Cattle Country Impressions
Cattle Country is a farming life sim, set in the Old West, that will feel very familiar.
Cattle Country. Castle Pixel / Playtonic.
You arrive in a small town to take over some farmland overrun with weeds, trees, and rocks. The small town is full of charming locals who lead busy lives and appreciate well-chosen gifts. Nearby, there’s wilderness to forage, a river to fish, and a mine to explore. You might think I’m describing Stardew Valley, but I’m talking about Cattle Country from developer Castle Pixel and publisher Playtonic.
To be fair, all of this originates with 16-bit classic Harvest Moon. Still, Stardew Valley made this type of life sim explode while redefining it for a new generation, before spawning countless imitators. Observed through my playthrough so far, Cattle Country doesn’t attempt to break the mold, playing it safe with nearly identical visuals, goals, and systems, without adding much.
Cattle Country. Castle Pixel / Playtonic.
You plant crops and care for them, just as you would in Stardew Valley. One small but appreciated difference in quality of life is that the game will only let you water land that’s tilled. It was nice to walk forward while holding the action button, knowing I wouldn’t unintentionally waste my stamina pouring water onto grass. Meanwhile, another system that works the same way—crafting—is stymied by an irritating lack of convenience. You can only cook or craft with items in hand; the game ignores anything in containers like chests.
Mining is one area that Cattle Country dares to diverge from its inspiration. When you enter the mine, the gameplay changes to sidescrolling 2D. You no longer look for exits to lower floors. Instead, mining is about digging downward to delve to the depths, while using items such as rope ladders, wooden platforms, and torches to manage your safety and ability to ascend. It’s a compelling change that makes me wish the game would make more of an effort to be different.
Cattle Country’s graphics are in a polished 2D 16-bit style that’s perhaps slightly more attractive than Stardew Valley. To casual observers who aren’t deeply familiar, it would be easy to mistake screenshots of one game for the other, despite the slight edge this game has visually. Cattle Country is a clone, and the graphics don’t do anything to prove otherwise.
Cattle Country. Castle Pixel / Playtonic.
While it’s not a unique game, Cattle Country is great for players who simply want more Stardew Valley, and I know there is no shortage of those. It’s still a little rough around the edges, but I’m sure further patches will work out those kinks.
Cattle Country is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S.
Played on: Steam Deck
