Review: Cattle Country on Nintendo Switch

Cattle Country, huh? “Cozy Cowboy Adventure Life Sim”—yeah, another cozy game… but with cowboys? That’s something you don’t see every day. Forget the buzzwords for a sec, let’s dive into this peculiar Wild West journey.

So, you don your cowboy boots and it’s somewhere in the 1800s. You start with a piece of land in this mining settlement you can name—freedom! Yay, sort of. You meet a few folks and then off you go, figuring things out on your own. Horses tied up, buzzards up high, feels like the Wild West, kinda. But sometimes it looks like your typical life sim with no specific time period whatsoever.

Then there are the bandits. Imagine strolling down the road, and bam! A bush rustles, and out jump some baddies. Quick draw time! But hey, not a fan of baddies? You can turn them off completely. Loses a bit of flair, but I get it, some might prefer a chill ride.

Visuals? Retro pixel style, with day-night shifts and seasons adding some spice. Okay, maybe a bit stuttery on the OG Switch model, but let’s roll with it. Adorable? Sure. Music’s got the Wild West vibes, but it’s quite soft. Seriously, I thought my volume was broken. But no, it just stays low-key, even cranked up.

Tons of tasks to tackle besides clearing land. Crafting? Yeah, you’ll whip up some sprinklers, furniture, and… boiled eggs? Farming’s there, too—digging, planting, the whole shebang. You’ll get more animals and all. Fishing? Well, it’s tight and speedy—maybe not everyone’s cup of tea. Mining, though, that’s something else. Treasure beneath the ground, dodging bats and snakes (yep, those can be turned off, too). But that darkness! Make sure to have torches and snacks before heading too deep.

And then, townsfolk. Building friendships is key to expanding your place into a thriving town. Chat up the banker to upgrade the bank, or get chummy with the saloon lady for a restaurant. Sounds like Animal Crossing vibes, right? Mostly it’s gift-giving, which gets old fast. Even knowing what they like, the friendship meter barely moves. Super annoying!

Figuring out the next move? Ah, good luck. It’s all a bit vague. I’m no life sim guru, but even my wife, a big fan, felt stuck. The pacing’s off. Cattle Country’s got charm, kept us going for a while, but it’s easy to move on when something else shiny pops up.

Game’s got its quirks. Some UI issues—tiny icons, missing touchscreen controls. It’s playable, sure, but capturing screenshots or videos? Nope. And glitches? Yeah, saw that dreaded “Software closed” message more than once. At least they patched a glass-crafting bug, I guess.

For a Wild West life sim, Cattle Country doesn’t bring much new. Genre originality is scarce anyway, but still, a bit disappointing. Needs more polish. Maybe catch it on sale if you’re curious.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right—time for the next adventure. Let’s ride!