It's the starting signal for Farming Simulator 23 on Nintendo Switch, Android mobiles and iOS this May 23, 2023. Yes it's been a lot of 23. 3 and a half years since these platforms had not been entitled to an update from the successful franchise from Giants Software. And if the previous version was not unanimous, this new opus seems set to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor. Explanations.
Seeing the arrival of a new Farming Simulator triggers some hype among players. This version 23 comes with its share of new features: 2 maps, 130 vehicles (for the Switch version, 100 on mobiles) at the dealership, hens as a new farm animal, the arrival of production chains... On paper, we are getting closer to version 22 on PC/home consoles. But that's only on paper.
The same mistakes
Remember this Farming Simulator 20 review. There was mention of performance problems, and rather dubious gameplay choices, curbing what makes the strength of this simulation: its sandbox side. Well, nothing has changed there. FS 23 accumulates nonsense, and we realize it all the more when we are a player of version 22 on PC.
You start your adventure with 3 low-powered tractors, a seeder, a cultivator, a combine harvester and a dumpster. But above all, your starting capital is set at €100.000. A ridiculous sum when we know that it will not allow the purchase of any equipment. Do you want a more efficient tractor? It's €200.000. Looking to test the forest gameplay? It will cost at least €500.000, divided between the harvester, the stump grinder, and the autoload transport trailer. The result of this choice, which we would have done well without, is that it will be necessary to coal about ten hours before being able to glimpse a perspective of evolution of your farm.
So yes, why not. But remember that I have several thousand hours of play on the Farming Simulator franchise, which I know inside out. Imagine a newcomer, who discovers the game with this mobile and limited version. This player could on the one hand not understand anything, because the explanations are limited (as always on FS), and on the other hand remain blocked on a gameplay loop (tillage, sowing, harvesting, selling) indefinitely. The slightest misstep or strategic error, when selling your harvest for example, makes the player pay a high price, with a bank account that will immediately turn red. And impossible to reload a save, since the game makes a backup every 5 minutes, and saves the game anyway when you leave it. Also, if an expert player can get away with it because he knows the basic mechanics of the game, a novice player will get discouraged very quickly and end up uninstalling the software.
A Farming Simulator that has lost its soul
The difficulty has not been reflected (well, we will see later, it seems voluntary). It is not possible to take out a bank loan, or even rent equipment. In other words, it is not possible to TRY. Yes, this strength of Farming Simulator, which means that we spend thousands of hours testing everything, all the gameplay, all the vehicles, all the animals, all the mods, does NOT exist in Farming Simulator 23.
So, there are quite a few solutions for beginner players. Start again, persevere, peel the meager aids, watch gameplay videos to understand... or, on mobile only, take out the bank card. Because yes, FS 23 (on Android at least) is a Pay to Win. And for a few very real euros, you can become a virtual millionaire and treat yourself to everything the game has to offer. So why not, after all, on mobile the game is exchanged for less than 10 euros. But what about the Nintendo Switch version, sold for 45 euros? Couldn't we have a little more freedom?
Endless limitations
Wanting to simplify the handling too much, Giants Software has limited the gameplay of this mobile version too much. To make it as simple as possible, I will describe my gaming experience, my game, which is around sixty hours now. I quickly understood the financial limitations, and where the developers wanted to direct us: towards the production chains. So I bought my first point of interest: the grain mill, in order to transform my cereals into flour and make a profit on the sale of my products. A capital gain which turned out to be very meager and which made me abandon my first purchase to the detriment of soybean production, which was just as profitable. I oriented myself, blind, since it is not possible to quantify the inputs/outputs of a production chain without owning it, towards the oil factory, in order to bring rapeseed there. This time it's the right one. I make good profits. And after a few rotations (and a few hours of play), I consider breeding.
But where to start? The cows ? No, you need grass, and to produce it, you have to be able to mow it (€80.000), press it (€150.000), transport it (€100.000), and I'm not sure I'll get my money back. Without counting the purchase of the barn, more than 200.000€. Sheep then? No, we also need grass. And even if the sheepfold is less expensive than the barn, it's still out of budget. Horses ? Why not, I am already able to produce oats. But finally, I turn to the pigsty, which is 2 steps from my farm. I have enough to produce the 3 necessary foods, and the pigsty remains in my prices. On the other hand, I could not bring straw for the litter, since the straw on the ground requires a baler or a self-loading wagon. It is also impossible for me to buy straw (or even hay for the cows…).
So here I am, a pig farmer. I buy my first animals, and quickly realize that the profitability is not there. I lose as much money producing my grain as selling my pigs. I cannot sell my slurry (no transport tank), nor use it in my fields (a spreader costs a kidney). All of this will have to be optimized. And that's where I'm coming from!
Who is this Farming Simulator for?
For the new player, who does not know FS, you will have understood that all these strategic reflections are far too complex. We are talking about a mobile version, accessible a priori to all, and not a version for hardcore gamers. And finally, it is the latter who will take full advantage of Farming Simulator 23. Because yes, you have to think, take notes, and even, we laugh about it but we did it, take out an Excel table to know, when to sell your pigs to get the best margins. We are very far from the leisure game that we launch in the metro or on the bus for a short session of a quarter of an hour. No. Farming Simulator 23 offers a real challenge, a mission, and if you are not ready to accept it, then move on.
I voluntarily spend my turn on the presentation of maps, about 800m x 800m. They are empty, far from the standards of the PC versions. And the choice of one or the other, to start the game, has no impact on the way of playing. I won't go into gameplay details, there are too many inconsistencies and gaps. The example of slurry for pigs is just one example among many. I could also have talked about the impossibility of storing loose straw when you can load it into the loader wagon… in short, the game design is poorly thought out and lacks depth.
I haven't played the 22 much because I've only had it for a short time, and I started the 23 as a noob, thanks to one or two videos, I followed the oatmeal. My game includes around a hundred hours of play and I'm still on oats, I'm thinking of switching to rapeseed and therefore oil because I have to work for three years to afford a good harvester/tractor .
As said, the level is really high, and from the start! Money is a real problem, there are no loans, no rentals. Buildings, vehicles, and tools are overpriced. (I'm on Switch and even if I was on Android I would never pay). Storage is also a big problem when it comes to grass/hay/straw.
Anyway, a good game with lousy graphics, with a difficulty multiplied by 4 compared to FS22.