Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch

 Switch
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 6 out of 11

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  1. apileoftires
    Nov 4, 2022
    7
    I'm not saying the other person that's reviewed this is lying, but this is nowhere near the bad game that they've described. It needs some work, yes, but hopefully with a few patches it'll be even better. If you've suffered with all the bad horse games in the past, this game is actually fun! Don't take my word for it, there's videos up on YouTube, you can see for yourself.
  2. Xangelus1
    Nov 3, 2022
    0
    This game is an absolute mess is the only thing I can say about this game. Expectations: I did my research to find my niece a great horse game. The trailers looked amazing and some of the screenshot really made me think of breath of the wild. Reality: When you’ve got the screenshots and trailers in mind it’ll a sore disappointment when you get this game. The graphics were already somewhatThis game is an absolute mess is the only thing I can say about this game. Expectations: I did my research to find my niece a great horse game. The trailers looked amazing and some of the screenshot really made me think of breath of the wild. Reality: When you’ve got the screenshots and trailers in mind it’ll a sore disappointment when you get this game. The graphics were already somewhat lacking in the trailers but were acceptable for a kids game .When you finally start the game it’s completely obvious that these trailers are far from the truth. The game has constant pop ins and the graphics are so blocky and choppy that you’ll get a headache in no time. Then there is the gameplay. The dozens of button combos are going to be a problem for younger children. My niece couldn’t get a jump over a river in the intro. When I tell you that I seriously spent almost an hour till I made the jump I realized my niece was going to be extremely dissatisfied with this game. Even if the game worked the game itself isn’t worth more than 20 bucks. She played for about 2 hours till she gave up and I did as well. I contacted Nintendo for the first time to see if I could get a refund since It’s so bad compared to the information that was out there. Conclusion: a waste of 40 euros. The game is choppy looks horrible and disappoints in every category so save yourself the money and avoid it like the plague.… Expand
  3. H4ardDriv3
    Mar 20, 2023
    10
    I recently discovered this captivating horse game, and it has been a truly delightful experience. Restoring my aunt's ranch and exploring the enchanting open world kept me engaged and entertained. Taming, breeding, and personalizing my horses added depth and strategy to the gameplay. If you're seeking a heartwarming adventure, this horse game is a must-try!
  4. threarah
    Nov 6, 2022
    4
    It’s not necessarily a bad game but it feels incredibly unfinished.

    Some of the animations are really odd - opening chests is a stand out point, where you wave a hand and it explodes. Some actions don’t end in a satisfying or obvious way - like petting your horse. When the bar is full, the action doesn’t close; when you do end petting a bit of short music happens but not in time to the    It’s not necessarily a bad game but it feels incredibly unfinished.

    Some of the animations are really odd - opening chests is a stand out point, where you wave a hand and it explodes. Some actions don’t end in a satisfying or obvious way - like petting your horse. When the bar is full, the action doesn’t close; when you do end petting a bit of short music happens but not in time to the animation on the horse; and nothing on screen indicates what this did for you. In fact nothing so far is satisfying to do in this game.

    The order the content is delivered is also baffling. I could build benches on the ranch before I knew how to wash my dirty horse or find food for it, and without knowing if they were just cosmetic or functional. The game was telling me about competition stats before I even knew where the ranch was. I’d slept in a tent before knowing anything about dealing with the horse I’d left wandering about! I’ve played bad, early 2000s horse games before, and even Pippa Funnell’s Take the Reins introduces mechanics and story in a more understandable way. A blurry clown (?) child telling me how to build bridges but nothing about horses pretty much sums up how weird the game’s priorities are.

    The most frustrating parts are the user interface and control scheme. It’s never obvious what is a click or a press and hold; whether increasing speed will actually work the same way twice is a mystery unto some malevolent god; and you never know what speed you’re at (so far, this might change in competition). Is that an extended trot or just a badly animated walk?

    Horse Tales feels like a soulless alpha build of the game, and while patches will probably help graphics or stability, I’d be surprised if they completely change the entire introduction or rework half the UI. See if you can find real gameplay of the beginning segment of the game before picking this up. My one hope is that the actual horse elements prove better than the shoddy graphics, plot, and awkward ranch building.

    EDIT: The bugs have also locked me into never finishing the game. Quest 'Who is Lilli' never moves on even when her score is beaten, despite this being on a list of bug fixes for the PC version.    … Expand
  5. reinium
    Nov 6, 2022
    8
    I literally only made a Metacritic account to review this game.

    Is the game perfect? No. Is it fun, entertaining, and have some really cool mechanics? Absolutely. Most of the people who are giving it bad reviews have not taken the time to get used to the mechanics. I will admit that the game could do a better job of pacing, specifically in introducing new concepts like grooming,    I literally only made a Metacritic account to review this game.

    Is the game perfect? No. Is it fun, entertaining, and have some really cool mechanics? Absolutely. Most of the people who are giving it bad reviews have not taken the time to get used to the mechanics. I will admit that the game could do a better job of pacing, specifically in introducing new concepts like grooming, washing, changing tack/clothes, etc.

    I'm not saying it's great, but it is certainly a step in the right direction for horse games. If you've been a horse person and gamer for as long as I have, you know the struggle of finding a halfway decent horse game that doesn't cost you tons of money (looking at you, micro-transactions).

    I'm giving this game such a good rating because I want to see the developers follow through on it! It has such great potential, I would hate to see them give up on it. So if someone who has a hand in this game is reading this, I'm a fan! Great work! Now just to really refine it and add some more content    … Expand
  6. Flogrowngirl22
    Nov 8, 2022
    7
    So I absolutely love this game I’ve been playing at nonstop for a couple days now but my only vice is that I cannot get any farther with beating Lilli Felix. And I will admit I am in no means the best video gamer ever. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy playing the games. I think I’m more frustrated with the fact that I have tried very hard to beat her. And managed to at one pointSo I absolutely love this game I’ve been playing at nonstop for a couple days now but my only vice is that I cannot get any farther with beating Lilli Felix. And I will admit I am in no means the best video gamer ever. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy playing the games. I think I’m more frustrated with the fact that I have tried very hard to beat her. And managed to at one point and it still wouldn’t let me continue onto the next phase. I don’t know what’s going on but I am very frustrated with the fact that it seems as though the times are getting harder and harder. And it’s constantly changing.… Expand
  7. WildKat
    Nov 24, 2022
    0
    DON'T BUY the game on the SWITCH! It is super glitchy to the point that it WILL NOT SAVE your progress. I have wasted 12 consecutive hours of gameplay (losing not only main story line progress, but several horses that I caught & bred) despite constantly "saving" by resting in my bed. I have completed the main storyline from "Party time" till the END of the main story quest line THRICE.DON'T BUY the game on the SWITCH! It is super glitchy to the point that it WILL NOT SAVE your progress. I have wasted 12 consecutive hours of gameplay (losing not only main story line progress, but several horses that I caught & bred) despite constantly "saving" by resting in my bed. I have completed the main storyline from "Party time" till the END of the main story quest line THRICE. Only to end up back at my save at the beginning of "Party Time." I am so mad that I don't even want to play this game anymore and I am seriously debating demanding a refund at this point. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY buying this on the SWITCH. It has constant frame drops to the point that racing is almost impossible, the game is completely not optimized for the Switch as there is input delay, the graphics will suddenly become worse (even during cutscenes), and you can accidentally get trapped in houses that have no doors if the game stutters when you are racing on your horse in the harbour area. If you want to play a Horse Game that actually has a bunch of different types of horses (which you will only have access to Selle Francis and/or Irish Cobs if you bought the DLC for this game) you might as well go play Star Stable Online. I was really looking forward to this game, and now I am just mad and frustrated that I have wasted time & effort only to lose HOURS of my progress THREE SEPERATE TIMES.… Expand
  8. Llama96
    Nov 19, 2022
    3
    Not too bad to be honest, it's just very unfinished, bugged to the max... claims to be suitable for all ages but I cannot beat lilli in the race lol
    Camera is TERRIBLE too... Between racing, angling the camera, jumping and ducking I find it difficult to play

    Hope they can fix this
  9. missunruh
    Dec 28, 2022
    1
    You can't even play the game because of the bugs and lags. The performance on the switch is very bad and it looks, sounds and feels like a twenty year old game. And for real, I couldn't even finish the first race because of the bugs so I could not progress with the story. Isn't this game for a younger audience as well? Devs you owe me 40€ and 4 hours of my life.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 2 out of 4
  1. Gaming Age
    Nov 28, 2022
    33
    I know that, as a middle-aged man, I’m clearly not the target audience for a game about rebuilding your family estate and bonding with your horse. At the same time, though, I can’t imagine that the people who would be interested in that would want to put up with it, either. Horse Tales plays poorly and performs even worse, and it’s bound to disappoint anyone who picks it up.
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  2. Player 2
    Nov 23, 2022
    58
    If you don’t think the idea of becoming best friends with horses and just hanging out with them on an island sounds fun, you won’t enjoy this game. But if it’s going to tap into that same part of childlike wonder that I felt from the moment I loaded it up and chose my first horse, then it could be for you.
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  3. KeenGamer
    Nov 16, 2022
    80
    Overall, as Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch joins the ever-growing list of horse games, it's certainly one you should check out for yourself. Is it perfect? No. The bugs are annoying, but hopefully patches will deal with them. Aside from the teething problems, you'll find yourself getting lost in this game as you want to explore every nook and cranny, collect resources, expand your ranch, help the locals, and breed new horses.
    Read full review
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