Horsez

I love playing these reality simulations on the Nintendo DS. I am rather addicted to Nintendogs and my Golden Retriever is doing quite well, thank you. My daughter loves horses, and is actually able to play my "dog sim," despite her age being under the minimum. However, from the opening introduction, Ubisoft's Horsez is nothing like the other pet sims I have played. Not in a good way, I'm afraid.

This game promises everything that you'd want out of the thriving genre of having virtual pets. Having grown up with horses, I can appreciate that they are vastly more complicated than raising a kitten. In addition to the training and care of the animal, this one requires you to attend classes and take on the persona of a specific character, versus creating your own persona/image/avatar. You are Ginger. That's it.

You can choose the way you want to play, and though there are nice colors/breeds to choose from, the differences are not a factor. The only major option when selecting the horse is whether or not you want to start with a foal or horse (or both, if you like punishment). It takes a lot of time and effort to manage your duties. That's fine, and part of the challenge of having horses in real life, but your tasks are on a timer, and you score badly if hooves are not cleaned within the allotted time frame. You also have to plan out each day's routine in your scheduler, though you get to select what chores are done, and when. That doesn't make it any easier on you. You have to balance workouts, reading (a must!), grooming, dressage (look that one up), and more. The same has to be done with most pet sims, but this one does it with a virtual whip against your backside the entire time. That's great fun for some folks, but I find it annoying for someone trying to "grow" skills along with the animal's development. That's a major factor of the game, so playing against such parameters take the fun out of the potential experience.

As previously mentioned, you must lay out each day by a series of chores. If you go to clean a stall, you better do it timely, or you are warned by some unfriendly taskmaster character - The Foreman. He is over your shoulder at every turn. Taking too long to clean the hoof? Penalty! There is no joy in laying out your day, as it feels forced and there isn't a option to just "enjoy my horse." It IS an Academy environment, but it feels more like a prison with a stringent routine. This is an example of where I lose my ability to imagine this being much fun for a young player. The training is unfriendly and the rewards are too few and far between. With the pressure of the chores and their restraints, it is difficult to maintain the level of enthusiasm required to succeed

The sounds are decent when interacting with the horse. The gallops sound as they should, and the bars you "whack" when missing a jump sound like the real deal. The music is soothing and suitable for bedtime. It is not uplifting and reminiscent of Black Beauty or any other score with passion.

The graphics are much more enjoyable than the sound. The horses look nice, and the options for point of view are nice. You can choose to view it from first person, which gives it a nice feel. The hay looks like hay, and the glitches are minimal. One of the game's greatest strengths is the look, which redeems a lot of the experience, but still not enough to make you forget how involved you are.

This is a game meant for an audience that misses it's mark. I recall my younger days of feeding the horses before school and the labor of keeping them in good health - but did not have someone over my shoulder screaming at me for not rushing through a hoof-cleaning! This is a scholastic setting, so I understand it's about making a long-term commitment, but I think the fun is so far removed from this game that it will be hard for young players to engage in it for the long haul. It's a miserable mix of RPG and pet care. 

Gameplay: 5.0
The manual is not well written, so the learning greatly relies upon prompts and dialog while playing. You can also get help in the game's chat room - which is part of the required activities. Handling the horse is not too difficult, but takes some practice to master using the stylus to jump and run. You can use the buttons if that is more comfortable. In a game of few options, that is one facet that's welcome. 

Graphics: 7.5 
Trotting along the ring looks very nice from atop your steed. There are minimal shortcuts here and there, but when it counts - the horses - things look very nice.  

Sound: 4.0
The music is too timid for the pace of the game. You're pushed to excellence throughout the game, but the music does not rise to the occasion. It's slow and uninspiring, while the effects sounds are mostly dead-on. It's easier to sample actual hooves at full gallop than it is to render a memorable score from scratch. 

Difficulty: Hard
Considering this game is meant for younger players, and I would guess females, I think it misses the mark. The game is not newbie friendly like Nintendogs or Hamsterz, but more brutal like Fritz Chess! You don't get to spend quality time to develop your animal like you with other sims I have tried. It's all work and goals. I just imagine that anyone other than the hardcore reality-starved players will enjoy this for long. My own daughter dropped it quickly, and was quickly digging for her puppy in Nintendogs. Nothing is more surreal than having the Foreman scold you after rushing through a task that in real life should be taken with more care and finesse.

Concept: 6.0
It's a great attempt to bring a popular animal to the hands of the young that otherwise may never get to experience the real-life version. Many kids dream if having a "pony" when growing up. I have had one (Ok, several!) pony, and this certainly offers more than I had to deal with. However, what I miss here is just being able to sit with my horses and brush them for the pure love of it. Taking the time they need to bond, and taking them out on runs where we both explored new things. This is a academic environment, so if that's the kind of hard pace you need to experience, they did a decent job delivering that to you.   

Overall: 5.6
I wish this was the game I thought it would be. I guess I am spoiled with the gameplay of the other pet simulators, and thought this would be a Day at the Races with lots of downtime to play with my (large) pet. I like brushing the animal, and taking him out for trots and other reasons to learn each other. Aside from the horse being able to come when you call it, there isn't a lot of bonding time inbetween the verbal beat-downs from the Foreman, and making your daily schedules out before you get your cornflakes. It's just a hectic race of doing this and that ... then move on to the next day. I did not graduate from the Academy. I am not sure I would want to hang that diploma on my wall, anyway. I'll be content going back to my cyber-dog who is fully bonded with me, and comes running when I call his name. We go to the park, on walks and play ball. I wanted to experience fun in similar ways with my horse, but the opportunity is just not there. I guess I'll have to revert to my own personal memories of raising horses and when I didn't have an evil taskmaster yelling at me for how I clean a stall! This one comes out the gate strong, but stumbles on the jumps.