Ever wonder what your life would be like if you had chosen a different path? Like a journalist, game developer, baker, or pilot? In life there are so many paths to choose from, but what if you had the opportunity to be a farmer? Ever wonder what a farmer’s life is like? Farming Simulator 22 gives us a chance to enter the boots of a farmer behind the wheel of a mighty tractor. This is the year where simulator games are coming out strong from a variety of different developers, and Farm Simulator 22 is just one of those games. Being a Farmer isn’t a job, but it is a calling passed down from generation to generation.
What is Farming Simulator?
The latest game in the franchise, Farming Simulator 19, was released about 3 years ago. Farming Simulator 19 was a good game because of mods and the community that kept the game going, even if there were tons of people who didn’t like it. Farming Simulator 22 is the first game that Giants Software has self-published, which is a huge milestone. All of the previous Farming Simulator games were published by Focus Home Interactive.
Usually, a lot of good things can come out from the game developer whenever they self-published their game because they’ll have more freedom regarding the development of the game at hand. This is the case with Farming Simulator 22, as there were a lot of new changes and features that are stepping stones in the right direction, and because of this a lot of veterans and new players all around the world will come to enjoy this new farm game.
Any New Features?
Farming Simulator 22 has loads of features and could be one of the biggest games in the series. What do I mean by this? When you first load up the game, players are presented with a choice of three different maps: The first one is Elmcreek, a huge map that is located within the United States. Next, we have Haut-Beyleron, a medium-sized map set in France. The smallest of all is the Erlengrat map, which previously appeared in Farming Simulator 19 in the Alpine DLC. After you decide which map to go with, then you come up to the character screen and you have tons of different customization to choose from, the character UI display is very easy to navigate compared to the previous games where it was a bit messy and difficult to navigate.
Seasons and Farming Changes
One of the biggest changes for returning veterans players is that seasons are no longer a separate mode, as it was in the previous entries. These are now integrated into the game as the main feature. You’ll begin every game in late Summer and go on from there. In general, Spring is where you spend most of your time preparing your fields and planting crops. Summer is where you look after them as they grow. Autumn is the time for harvesting them. Winter is a good time to prepare your soil and start your mini logging business so you can make some side money since winter is a hard time to any money at all.
The other new feature included is greenhouses. These are a great addition, as it produces a slow and steady income. All you need to do is make sure you watered, so less farming work. On top of that you can either directly sell from the greenhouses, or manually collect and deliver the fruits and vegetables of what you planted to the market. When you start learning how to deliver and carry the products on the trailer it might be difficult, because there isn’t a tutorial unless you know someone who has experienced playing the game, or just research it online.
Mission System
Another great thing that has always been in Farming Simulator is the mission system. That said, the whole mission system has been revamped and I have to say it is so much better. This allows players to take multiple contracts, a maximum of 3 contracts at once, and also allows them to assign AI helpers to help do these contracts. This is a nice touch if you are playing alone and decide to make some side money while you wait for the next month.
On top of the contract missions changing every month, there are also situations where some contracts you accept will not be available. This is due to these contracts having a timer, which needs to be finished within the same month you accepted the contract. Contracts are a nice touch because there are times when you finish stuff fast and you don’t know what to do next, so this is a good little side thing to keep you busy during the months.
Multiplayer
One of the greatest changes I was so excited for, that was added in Farming Simulator 22, is playing with other players in the community. Of course, in this day in age, cross-platform is important. Giants Software delivered that to us by adding cross-platform play of up to 16 players, between PC and console players for the first time. Playing with other farms on different platforms from different parts of the world is what connects all of us as gamers, and this is how the Farm sim community is like. I was able to connect with some players in Europe and we had so much fun just working on the farm that time went by so fast we didn’t know it was already 3 am in the morning for me.
Graphics
Farming Simulator 22’s new looks are amazing; from the weather system with the different seasons to the different crops that you can grow. I love the way whenever you cultivate or spray your field it looks so realistic like I am there farming, and that is what makes Farming Simulator 22 one of my favorite farming simulation games. There is however a small glitch with one of the barns.
The World of Farming Simulator 22 is an immersive and beautiful world! There you can encounter animals, NPC walking around doing their everyday business, and even aggressive cars that don’t know how to signal or just occasionally like to speed up at random times. One specific example was when a minivan pushed me off the road, as I was getting off the parkway heading to another farm location, and the car didn’t even signal or honk and just nudged me, almost losing my trailer.
Controller/Audio
As you go under the basement you have a hard time moving around. I see this issue with not only myself but with other players, I invite to the game. The controls can get quite glitchy whenever you explore this specific area, and hopefully, this is something they can fix shortly, driving the tractor is very simple and easy and with the help UI system on the top left, no matter what the game will teach you how to drive each tractor and how to use each equipment.
One of my favorites is the rainy season where I can just listen to the raindrops and thunder in the distance, and on top of the tractors’ engines, just listening and comparing them to real-life tractors the engine sound is quite close, also there is in-game music which also includes listening to the radio while in a tractor, and there aren’t that many songs on the playlist so it can be quite annoying after listening to the same one over and over for the past few hours.
Replay Value
Since there are three maps, you can play many times, especially with friends now that they added cross-platform with Console and PC players and on top of the new Mod hubs, the number of things we can do and play around with is unlimited. From what I know finishing one map may take up to 80 in-game hours, but it depends, because of the map size and if anyone else will be helping out. So, if you are someone who wants to get 100% completion like me, then you are in for a long ride because this game will take some time for sure in order to get all the achievements and game completions for each map.
Conclusion
Farming Simulator 22 has come a long way since the last entry in the series. I can say there are so many improvements and extra content in the game that makes you feel like you are a real farmer. From playing a good chunk of it, I was able to learn more and more about what it is like to maintain a farm. From making sure the field is ready, to when we start delivering our harvest to the factory. There is no breather in Farming Simulator 22 as you are always constantly doing something. Every second spent doing nothing, you are bleeding yourself of time and money. So, you want to know what it becomes to be a Farmer? Well, Farm Simulator 22 will show you the way because this isn’t a job anyone can do, it is more like your calling card.
Farming Simulator 2022 is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, and PC.
A digital copy of the game was provided for review.
