Released on November 3, 2022, shortly after Asterix and Obelix XXXL, the new Microids game, Horse Tales: Emerald Valley, promises an open world with lush landscapes and a rich equestrian universe, with magical airs. But, when is it concretely? Available on PC, Switch and Playstation 4 and 5, we tested this game combining adventure, exploration and management for horse lovers.
An open world offering verdant settings
Horse Tales starts with the creation of his character with a choice of gender and then some customizations such as hair or eyes. Then, we are directly immersed in this universe with multiple decorations. A series of quests punctuate our discovery by presenting us with the various characters, settings and possibilities offered by this adventure. The world is divided into several biomes, each offering their own particularities. We thus find caves, meadows, forests or beaches. These areas are populated by many NPCs (non playable characters) to discover new techniques or to obtain information through secondary quests making the exploration very complete.
Unique horses for a more realistic immersion
During the initiation, we have the choice between three horses to start and it is easy to see that their differences are not only aesthetic. Each horse, throughout the game, has its own unique personality, fears, and skills. Thus, some will be faster and afraid of the dark, others will be more agile and love to run in the sand. It will then be necessary to choose and breed horses with the appropriate characteristics for the selected activities in order to win speed competitions or jump more easily over obstacles. The game also offers a breeding system in which the ancestors will be very important in order to have foals with the best characteristics. You will therefore need to find the right wild horses to create the future champion!
In order to advance in the story, it will be necessary to take care of our horses. They will need to be fed, cuddled, brushed and washed. Every horse has favorite foods and favorite cuddling areas! It is also possible to help horses overcome their fears through a series of actions (stroking a horse that is afraid of the dark several times in dark areas, for example). Each animal then develops a unique personality with behaviors of its own, giving it a lot of character, making it something more than a simple means of locomotion.
Horses, but not only!
One of the primary goals of Horse Tales is to restore your estate to its former glory! For this, it will be necessary to explore the vast plains in order to find the materials necessary for the various constructions. This thus makes it possible to increase the number of horses that one can own and be able to take care of them as best as possible. As a result, you will improve their performance during races. It’s a management game in its own right! It will be necessary to find the plans in order to unlock new constructions from NPCs or during your walks, which offers a new challenge.
Reviews on Horse Tales: Emerald Valley
Microids offers us in this game a perfect adventure for horse lovers of all ages! Its soft and soothing universe allows you to enjoy the adventure at your own pace. It offers many facets of gameplay that will delight many player profiles. Whether you like horse games, management games or adventure, you will find what you are looking for. Horse Tales also offers great prospects for development with already two DLCs to its credit. Only downside, the game is not fully optimized for keyboard use. So choose a controller adventure. But, once mastered, Horse Tales: The Emerald Valley offers many hours of discovery and adventure with our equine friends.