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Agriculture proves that farming is a tough way of life. With plenty of elements to worry about, your crops can fail and your bank account will empty. Yet, if you have a methodical mindset, you’ll complete each of the 50 stages with relative ease.
Developed by Nerd Games and Eastasiasoft Limited and published by the latter, this is a puzzle title. What’s more, it flaunts its farming roots. Consequently, it is filled with clichéd images and mechanics. As such, it is a wholesome game that’ll make you smile.
Agriculture has no story.
Disappointingly, Agriculture has no story. Subsequently, there is little depth and you feel no empathy towards the protagonist. Furthermore, other than the annoyance of losing money and your crops, you simply go through the motions as you complete each stage.
This may seem like a complaint. However, it’s more of an observation. It would have been easy for the developers to incorporate a fun and interesting plot. Instead, they focused on a rinse-and-repeat core concept that outstays its welcome. Had a tongue-in-cheek plot been used, the action could have evolved to prevent tedium from kicking in.
Simple mechanics.
The action focuses on a farm that has 2 pieces of land. Furthermore, there is a shop to buy seeds, a stall to sell your crops, and a well for water. On top of this, there are sneaky crows that wish to ruin your day. The game asks you to dig the soil, plant seeds, water them, harvest them, and sell everything you grow. Each stage has set goals and you must produce everything within a limited timescale.
In theory, this sounds challenging. However, in reality, it’s a piece of cake. As long as you are organised, you’ll never run out of time! This was unfortunate, as it reduced the excitement and added to the sense of tedium. During the 50 stages, you’ll be asked to plant up to 10 different crops. Each one costs a set amount and they sell for double the purchase price. Therefore, as long as you don’t lose any crops, you are unlikely to fail.
Your crops will fail if you forget to water them or the birds eat them. Either way, it is a bit of a ballache and something that’ll set you back. Yet, if you run at the crows or you keep your watering can filled, you’ll never go wrong. Accordingly, it is far too easy, and this frustrated me.
Agriculture is colourful and pleasant to the eye.
Agriculture utilises a fixed-screen perspective. Throughout the 50 stages, very little changes. This was annoying, as a seasonal change would have been pleasant, whilst adding further hurdles to overcome. However, this wasn’t to be. Instead, you’ll enjoy a vivid colour palette and a simple arena to navigate. What’s more, the UI is intuitive, and the screen remains uncluttered. Consequently, these were good design choices that helped the flow of the game.
The audio is upbeat, wholesome, and easy to listen to. What’s more, the sound effects are basic, and this complemented the theme. Though I wasn’t amazed by the audio, it fitted the bill and was pleasant and inoffensive.
No tutorial = trial and error.
For reasons unknown, Agriculture has no tutorial. Instead, you are left to your own devices. As such, this leads to plenty of trial and error and lots of early mistakes. However, once you get over this hurdle, the action is straightforward and easy to understand.
Sadly, there is almost no replay value. Thanks to the distinct lack of depth, there is no reason to return. Moreover, there is no grading system to tempt you back. Instead, the developers focused on a timer to record your efforts. Yet this won’t entice many people, as there are no rewards for your efforts.
Agriculture could have been much better.
I enjoyed my time with Agriculture, but it could have been much better. The developers missed many opportunities to improve the concept, and this irked me. If you love basic puzzles, you’ll enjoy the repetitive but methodical approach. Yet, if you want a challenging experience, there are better titles out there. Accordingly, despite its shortcomings, I still recommend that you buy it here! 50 stages stand between you and glory. Therefore, you must pick up your hoe, plant your seeds, and complete every order on time.
