Cowboy Life Simulator Review (PC)

Cowboy Life Simulator finds the means to scratch an itch that often gets overlooked by the casual gamer—a concept that, although present in alternate realities à la Red Dead Redemption, often excludes the crucial aspects of Frontier evolution. It isn’t the be all, end all of ideas I’ll admit, and it does miss out on several of the most beloved features—an enchanting locale and a lathering of magical creatures, for example. Here, it’s a little grittier and downtrodden, like a tumbleweed in a desolate ghost town. The herding and farming duties are still alive and kicking, but the gleaming qualities of a post-modern agriculture sim get lost behind a veil of time-appropriate details. It isn’t pretty, but at least it’s authentic. Well, sort of.

There are, of course, plenty of cliches to swagger your revolver at here, with elements that gently give a nod of their ten-gallon hats to the Wild West, warts and all. But, at the heart of all of this is a surprisingly relaxing, almost therapeutic rancher sim experience that swaps out the frills and frantic moments of western culture and puts a saddle on the smoother aspects of Frontier life. Is it perfect? Absolutely not, no. And yet, I find myself oddly drawn to it, like a duel in a dust-added town that yearns for a climax. Maybe there’s something here that I keep coming back to, or maybe cowboy-centric simulators are so scarce that I’m merely pouring all of my eggs into one basket.

Dreams of the Frontier

While Cowboy Life Simulator might not necessarily be about gunslinging and caravan robberies and what have you, it does emulate a lot of the classic elements of a signature western plot. Here, you’ll find ranches that can be built and upgraded; mineshafts that you can venture into for resources and building materials; flocks that you can herd and maintain; and an all-round progression hook that allows you the freedom to shape and evolve your own western narrative. There’s farming, crafting, customization, and, in an attempt to stay true to western flicks of old, just a slither of combat to help whet the mood.

On the bright side of all of the above is a compact experience that leaves a ton of avenues open for you to explore over a long haul self-sustaining adventure. It’s a bit of a slow burner at first I’ll admit, but as with a lot of chore-based simulation games, it is a game that gets better with age. What I mean to say here is that, the diamond is only available to those who are willing to spend hours mulling over a lump of coal. It just so happens that the lump of coal here takes a long, long time to birth its treasures. That’s a simulation game for you though, I suppose.

Life Out West

Cowboy Life Simulator paints a relatively laid-back image of a rancher who, like those who came before, wishes to build a life off the fat of the land and find purpose out on the bittersweet boroughs of the Frontier. As the herder in this rags-to-riches story, you find yourself with the task of establishing a ranch—a job that requires you to work with crops, herd various cattle, and, on certain occasions, wage war with local gangs and other pesky animals that roam the boroughs. There’s more to it than that, but this is, at least for the most part, the fuel that propels your freight, so to speak.

The game starts out like a lot of sims of its kind, with a vacant plot of land, a belt of tools, and a dream of transforming a small pocket of dust into a prosperous farmyard that can cater to all walks of life. With a big world to explore and a ton of crafting recipes and quests to unlock, it immediately puts you in your boots and gives you the means to venture out on your own to forge a legacy that would make even the likes of post-credits John Marston jealous. And, you know what? Even for an Early Access title, it brings a lot to the frontier. Sure, it fosters a couple of minor bugs, yet there’s nothing overly dramatic to write home about here, and frankly, it does a fantastic job of maintaining its composition with a litter of engaging stepping stones and a well-crafted UI, to boot.

Of course, there are still several things that have yet to come to fruition here. Again, being locked in Early Access, you cannot venture into specific areas, and you cannot experience the breadth of the crafting recipes or blueprints. And yet, even without the full Frontier at its disposal, it coughs up a lot of things for you to get stuck into, with a sizable map, as well as a healthy portion of tasks, choices, and opportunities for you to shape your ranch and tweak the details. A lot of bang for your buck, then.

Verdict

Cowboy Life Simulator makes a good attempt at birthing a Frontier-based ranching experience with its thematic gameplay elements and time-appropriate, albeit somewhat cliche-addled features that allow even the most saddle-minded cowpoke to embellish and thrive without the usual limitations. Between all of these elements idles a solid, albeit rather generic sandbox and life simulation blueprint that provides enough fodder to keep you holstered for hours. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a brilliant game, as it does fall short in a few crucial areas. But then, with Early Access, a few loose nuts and bolts are to be expected — so we’ll let it slide.

With all of the above said, it’s evident that Cowboy Life Simulator has a good future ahead of it, with the momentum to project even grander ambitions and general hot fixes in the coming months. Here’s hoping, then, that the devs will keep to their promise and elevate its foundations to exceed the be all, end all of Frontier-based life and farming simulation games. We’re crossing our fingers, anyway.