Farming Simulator 2015 Review

Farming Simulator 15 is a slow burner. It’s a game that requires a lot of patience, but the work that you put into it ultimately defines how rewarded you will feel. For the uninitiated, Farming Simulator 15 is exactly what it sounds like, you farm and boy are there a lot of ways to farm. You’re tasked with running a successful farming business at one of two locations. The rustic Bjornholm or the picturesque American-like Westbridge Hills. Anyone thinking about breezing through the game should be warned though, there is a lot of hard work required to be able to make a lot of money.

It’s up to the player how they wish to make a profit but early gameplay dictates crop growing over anything else. This is the best way to earn cash to be able upgrade your equipment, allowing you to partake in other farming work. The early game can be tedious, as you fit into a routine, cultivating fields, planting crops and then harvesting them. You can hire workers to aid efficiency but you might not want to waste any money so early on. Fortunately you can speed up crop growth and also the rate of the day to be able to harvest quicker.

Once you have the funds you can choose to farm in whichever way you’d like. You can buy livestock and earn money from wool, milk, slurry and eggs. You could choose forestry and cut down trees using a chainsaw, then sell them as logs or wood chippings. The nature of the game allows you to farm in whichever method suits you. If you don’t like rearing animals that’s fine you don’t have to. For new players it’s probably best to focus on a few things at first, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

The daily routine, even at the start, is fortunately quite enjoyable. It’s satisfying seeing all your hard work pay off and knowing more crops are growing makes you feel successful. The gameplay itself is fun if slightly slow going. Once you settle into a rhythm though, jobs become second nature and you’re able to plan your day effectively.

Maximizing profit becomes key to success, you’ll want to invest in bale maker to sell straw, grass and hay as bales. Or to use them as fodder for your animals. There are competing businesses to where you’ll sell your crops. Depending on the market, some businesses will offer more, so it’s always best to keep an eye out on the shifting prices. Also in the game are missions which task players with completing specific objectives. These include delivering goods or supplying a certain amount of crop to a particular business or even mowing areas of grass. The missions land you money and if you do them quickly you’re granted a bonus, so there’s incentive if you wish to try and complete them.

Visually the game looks pretty good. Machinery such as tractors definitely have the most polish to them and harvesting crops looks spectacular. Dynamic weather adds to the atmosphere of the game and since you can’t sleep or skip days, you get to witness a glorious sunrise every morning. Certain textures do however look flat with less attention to detail in certain areas. The draw distance can also suffer sometimes, with objects disappearing and popping in quite a lot.

For such a vast game it’s surprising how little guidance players are given. There are a number of tutorials that teach you how to plant crops, make bales and so on but that’s the end of it. The Bjornholm map gives you a brief tutorial in selling crops but after that it’s all up to the player. It’s strange that a devout and in-depth farming game such as this doesn’t have basic descriptions for the terminology used throughout the game. Veterans won’t have any trouble playing the game but new players will find it daunting and may even be put off by the experience.

Farming Simulator 15 is a niche game. Many who play the series will already know what to expect but if you’re in the mood for a realistic simulator with fun albeit monotonous gameplay then this entry might be for you. Expect to have to fend for yourself a lot though as the game does little to help starting players. Ultimately Farming Simulator 15 can be a compelling game if you’re willing to stick with it. It runs afoul at points but has a fun gameplay loop that many may find enjoyable and rewarding.