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Orange Season is a game that showed plenty of promise. It’s instantly pleasant to the eye and I liked the calm audio. However, it is tarnished with bugs and none of the gameplay feels original. Moreover, many of its peers are better in practically every aspect. Therefore, I can’t see how this indie farming experience will appeal to would-be virtual farmers.
This simulation title was developed by Innerfire Studios and published by SOEDESCO. What’s more, it is a single-player game that is reasonably time-consuming. If you have the patience of a saint and the hours to waste, you could complete every NPC-based quest. Yet, this is unlikely as you’ll become frustrated by the clunky controls and the game-breaking bugs.
Orange Season tells a familiar story.
Every farming sim focuses on the newbie coming to town and reviving the broken farmstead. Disappointingly, Orange Season doesn’t break this mould and you yawn as the inevitable story unfolds. Once you break the back of the tedious intro, you are left to your own devices. This is where the game should have excelled, but it doesn’t. Farming, mining, fishing, and rearing animals demand your attention and eye for detail.
In theory, each of these core mechanics should have been enjoyable. However, the financial element is out of balance and you become bored with sorting out your farm and watering your crops. Additionally, it is quicker and easier to forage for valuable items as you explore the vast map. This is where Orange Season excels. The town is bloody huge! Furthermore, there are loads of NPCs to interact with. This should have been the piece de resistance, but it wasn’t. Finding each person to accept quests was tiresome and the map was as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Too many bugs.
This is laced with countless bugs. I’m aware that the developers are trying to rectify the issues, but it currently makes the game a challenge to play. You become stuck in rocks or hit invisible walls. This causes you so many problems that you feel like quitting within minutes. On top of this, the map occasionally doesn’t work and this makes finding any of the NPCs a tough ask.
The map is extremely vague as well. Navigating the world should have been interesting and fun. However, finding where each person was located was an uphill struggle. This constant issue made quest hunting a bore and everything felt like a chore. I accept that sim games should have a sense of realism, but I don’t want to play a game that makes me want to scream with frustration every 3 minutes.
Orange Season shows that you can polish a turd.
Orange Season has managed to polish a turd! Visually, it is a cute and wholesome experience that is pleasant to look at. Moreover, I loved the vast world and the varied backdrops. Yet, this beautiful setting hides the mess that stares you in the face. I despise the invisible walls and the poor UI. Furthermore, the glitches undermined the final polish and that was disappointing.
The audio is great. I adore calm farming sim soundtracks and this didn’t let me down. As the time ticks away, you’ll enjoy a blend of upbeat and calm music. This is complemented by the sound effects and some nice ambient noises.
Awful controls.
I found the controls to be clumsy and poorly considered. Everything felt like a chore and this was annoying. Though you are told what to do and the thorough tutorial sets you up well, everything lacks a sharp edge and this makes the simplest of tasks annoyingly challenging.
Orange Season could be addictive if the developer sorts out the issues. Yet, I can’t see this happening and many people will have buyers regret almost immediately. If I hadn’t reviewed it, it would have been uninstalled pretty quickly.
Orange Season is a rubbish farming game.
There is no way to say this nicely, but this is a rubbish farming game. Completing each quest was a ridiculous and arduous task that will piss off the most patient of gamers. Furthermore, it is far too buggy to enjoy. Accordingly, I don’t recommend buying it, but more information can be found here! Do you want to become a farmer? If the answer is yes, buy one of its peers.
