Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 527 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch Game Cover
If you enjoy riding horses and enjoy spending time with them, then there is no better game than Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch.
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In "Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch," players help restore a family ranch while exploring a vast open world, building relationships with characters, and breeding, training, and racing horses. With numerous secrets to uncover, the game offers an immersive experience in horseback adventure and ranch restoration. Handling a challenging task, players will meet new characters, discover the island's mysteries and engage in exciting horse races with their uniquely skilled horses.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 527 reviews
story72 positive mentions
stability116 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and art style that creates a charming atmosphere.
  • Engaging horse mechanics with unique traits and a realistic breeding system.
  • Large open world with plenty of areas to explore and collect resources.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and cause frustration.
  • Short main storyline with little depth and abrupt ending.
  • Lack of fast travel options makes navigation tedious and can lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • story630 mentions

    The story in the game is widely criticized for being short, shallow, and lacking depth, with many players completing it in just a few hours. Reviewers noted that the main quest consists primarily of fetch quests, leading to an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion, leaving little incentive to continue playing afterward. While some appreciated the charming visuals and horse mechanics, the overall narrative experience felt underdeveloped and disconnected, with many characters lacking meaningful backstories.

    • “The story is cute and well thought out.”
    • “The world is huge and really fun to explore, and that alone has kept me super busy despite the story missions being a little lacking.”
    • “The story was fun but felt like it lacked more depth or possibly felt short-lived.”
    • “The main story ends abruptly and it's pretty disappointing as there are many characters that we didn't get to know very well and locations that are not used in the missions.”
    • “The story is short and shallow; I think I somehow skipped a chunk of it.”
    • “The story, if you can even call it that, is all a bunch of fetch quests with no meaning, and two races. If this was the effort they were going to go with for a story, they may as well have not bothered at all.”
  • gameplay176 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the horse-riding mechanics and exploration elements, while others criticize the simplicity, lack of depth, and numerous bugs. Although the visuals and horse care mechanics are praised, the overall experience is marred by tedious fetch quests, poorly implemented controls, and a lack of engaging content, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness and frustration. Many reviewers express hope for future updates to enhance gameplay and fix existing issues, indicating that while the game has potential, it currently feels incomplete.

    • “The standout feature for me is undoubtedly the horse-riding gameplay.”
    • “The riding mechanics are great and the world is pretty.”
    • “Exploration and gameplay are really fun, visually it's gorgeous, and minimal bugs were encountered (nothing game breaking whatsoever).”
    • “The story is boring and unoriginal, the models are ugly (what was the purpose of giving the horses eyebrows???) and the gameplay is miserable.”
    • “The main story ends about five or six hours into gameplay, and the rest of the game devolves into 'well, you can breed horses so that's fun, I guess'... except breeding doesn't really work, it's incredibly buggy, and getting the items to breed your horses is a massive grindfest.”
    • “Unfortunately, Emerald Valley is massively let down by gameplay.”
  • graphics147 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute and stylized aesthetic, which many players find charming and suitable for the game's theme. While the visuals are described as beautiful and inviting, some users note issues such as glitches, blurriness, and a lack of depth in detail, particularly on higher settings. Overall, the art style is appreciated for its uniqueness and accessibility, making it enjoyable even on lower-end hardware.

    • “The game is beautiful and has a pleasing simplistic art style with beautiful cell shading.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the environments are relaxing, and riding around is a treat.”
    • “The graphics and art style are amazing, with a beautiful color scheme and a variety of scenes.”
    • “The graphics look rushed; things pop in and out of render distance, floating foliage and rocks, clippable areas.”
    • “There's no depth, and the lack of detail and shadows on the highest graphics setting is just disappointing.”
    • “The graphics look blurry and out of focus, even on ultra settings, upon turning on the game there is an immediate spelling error in the first character dialog text, then the camera also feels terrible, never completely follows behind the character or horse properly.”
  • stability116 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous players reporting a wide range of bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some glitches are minor and cosmetic, many are game-breaking or frustrating, leading to a sense of an unfinished product. Despite ongoing efforts from developers to address these issues, the game's current state is described as buggy and lacking in polish, making it difficult for some players to recommend it.

    • “The game is so incredibly buggy that on a main questline race it won't even count the checkpoints I go through, and it got so frustrating I ended up just quitting the game entirely.”
    • “All the promises made about this game cannot justify the buggy state it is in: it is not an alpha or beta state game, it is a full release, and as such leaves much, much more to be desired.”
    • “There is a giant amount of bugs and glitches that ruin literally everything this game has to offer.”
  • grinding79 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that resource gathering and breeding mechanics require excessive time and effort without sufficient reward. Many reviews highlight the lack of fast travel options and the repetitive nature of tasks, which detracts from the enjoyment of the gameplay. While some appreciate the game's charm and potential, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding elements hinder the overall experience.

    • “Game play and story wise this game is boring and tedious.”
    • “You can breed horses, but not only has this process been made needlessly grindy to the point of mind-numbing tedium - you ride in endless loops around the vast empty map picking sugar off the ground - but you cannot breed horses that are any better than the ones you find in the wild.”
    • “The lack of fast travel makes the game extremely tedious as certain items you need in order to build certain buildings will spawn only in specific areas that are halfway across the map.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its soothing and beautiful qualities, enhancing the relaxing atmosphere with ambient sounds like birds chirping. However, some players feel that the soundtrack is lacking in variety and consistency, leading to moments where the game feels empty. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the experience, there are calls for a more robust and continuous soundtrack to better complement the gameplay.

    • “I absolutely adore a good artistic game; add in some good music and I am sold!”
    • “The soundtrack and noises of the game are actually quite beautiful. I love the sound of birds chirping, as I don’t hear it as often living in a town as I did when I lived in the country.”
    • “It's extremely relaxing (except for the races, haha!) with lovely music, beautiful ambient sound, and pretty environments.”
    • “Music is okay, nothing special.”
    • “There is no background music to help set the mood that you are supposed to feel.”
    • “The game can feel a bit empty sometimes, due to lack of music and... humans.”
  • emotional16 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing; while some players find it heartwarming and wholesome, particularly in the interactions with horses, many criticize the lack of a compelling story and emotional depth. Players report feeling disconnected from the characters and the world, with fetch quests that fail to create meaningful stakes or attachments. Overall, the game elicits mixed feelings, with some enjoying its charm and others feeling frustrated by its shortcomings.

    • “You need to pet your horse (and each horse has its own sequence of what it loves) to help keep it happy, and the little scenes that play as you do each action are so heartwarming.”
    • “Honestly, this game is very wholesome and pretty. As someone who enjoys crafting and horse games, I love this game!”
    • “I'm really loving this beautiful, heartfelt game.”
    • “The game has a short, boring story that ends as soon as it feels like it might actually start going somewhere.”
    • “Tough to control properly, boring story, and an empty world.”
    • “You can only interact with collectible resources and NPCs related to the equally boring story.”
  • replayability13 mentions

    Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many players noting a lack of engaging NPCs, random events, and meaningful upgrades. While some enjoy the scenic exploration and racing elements that offer a degree of replay value, the consensus is that the game falls short in providing substantial content to encourage repeated play. Players express hope for future updates to enhance replayability and content variety.

    • “The bugfix made the game a lot more playable - races and even just riding around the map are a lot of fun now, and the game feels like an adventure every time you leave your estate.”
    • “Races (NPCs will beat your scores over time, so it gives replayability, so you can get better horses and keep trying to stay in first place).”
    • “I don't expect it to be Stardew levels, but the more replayability you add to a game and the more you add for people to unlock, the more coverage a game gets and the more fun your community will have.”
    • “There is no replayability for the game, sadly.”
    • “The lack of replayability is also something that has stuck out to me.”
    • “There is zero replayability and no room for role-play.”
  • optimization12 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with players reporting clunky controls, frequent bugs, and performance issues across various platforms, particularly on laptops. While the game runs smoothly on PC and Steam Deck for some users, many have experienced severe lag, disappearing objects, and frame rate drops, indicating that the optimization is lacking and inconsistent. Players suggest that the game could benefit from better performance tuning to enhance the overall experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly on PC and Steam Deck.”
    • “The PC experience is 1000x better just with the improved performance alone.”
    • “Not very intense at all, and way better optimized for the controller.”
    • “The controls felt clunky, the game performance wasn't what it could be, and the bugs were terrible.”
    • “When I jump, 1 out of 3 times I died; during the race, barriers and arches do not load immediately, making it impossible to win; before the race, the NPC had 2 minutes, and after losing, it became 48 seconds, which makes it impossible to progress in the quest; optimization is bad (tried to play on both a laptop and a computer - crashes and freezes everywhere).”
    • “The opening cutscenes had serious frame rate issues; I tried the game on both Steam Deck and gaming PC, and it's not the hardware, the game is just horribly optimized.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful art style, relaxing ambiance, and engaging sound design, reminiscent of Studio Ghibli and certain Final Fantasy titles. However, some players find the contrast between vibrant landscapes and empty towns jarring, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the attention to detail in the environment contributes significantly to the game's immersive quality.

    • “The art: the game has a beautiful art style and atmosphere.”
    • “It has a cozy atmosphere and a beautiful soundtrack.”
    • “The attention to detail when it comes to atmosphere is top notch.”
    • “This did sort of ruin the atmosphere for me. I felt weird going into these villages; I felt like I shouldn't be there because of how empty it was. Going from these beautiful, vibrant open fields to these tiny, empty towns was sort of upsetting.”
    • “A game makes its first impression with its character creator, and it really deserves the same love the rest of the atmosphere in the world was given.”
    • “I have already compared the game's visuals to Studio Ghibli, but as far as atmosphere is concerned, I would also say that it reminds me a great deal of a few of the Final Fantasy titles.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky bugs and glitches, which players find amusing rather than frustrating, such as upside-down horses and characters faceplanting. Additionally, the game's witty dialogue and ironic storyline add to its comedic charm, making for a lighthearted experience that keeps players entertained despite the technical issues. Overall, the humor is a delightful aspect that enhances the gameplay.

    • “The game is also surprisingly funny, from your character’s reaction when they see the estate for the first time, to the description of the first bridge you build, to a certain Star Wars reference and more.”
    • “Minor bugs like upside down horses I am more than willing to have a laugh about and consider a funny quirk.”
    • “Not game breaking but just bugs like... my horse decided to become a squirrel at one point, suddenly standing casually at a treetop (which was more funny than annoying).”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized, with many users feeling it resembles a cash grab rather than a genuine effort, particularly due to the presence of numerous microtransactions and the inclusion of features that should have been part of the base game. Overall, players express disappointment, feeling misled by the game's advertising and questioning the developers' intentions.

    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel exploitative.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content alongside optional purchases.”
    • “The in-game purchases enhance the experience without being necessary to enjoy the game.”
    • “Overall, this seems more like a quick cash grab, but that's just my opinion. From the other reviews, it seems to fall in the same direction as mine.”
    • “It feels rushed and cash grabby for what it is, especially with the foal care, something that should have been included in the base game.”
    • “Developers say they made it with 'love,' but sadly, everything so far proves that it's nothing more than a pretty looking cash grab for a desperate horse games community.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for its limited design options, particularly regarding people of color, with only one hairstyle available for each gender. Reviewers express a desire for more in-depth personalization features, such as varied face shapes, body builds, and the ability to change hair color throughout the game. Overall, the character design is seen as lacking depth and variety.

    • “More in-depth character design and personalization options, such as face shape, height, body build, and additional starter clothing choices, would enhance the experience. The ability to change hair color throughout the game, including dyed options, would also be a great addition.”
    • “Character design is limited, with very few options for people of color, featuring only one male and one female hairstyle.”
    • “The human character designs are really lacking in general.”
    • “There needs to be more in-depth character design and personalization options, such as face shape, height, body build, additional starter clothing options, and the ability to change hair color throughout the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

61% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
6-13hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs

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