When there is a game that reaches its twenty-third edition, it is because there is a considerable number of loyal fans that must be pleased. It is what happens with the series of farm simulator games Farming Simulator from the developer Giants Software that brings us the 23rd edition. It seems that many of us carry our farmer inside.
Farming Simulator 23 is the latest installment of the popular farming simulation series, in which we will be a farmer of the current era. Now we will be able to have access to new real machines for our daily activities. Like any new edition, it offers us a series of novelties that are worth reviewing.
Life in the countryside
Farming Simulator 23 takes us into a virtual world where we can experience life on a farm realistically. It has a relaxed gameplay in the first person in which we have a schedule and its cycle of day and night. Among the different activities are: sowing, cultivating, harvesting, raising cattle, and selling products. At the management level it is simple, and there are button shortcuts to facilitate some activities. Veterans of the series will feel right at home.
First of all, the game has two maps where the weather conditions and the layout on the map differ basically. We start any given day at 8 in the morning. Immediately afterwards we choose one of the available vehicles, either to move, or to carry out the different tasks typical of a farm such as planting or any other activity. You can prepare the land, sow the seeds, and harvest the crops, store them, and sell them. The game features a variety of seeds for different crops such as wheat, barley, grapes, and sorghum as a new introduction.
Not only can you sow and cultivate, there are other activities such as forestry, which is introduced for the first time without the need for mods from previous installments. There is also animal husbandry, such as cows, sheep, and chickens appearing for the first time. When we consider it prudent, we can go to sleep to start another day. In addition to the day and night cycle, the game has a weather system that influences our productivity. We must be aware of the seasons to know the best way to maximize our resources.
Farming Simulator 23 introduces a wide selection of vehicles and machinery from well-known brands to manage our farm. Among the brands we have CLAAS, Massey Ferguson, John Deere, Case IH, New Holland, Rottne, Mack, as well as other manufacturers. Each one offers a series of benefits that fit our pocket and our different agricultural activities. We have tractors, plowing machines, sowing machines, harvesters, harvesting machines, among others.
production line
The game has an economy system in which we can even supervise the production chain of a product. Crops can be harvested, stored, processed, and then sold to different establishments to generate a profit. This is where the weather system comes into play, since it forces us to think about the near future and some product may become scarce and its price rise.
For this, we can hire staff to take care of the different tasks. One employee drives the collecting vehicle, another the plowing, another the sowing the salary will be deducted from our general income. Each employee can be managed by the AI or by ourselves. However, the AI is not always competent as it can get stuck if it finds an obstacle in the way that prevents it from moving forward.
The game wants us to be aware of all the details of our farm, and sometimes we will feel overwhelmed, but that is part of the charm of the title. For someone new to the series, it will be hard to understand some basic principles, but with practice, the help menu and a tutorial we will have what it takes to be a modern farmer.
The multiplayer mode is also an important part of Farming Simulator 23. We will be able to join our friends or players from all over the world to collaborate with each other in different agricultural projects, exchange resources and compete in challenges.
The field doesn’t look so clear
The version for Nintendo Switch has the same problems as the hybrid with open world games. To begin with, although the game has a bright color palette, they feel a bit dull. It suffers from popping in some elements, the draw distance is quite short and we will constantly see how the textures materialize a few meters away. It also runs at 30fps and does not always reach that figure when it sometimes drops to 20fps at specific moments.
Regarding the sound section, it is still a relaxed game in which we will only hear the sounds of the environment and of the machines in which we are working. The sound effects are well achieved, but little else to say.
Verdict:
Farming Simulator 23 will take us to know the ins and outs of the agricultural world with its relaxed proposal that brings us one or two novelties to the formula. Certainly, it is a game that requires a lot of time since the countless activities will keep us busy as long as we like this genre. Now some activities are facilitated and while one employee works the land, another can go harvesting while we take care of the management. Among the novelties we have forestry and the introduction of some animals to have a bit of variety, however, the game is very attached to what is already established, and it does not have to be a bad thing if we are regulars to the series. However, its graphic section on Nintendo Switch suffers again due to the lack of power of the console, having the same problems that many titles that come out for the hybrid have.
Note: This review was made on the Nintendo Switch version and the code was provided thanks to Giants Software.
