Pure Farming 2018 | Xbox One Review

April 3, 2018 Chad Cusick

Pure Farming 2018 is exactly what its name implies, a farming simulator meant to be true to the real experience. Developer Ice Flames and publisher Techland put you in the tractor’s seat in the middle of the fields.

Pure Farming has three different modes offering different levels of gameplay. Learn the ropes with “My First Farm.” After your grandfather passes, you inherit his farm; and his hefty debt, in an attempt to save the family farm and continue the tradition. Starting with just a wheat field, you will need to expand to include other crops such as potatoes, and raising livestock such as rabbits and cows, to succeed. You can purchase better equipment along the way, including more modern tractors and even drones. You will not be able to do this all on your own. Hiring workers and enlisting help from neighboring farmers increases your chances of success. Pay off your debt and see how far you can go.

Take a Ride on My Big Green Tractor

“Farming Challenges” are for someone who wants a quick game. The time-limited scenarios may require you to harvest or sell a certain amount of crops, repair equipment, or help deal with a drought. You have all the equipment and resources ready so it comes down to your farming skill to complete them. More difficult challenges open up as you go allowing for different experiences.

The last mode allows you to set up your own game. “Free Farming” lets you pick your country; stay local in Montana, USA or venture to Japan, Colombia or Italy. You can set your bank account up with up to $5,000,000 and buy any equipment you want.

The beauty comes from the depth of detail and its trueness to farming. All the equipment you purchase are from real life manufacturers such as Zetor, Gregoire, JCB and McCormick. If you want maximum crop yield, you need to followall the steps from plowing to fertilizing and watering to harvest. This does require time and patience. Combine that with the ambience of the birds chirping and the wind chimes and you do feel like you are out there farming.

We Can Ride it Out to the Pasture

However, the games mechanics are lacking. The driving takes time to get used to, and since you do a lot of it, it can be frustrating. I managed to get a tractor stuck on a fence and had no way of getting it back. The graphics also have many sharp edges that take away from the ambience the music tries to create, and things like water or grass do not move when you walk through them.

Whether or not you like this game simply comes down to what style you enjoy. It is a slow-paced farming game true to its name. Between the clunky controls and the pace, I found it difficult to get into. If you want something slower to relax with or just really enjoy tractors, then it might be for you.

This review is based of of an Xbox One review copy provided by Techland and Little Big PR for coverage purposes.