like a prison with a stringent routine. This is an example of
where I lose my ability to imagine this being much fun for a young player. The
training is unfriendly and the rewards are too few and far between. With the
pressure of the chores and their restraints, it is difficult to maintain the
level of enthusiasm required to succeed
The sounds are decent when
interacting with the horse. The gallops sound as they should, and the bars you
"whack" when missing a jump sound like the real deal. The music is soothing and
suitable for bedtime. It is not uplifting and reminiscent of Black Beauty or any
other score with passion.
The graphics are much more enjoyable
than the sound. The horses look nice, and the options for point of view are
nice. You can choose to view it from first person, which gives it a nice feel.
The hay looks like hay, and the glitches are minimal. One of the game’s greatest
strengths is the look, which redeems a lot of the experience, but still not
enough to make you forget how involved you are.
This is a game meant for an audience
that misses it’s mark. I recall my younger days of feeding the horses before
school and the labor of keeping them in good health – but did not have someone
over my shoulder screaming at me for not rushing through a hoof-cleaning!
This is a scholastic setting, so I understand it’s about making a long-term
commitment, but I think the fun is so far removed from this game that it will be
hard for young players to engage in it for the long haul. It’s a miserable mix
of RPG and pet care.
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Gameplay: 5.0
The manual is not well written, so the learning greatly relies upon prompts
and dialog while playing. You can also get help in the game’s chat room – which
is part of the required activities. Handling the horse is not too difficult, but
takes some practice to master using the stylus to jump and run. You can use the
buttons if that is more comfortable. In a game of few options, that is one facet
that’s welcome.
Graphics: 7.5
Trotting along the ring looks very nice from atop your steed. There are
minimal shortcuts here and there, but when it counts – the horses – things look
very nice.
Sound: 4.0
The music is too timid for the pace of the game. You’re pushed to excellence
throughout the game, but the music does not rise to the occasion. It’s slow and
uninspiring, while the effects sounds are mostly dead-on. It’s easier to sample
actual hooves at full gallop than it is to render a memorable score from
scratch.
Difficulty: Hard
Considering this game is meant for younger players, and I would guess
females, I think it misses the mark. The game is not newbie friendly like
Nintendogs or Hamsterz, but more brutal like Fritz Chess! You don’t get to spend
quality time to develop your animal like you with other sims I have tried. It’s
all work and goals. I just imagine that anyone other than the hardcore
reality-starved players will enjoy this for long. My own daughter dropped it
quickly, and was quickly digging for her puppy in Nintendogs. Nothing is more
surreal than having the Foreman scold you after rushing through a task that in
real life should be taken with more care and finesse.
Concept: 6.0
It’s a great attempt to bring a popular animal to the hands of the young
that otherwise may never get to experience the real-life version. Many kids
dream if having a "pony" when growing up. I have had one (Ok, several!) pony,
and this certainly offers more than I had to deal with. However, what I miss
here is just being able to sit with my horses and brush them for the pure love
of it. Taking the time they need to bond, and taking them out on runs where we
both explored new things. This is a academic environment, so if that’s the kind
of hard pace you need to experience, they did a decent job delivering that to
you.
Overall: 5.6
I wish this was the game I thought it would be. I guess I am spoiled with
the gameplay of the other pet simulators, and thought this would be a Day at the
Races with lots of downtime to play with my (large) pet. I like brushing the
animal, and taking him out for trots and other reasons to learn each other.
Aside from the horse being able to come when you call it, there isn’t a lot of
bonding time inbetween the verbal beat-downs from the Foreman, and making your
daily schedules out before you get your cornflakes. It’s just a hectic race of
doing this and that … then move on to the next day. I did not graduate from
the Academy. I am not sure I would want to hang that diploma on my wall, anyway.
I’ll be content going back to my cyber-dog who is fully bonded with me, and
comes running when I call his name. We go to the park, on walks and play ball. I
wanted to experience fun in similar ways with my horse, but the opportunity is
just not there. I guess I’ll have to revert to my own personal memories of
raising horses and when I didn’t have an evil taskmaster yelling at me for how I
clean a stall! This one comes out the gate strong, but stumbles on the jumps.
