Equinox: Homecoming

About

Equinox: Homecoming is a multiplayer role playing game. It was developed by Blue Scarab Entertainment and was released on May 8, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In Equinox: Homecoming, you play as Alex Evans returning to Alderwood Island to unravel a series of mysterious events, including your mother’s sudden disappearance and a body found in the woods. Team up with friends to explore the island’s secrets through riding, racing, and investigation. Immerse yourself in a stunning open world full of scenic trails and hidden wonders.

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 459 reviews

story128 positive mentions

stability56 negative mentions

The game has stunning graphics and a beautiful open world that is enjoyable to explore.
The storyline is intriguing and offers a unique twist on the horse game genre, catering to an adult audience.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and are actively working on updates and improvements.

The game is currently very buggy and crashes frequently, making it difficult to play.
There is a lack of content, with only a few hours of gameplay available and many quests feeling repetitive.
Character customization options are limited, and the game does not allow players to change their character's name or appearance after creation.

story
514 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
73%
2%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it intriguing and engaging, particularly due to its darker themes and murder mystery elements. However, several critiques highlight that the narrative feels rushed and incomplete, with many cutscenes still in placeholder form and a reliance on fetch quests that detracts from the overall experience. While the potential for a compelling storyline is evident, players express a desire for more polished content and a deeper integration of the narrative within the MMO framework.
- “The story is intriguing and far from the usual tropes often present in horse games.”
- “The story is gripping and perfect for us that enjoy mystery without horror.”
- “The game has a wonderfully dark story in comparison to other horse games, the scenery is stunning and the finished cutscenes are very well made, the characters have a lot of expressions and most of the dialogue feels natural, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing as well.”
- “This game was rushed, the story makes no sense as an MMO (it had so much potential to be an amazing single player story game).”
- “The story is a work in progress and we only have the first bit of it right now, but the world is remarkably complete - and very nicely designed.”
- “The story feels too personal to Alex for it to work as an MMO, having all these people around you all doing the same things and all looking for their own missing moms is comically immersion breaking.”
graphics
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players praising their stunning beauty and realism, particularly in the environments and horse animations. However, several users have reported significant optimization issues, including bugs, crashes, and poor performance on lower-end systems, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered impressive, the game's current state suggests that further improvements and optimizations are needed to fully realize their potential.
- “The graphics are stunning—easily some of the most beautiful visuals I’ve seen in a horse game.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and realistic — you can play on the highest settings, though it stutters a bit due to optimization.”
- “The design and graphics are stunning, with breathtaking environments and cinematic cut-scenes.”
- “Starting from the horse controls all the way to the overall graphics — it’s nowhere near the level it should be.”
- “Has graphics that make any setup look like a PS2 regardless of the settings.”
- “Even on the lowest graphical settings, everything takes forever to load and it lags horrifically.”
gameplay
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
65%
11%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, showcasing potential with enjoyable horse riding mechanics and a beautiful world, but marred by bugs, repetitive quests, and a lack of depth in gameplay systems. Players appreciate the rich storytelling and atmospheric elements, yet many find the mechanics clunky and the overall experience tedious, especially given the limited content available in early access. While some enjoy the cozy exploration and questing, others criticize the game for its lack of cooperative elements and the need for more engaging gameplay loops.
- “The game mechanics are intuitive and enjoyable, striking the perfect balance between realism and fun.”
- “The map is gorgeous and dynamic and massive; a lot of the gameplay loop is simply exploring this map.”
- “It's a hidden gem with beautiful graphics, enjoyable gameplay, and an interesting storyline that isn't just the cliché barbie magic and rainbows that all other horse games seem to contain.”
- “I have encountered some issues with gameplay, the majority of which have been glitches where I am set back to a different spot while riding across the map.”
- “The gameplay outside of the story is riding around the island, completing daily quests, and gathering items for said quests.”
- “I refunded this game after about an hour because of two reasons: one, it was just very boring gameplay-wise.”
stability
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, significantly impacting gameplay stability, including issues with quest interactions, character movement, and visual elements. While some players appreciate the game's potential and the developers' responsiveness to issues, many express frustration over the frequent crashes and unoptimized performance, making it challenging to enjoy the experience fully. Overall, the game's early access status is acknowledged, but the extent of the stability problems raises concerns about its current playability.
- “I can't wait to see how it will be when it's fully released and not buggy! <3”
- “It's a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
- “I've had the game crash randomly, quests bug out, experienced model glitches left and right, found items I just could not pick up despite being crucial quest items.”
- “Honestly, I've played a lot of really bad early access games, but this one truly takes the cake, from the buggy cutscenes and mechanics, having to fully restart the game just to have things function, to 'placeholder cinematics?', or my personal favorite; having a majority of the actual 'functional' cutscenes glitching out and displaying nothing at all.”
optimization
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
67%
22%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting performance issues, including stuttering and frame drops, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay, the consensus is that the game is not well-optimized, particularly for lower-end hardware, and requires substantial improvements to enhance the overall experience. Despite its beautiful graphics, the lack of optimization detracts from the gameplay, leading to frustration among players.
- “Visuals are very smart, the world looks very pretty if a little lifeless (not much to really do outside of finding collectibles), performance is very smooth (i7 CPU with 4070 GPU).”
- “I truly believe this game has massive potential, but one thing that is really putting me off about the early access is the optimization.”
- “I'm running an i9 11th gen and RTX 4080 Super, playing on ultra settings with a 120 fps cap, and I’ve had zero performance issues.”
- “The past hour I just spent on trying to get it to run properly, but it just isn't optimized at all.”
- “It simply lacks optimization severely; besides the buggy textures and models, which I could understand due to the early access situation, the performance being so poor is a big concern that makes me not recommend it.”
- “Optimization needs some work; there are graphical glitches and such, but honestly, horses need a lot of work.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
41%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, enhancing the beautiful environments and realistic animations. Players appreciate the atmospheric soundtrack, which varies between serene and slightly unsettling tones, contributing to the overall vibe reminiscent of titles like "Life is Strange." However, some users note a lack of variety in the music, expressing hope for more additions in future updates.
- “The game's music and sounds are so relaxing; I love playing Equinox late at night or if I have had a stressful day at work. It's so calming to play.”
- “The music creates a great atmosphere; the vibe is like Life is Strange's, but there are horses and friends and much to be curious about.”
- “The soundtrack alternates between serene and slightly spooky, which adds to the overall ambiance really well.”
- “For audio, you are mainly given some ambient/atmospheric sounds during gameplay with an odd piece of music chiming in only for certain areas (such as the barn or fishing village).”
- “There is a huge lack of music; it is early access, so I'm not trying to be too harsh, but I hope more variety gets added soon.”
- “- the music feels AI-generated.”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often involving repetitive tasks like exploration, collecting items, and completing fetch quests to gain reputation and unlock features. While some appreciate the diverse collectibles and the game's aesthetic, many express frustration with the lack of engaging content and the overwhelming amount of grinding required, particularly for reputation and gear upgrades. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, especially when combined with navigation issues and technical glitches.
- “Collectibles are abundant, diverse, and valuable, making exploration feel like a worthwhile effort rather than tedious. It still takes enough time to gather the right items for your goals.”
- “I have almost 20 hours in this game and for most of the time I was just riding the entire map back and forth because the fast travel option took me around 10 hours of grinding to get (and I mean one location I could teleport to).”
- “The purpose of these quests is to gain reputation so you can purchase cosmetics, but it takes a great deal of time to increase reputation which leads to this gameplay loop being incredibly grindy, at times annoying because of the inability to make your horse jump small objects, and the ability to get lost easily as the indicators on the minimap can be hard to see.”
- “It's a huge open world map and it can quickly become demotivating to do the reputation-grinding quests when they're so far away and must be traveled on foot.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its haunting yet comforting qualities, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and immersive environments. Players appreciate the contrast between the cozy daytime ambiance and the unsettling nighttime vibes, with richly detailed landscapes that evoke a sense of mystery. While some feel the multiplayer elements may disrupt the overall atmosphere, many still find the world captivating and engaging, drawing them into its unique and serene setting.
- “The world is gorgeous, the atmosphere is haunting in the best way, and the story pulls you in immediately.”
- “The horses are detailed and lifelike, and the environments are rich with atmosphere—sunsets over meadows, stunning moon and starry sky at night that adds to the serenity.”
- “I found a dark cave and physically couldn't get myself to enter even though I knew there was nothing there - the atmosphere of this game is really, really unique.”
- “The atmosphere is slowly getting there.”
- “With that, the atmosphere quickly soured.”
- “The game feels like it could work well as a single-player or co-op experience, but right now it seems like it’s trying too hard to be similar to Star Stable Online with clubs and a multiplayer focus, which doesn’t quite fit the atmosphere.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its blend of mystery, adventure, and character interactions that evoke feelings, making players eager for more quests. While some players appreciate the heartfelt and calming nature of the game, others criticize the storywriting as messy and lacking depth, which detracts from the overall emotional experience.
- “It has that perfect balance of mystery, adventure, and emotional depth that keeps you wanting 'just one more quest.'”
- “They added some emotional displays from your character and NPCs when interacting in select exchanges during quests.”
- “If you're looking for a calming, heartfelt game with plenty of depth and beauty, this horse riding adventure is a must-play.”
- “The mix of all these elements results in messy and boring storytelling.”
- “The emotional moments feel forced and lack genuine impact.”
- “I found it hard to connect with the characters, making the emotional scenes fall flat.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players appreciate the game's focus on horses and its compelling story, expressing hope that it won't resort to cash grabs or excessive microtransactions. While there is an acknowledgment that microtransactions may be introduced, the community desires a fair monetization model that avoids loot boxes and maintains the game's integrity.
- “As horse game enthusiasts, we're all waiting for this nice big game - a game where we could finally build our own barn, have our own horses, play with friends, ride out, and have fun without money grabs, loot boxes, or shady practices.”
- “Realistically speaking, it's clear there will be microtransactions and gold purchases included at some point.”
- “As horse game enthusiasts, we're all waiting for this nice big game - a game where we could finally build our own barn, have our own horses, play with friends, ride out, have fun - no children, no hackers, no money grab, loot boxes, microtransactions, no shady company, no BS.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it enjoyable and lighthearted, particularly during social interactions and adventures. Many note that even the bugs encountered add a comedic element rather than detracting from the experience. Overall, the game fosters a fun atmosphere that enhances player camaraderie.
- “I'm having fun, the other players are nice and welcoming, and the bugs I've personally experienced are more funny than game-breaking.”
- “It's funny, especially when making friends and going on adventures together.”
- “Very funny for people watching, though.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development in the game is enriched by engaging story content, daily activities, and a strong emphasis on collecting and grinding for gear. Players appreciate the depth of relationships with numerous NPCs and the overall worldbuilding, which enhances the immersive experience. The combination of beautiful graphics and well-designed characters further contributes to the game's appeal.
- “There's juicy story content, something to do every day in the meantime, a drive to collect everything you see (to grind for the best gear, of course), tons of NPCs, finished buildings, character development, and relationships... not to mention all the very rapidly fixed bugs.”
- “Beautiful graphics, beautiful environment, good character design, good worldbuilding, good map.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character relationships; they felt one-dimensional and uninspired.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the character development is poorly executed, leaving players wanting more substance and growth.”