Sound of Horses

The only thing i dont like is when you go to jump the fences and everything there are too many rocks and trees in the way i keep hitting them

I did not play SSO growing up, so reviewing this without the nostalgia lens. On reflection, I have decided to give this game a “not recommended” despite many positives, for one specific reason which I’ll detail in the feedback below! Things to be aware of: - It doesn’t say it anywhere that I could find, but the target audience is young girls. There’s no option as yet to make a male character and I would put the age rating for this at 7-10 years. It would need tweaking to be less hand-holdy and with better written dialogue to make it suitable for older kids and teens. - This game is in early access and made by only two devs. Positives: - Really beautiful, big, well-built world for riding around in. The world is a massive strength and for those who just like to ride around and explore, this is a fantastic game for that. - Aesthetically nice all round. - Very well optimised and smooth to play, especially for an EA game. - Ability to create your own character and horse with customisation options, albeit ones which are limited at the time of writing. It’s clear this is an area the devs are already looking to expand on. - Some nice horse mechanics included, such as swimming and cart pulling. - After a slow start, the main fantasy story is engaging and will capture young imaginations. - Nice balance between filler low-stakes story that help flesh out the world, and the slowly developing grand mystery. - The game is “made with love” and it’s clear to see in the little details, such as NPCs waving to their friends while you drive them about, or making hand gestures when they want you to slow down. - The current price is really good and final price seems fair if all planned chapters are about the length (story-wise) of this one. - Nice music, especially the dramatic score (e.g. when there’s a storm). The horse clippy-clop sounds are really lovely too. - Horse care tasks are quick and easy to complete. - NPCs actually move around the world, which is rare in a horse game and makes the world feel more alive. There’s also wildlife, pets and farm animals moving about. - Simple WASD movement and mouse controls, easy for a child to pick up. - Cozy, cutesie feel, nothing inappropriate or too scary for children in the visuals or story. Why it’s not recommended: The camera is so bad it makes the game frustrating to play, and distracts from the positives. I checked other reviews as the camera issue was coming up a lot, and the only response I’ve seen from the devs is that this style of camera control is “normal in 3D games”. I would encourage the devs to check out Ranch of Rivershine (made by a single dev), Equinox: Homecoming or Legend of Khiimori to see how horse games can better implement camera controls. The issue with the camera in Sound of Horses: it’s slow to flip behind the horse as you take tight turns, making the races frustrating; the right-click mouse control is awkward to use; when you right-click mouse, it zooms in which is distracting and annoying while trying to ride. If the camera alone was fixed, I would change my review to recommended. Other constructive feedback: - The horse moves like a tank and levelling up didn’t bring any noticeable changes. Between that and the terrible camera controls, races were not enjoyable and I frequently collided with objects. - Too many follow quests. The game is VERY hand-holdy and very rarely in the story let me find my own route or take things at my own pace, since I was mostly having to follow other characters about and match pace with them. - The character you mostly follow, Lily, loves going fast. From the very start of the game she makes you charge about at full speed down narrow streets and round tight turns, which is not a gentle way to practice the controls when you aren’t used to them yet. It's also hard to appreciate the gorgeous world the devs have built when you're just trying to keep up with a speed maniac. - Not much incentive to explore because beyond the main story and competitions, there’s nothing else to do. A collection mechanic would go far in this game. - During races with other characters, the other characters very frequently barged into my horse and knocked me off course or slowed me down. This made races frustrating and almost impossible to win. - There’s a lack of purpose behind most tasks, which I think derives from a lack of character development in general and especially of the main character. The main character is basically everyone’s errand girl, but… why? She’s clearly old enough to move to the island without parents, so why does she not have a job? Why is she doing the postman’s job for him?? I would suggest the devs look at Equinox: Homecoming for a better take on the “girl moves back to her home island, gets a horse and runs errands for everyone” storyline and how to make it feel believable and realistic. - [spoiler]The Margot-Walter storyline has some serious issues. Margot’s concern about leaving her family home is legitimate, but she is gaslit as “stubborn”. She’s essentially forcibly evicted through peer pressure… why? Beyond “it’s Walter’s dream” the game never explains to us why it’s so important for the railway to reopen. If it’s my dream to live in someone else’s house, should I harass and get the town to peer pressure them into moving so I can fulfil my dream? This is ridiculous. The real scandal is that the railway company were allowed to build their line through her land in the first place! A more ethical storyline would have been to dismantle the tracks and build them somewhere else, or make Walter a model railway or something.[/spoiler] - Dialogue is clunky and exposition-heavy. - [spoiler]During the missing cat storyline, you only have to look in 3 of the places you’re supposed to check at each location. This makes it feel like your character isn’t really trying, and it doesn’t help when Lily’s dialogue is “let’s give up”. It feels tone deaf.[/spoiler] - The “you hurt your horse” pop up when you accidentally hurl yourself off a cliff is a little alarming. It could maybe do with gentler phrasing for the target audience. - A little thing, but after I picked my horse/character, it bothered me when I got into the game and realised that I'd inadvertently picked an identical horse to Lily's. It annoyed me every time my horse clone had to follow hers about. The option to change your horse appearance (even if by paying) in-game would not go amiss, or alternatively give Lily a unique horse. Overall: Really promising game and one I hope the devs continue to work on. I will happily play the rest of the game if the devs fix the camera, but won’t bother otherwise.

es ist ein sehr schönes Spiel, ich finde es sehr entspannend da es ein Einzelspieler Game ist, zum Ausgleich zu SSO wo ja viele Spieler on sind echt top. Das einzige was man eventuell verbessern könnte wäre die Bewegung der Hinterhand. Das sieht schon recht seltsam aus :)

Cute cozy horse game: The mechanics are easy to use. The story is wholesome and cute. I like the customization aspect and really hope they add more options in the future! The game has a ton of potential and I really look forward to what's coming next!

the game is really great. music is wonderful, the tasks are fun. i like the storyline, can't wait for new episodes. :))

an absolutly amazing work of art,i love the story and the charectors so much already and cant wait to see this game get the love it deserves by others

play it