A cynical person might assume that I make casual computer games because they are easy to make or because I’m simply following the latest trends. Not at all. I make casual games because I love the concept! I like puzzles and games one can pick up instantly. Most importantly I enjoy games that don’t demand that I learn a motoric skill. Ten years ago I still played an FPS now and then, but as time moved on so did my taste in games; I don’t want to spend hours learning how to get my slippery fingers to move that damn character like I want him to move. In other words: I play a lot of casual games instead.

However, there are casual games that I never seem to enjoy. Games of the overly linear kind, for example. Games like Farm Frenzy and Farm Frenzy 2.

The main premise of both games is that you assume the role of a farmer who needs to accomplish certains goals on each level in order to achieve a rank and collect stars. The stars are then used to purchase new equipment and upgrades, which give you access to new levels as well as new ways of producing foods. Each level of the game is based around feeding animals so that they produce food, which then can be refined into different foods. Which in turn can be refined into more foods. Oh, and pandas occasionally drop in to wreak havok.

While this game is masterfully engineered and strangely addictive to some, I just can’t seem to become hooked on this kind of mechanic. The levels are fun at first but quickly become repetetive. There seems to be no reason to go on – there are no surprises in store. Sure, there are new animals and new foodstuffs to be seen, but everything follows the pattern that was established in the very first level. Simply put, this is not a game for me.

Graphics

Crisp, colorful and varied. Full of character. Not all that many different backgrounds, though.

4/5

Sound

Wacky country music and animal effects. Serves its purpose, but nothing spectacular.

3/5

Gameplay

Well-designed but repetetive. I know that there are branches later in the game, but it’s still quite linear.

3/5

Addictiveness

It’s just not working for me. Sorry!

2/5

Technical notes

No bugs or technical issues found. However, I noticed that the game’s loading times are pretty slow. The game fills up 140 MB of RAM during the title screen, which then increases to a whopping 550 MB during gameplay. Seems like a lot for a 2D game, even though there are a lot of animations for the animals. I wonder if the animals are 3D models that are rendered to 2D upon starting up the game… That would explain why the game’s data file is only 32 MB, but it needs more than 500 MB while playing.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 11:05 pm and is filed under Indie Game Reviews, Indie Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.