As a longtime enthusiast of rural life simulations, I must say that Farming Simulator 25 has left me both enchanted and frustrated in equal measure. The game truly captures the essence of farm life, from the crack of dawn to the gentle chirping of birds, all accompanied by an immersive sound design that makes you feel like you’re right there amidst the fields.
Over time, I’ve gone from finding Farming Simulator amusingly confusing to quietly admiring it. While games like Stardew Valley and Core Keeper have swallowed many hours of my time with their farming aspects, Giants Software’s series stands in a league of its own. The commitment to authenticity and detail in simulating real-world farming methods, equipment, and procedures; the opportunity to construct and manage production supply chains, scaling up from a solo venture to a business tycoon is remarkable. Although the concept of an esports league seems strange, there’s no disputing the franchise’s success.
Over the past few years, Giants Software seems to be facing some challenges. The launch of Farming Simulator 23 last year on iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch didn’t fare well on consoles, to put it mildly. Now we’re at Farming Simulator 25, leaping over a year in its naming and bypassing previous-gen platforms for a console (and PC) debut first. Given the high expectations and excitement surrounding it, the outcome could have been more satisfactory.
As a farm enthusiast, I’ve found that the day-to-day farming life is remarkably tranquil and unhurried. The tasks of nurturing, planting, reaping, and moving the crops might seem simple at first glance, but they each hold subtle complexities and specific techniques that make them fascinating to explore.
In Career Mode, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the ropes, with various starting options that span from taking over an existing farm to constructing one from the ground up. You also get to customize the initial capital, loan amount, difficulty level, and type of farmstead, which can be set as North American, Central European, or East Asian. These settings offer picturesque landscapes, but the diverse selection of stores and properties (based on your choices) adds a unique twist to gameplay.
Regardless of whether you begin anew or take over a farm, you’ll encounter Walter, a significant character in the game “Farming Simulator 25”. Unlike a traditional narrative, this game doesn’t follow a specific plot, but instead offers interactions with Non-Player Characters (NPCs). Among these characters, Walter stands out due to his grumpy dialogue. He takes pleasure in your presence on the farm, even though he was initially unhappy about your father not inheriting it. Be prepared for frequent use of the term “kiddo” and a good deal of subtle, yet pointed sarcasm from him. The voice acting, while not natural or fluid, adds to the overall awkwardness of the experience.
Not only Walter, but even Tom occasionally adds unfunny remarks to the game. It doesn’t ruin the overall experience entirely, and you can certainly minimize your interactions with them. However, it can be frustrating at times. Moreover, the tutorials beyond the initial farm tour lack effectiveness for those aiming to learn more than just planting canola or harvesting wheat. You’ll have to remember each step of Tom’s instructions, which might include vehicle names you may not yet know. Walter suggesting Farming Simulator Academy, a series of YouTube tutorials, instead of providing practical advice beyond traditional farming wisdom, is less than helpful in this situation.
Experiencing real farming can offer a leisurely and tranquil atmosphere. The tasks of planting, tending, reaping, and transporting are generally straightforward, but they have intricate details and distinct techniques like adjusting and removing tools, operating the harvester, etc. It’s worth noting that Giants have done an excellent job in making each machine comfortable to handle.
As a enthusiast, I must admit that at first, it can be quite overwhelming. But fortunately, there are AI assistants on hand to help shoulder the burden and manage tasks while I’m occupied elsewhere. However, it’s important to note that they need to be reliable, not leaving assignments incomplete – something that has thankfully happened just once in my experience.
The Challenger MT635 is quick and agile, making it ideal for moving grains, while the Massey Fergusson MF8570 is robust and heavy-duty, excelling at thorough harvesting tasks. Both machines move smoothly without feeling unnatural, although the physics can seem a bit peculiar from time to time (beware of getting your 980 stuck on a barn door, as it might disrupt your immersive experience).
As a gamer, I’ve learned that each virtual field has its own planting and harvesting windows, and ignoring these can lead to losing valuable resources, like watching my canola wilt during the wrong timing of the harvest. The unique traits of these crops also offer interesting strategies for my in-game business: for instance, sugarcane regenerates after a harvest but isn’t highly sought-after, so it calls for smart management. New additions like rice demand flooded fields and specialized techniques to reap them, while their market value may fluctuate seasonally, necessitating storage in silos until the best moment to sell arises.
Besides managing other aspects such as animal care, forestry, and soil amendment (like liming that boosts output), you’ll encounter contracts too. These contracts propose various farming tasks for monetary compensation. You can utilize your own tools or rent out some, which decreases the overall earnings from the job. However, the downside associated with leasing equipment doesn’t scale proportionately with the total reward and effort involved. For instance, you might incur a fixed loss of 519 Euros regardless if the contract pays 1800 Euros or 4500 Euros. A contract that varies little in field size may demand more for the lease even though it offers only a slight increase. There are more types of contracts compared to past versions, but they require careful adjustment to ensure balance.
In this game, I’ve found myself exploring a sprawling virtual world teeming with various properties to buy and diverse farm types to expand my business. Yet, at times it feels eerily deserted, save for the occasional whizz of cars and buses. It can be overwhelming at first, but fortunately, AI workers are on hand to assist, managing tasks when I’m preoccupied elsewhere. However, they do have their moments – like that one time when a task was left incomplete. Thankfully, such instances have been few and far between.
Despite some challenges such as technical glitches, subpar performance, a user interface that can be frustrating, AI workers, and peculiar design choices, it might only be suitable for the most devoted enthusiasts at present.
Another significant challenge lies with the user interface, which seems less than intuitive. Navigating various tabs to review vehicles or essential details can be exhausting, and the layout of information (among other issues) doesn’t help. While it’s not a deal-breaker, the process feels laborious and only adds to the growing list of difficulties.
The standout feature of Farming Simulator 25 compared to its predecessors is undeniably its stunning visuals. While the emotional expressions of NPCs still appear stiff and unchanging, the rest of the game’s graphics are impressive. Every machine is meticulously detailed and animated smoothly. The landscape, vegetation, fog, and other visual elements contribute to a realistic atmosphere. The sound design is equally commendable, not just for the variety of equipment sounds but also for the subtle ambient noises like birds chirping that enhance the overall experience. If any game has successfully encapsulated the authentic feel of farm life – waking up at sunrise, inhaling the crisp (and perhaps aromatic) air – it’s this one.
Despite trying to fully absorb it, the game’s suboptimal performance is making that difficult at the moment. With Very High settings, an expanded Field of View, and DLAA on PC, I encountered persistent stuttering. To remedy this, I scaled things back to High and opted for regular TAA instead. Although the stuttering lessened over time, there were still instances of frame drops, particularly when transitioning to a third-person view for the first time.
Besides irritants such as objects appearing abruptly and persistent screen flickering detracting from the enjoyment, there are gameplay complications due to textures failing to load correctly, making it difficult to distinguish between cultivated or sown land. While I haven’t encountered crashes like some other users, the game’s technical condition, even several days after launch, leaves a lot to be improved.
Unfortunately, Farming Simulator 25 doesn’t bring revolutionary changes or an abundance of innovative systems. However, for those who are deeply passionate about farming simulations, it offers a satisfying experience. Regrettably, technical glitches, subpar performance, frustrating user interface, uncooperative AI workers, and some unusual design choices make it challenging to wholeheartedly endorse the game at this stage, except perhaps for the most dedicated fans.
This game was reviewed on PC.
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2024-11-19 16:11