As a girl, I longed to own a pony. I suppose that made me like a million other girls on the planet. There was something appealing about horses. Today, thanks to video games, kids can have the ability to raise a horse instead of parent’s having to buy one if they were even considering such an idea. While I have not played any of the other horse games, I have heard that they are lacking in excitement.
When I was offered the chance to review Horse Life, I immediately compared it in my mind to the massive amounts of other “raise the animal” type games on the market. You can raise everything from puppies to monsters and now horses.
For some reason, I relate horses to a more female style game and I know I am not alone in this. I think that will keep some people from playing this game or purchasing it. I will admit that I probably would not have purchased it on my own had I been looking for something in the store.
However, I tend to be pretty picky about what games I spend my money on. I learned that lesson well enough when I bought my first Nintendo. While some games may seem fun in theory, that does not make them fun to play. However, having had a chance to play Horse Life I have to say that I was very pleased with the game. You should not avoid this one based on any preconceived thought that you have. It’s actually quite fun and definitely worth checking out.
Story:
The story behind Horse Life is about as simple as can be. You play as a person that owns a horse. It is up to you to nurture that horse. This is done through feeding, stable cleaning, learning tricks, taking fun rides through the pastures, practicing, and working to win competitions. You start the game by choosing a foal and making it your own. You have the ability to choose the breed and color. After you name your horse, time will fly by until your horse is about three. This means that he or she will be old enough to finally train.
You train the horse and spend time with him or her so that they will grow to love you and the two of you will make a good team. Together you will learn tricks that will help you win competitions. This experience will make you money, which can be used to buy items for your horse, like food and treats. It will also allow certain levels in the game to be unlocked. There are plenty of things to be unlocked as you go along so you will want to make sure that you continue to play to see what will come next. I have to admit, I didn’t find this as much of a problem though because raising a horse via the DS can becoming quite addicting. I don’t think the need to succeed has ever been quite so strong with a video game of this style.
One could say that the lack of choices in horses in the beginning (there are three to choose from) is a setback, but the game makes up for it in many other areas. Once you have everything set up there will be someone there to direct you through the game. In the beginning, your moves are chosen for you to make sure you know how to learn new tricks and experience the important parts of game play. After you learn a few tricks you will be able to train, care for your horse, and eventually win competitions as your experience grows.
Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 
Controls:
You will be using your stylus quite a bit with Horse Life. The game is not hard, but your steps do need to be precise to continue on to the next level. For instance, when you do certain tricks you will have to tap the stylus against various dots that move along the screen. The dots tend to disappear pretty quickly so you will need to be on the lookout for them and be sure to hit them just right, otherwise it will be back to the drawing board. When it gets into spinning and tapping it can take a little time to get into the swing of things, but it gets easier each time you perform each trick.
For some tricks, you can expect to do a new trick a couple of times before getting it down pat. Others you will be able to pick up without much of a problem. For me, I had a couple of both types of results. When you are not hitting the circles, you will be following the arrows. There are arrows along the path that the horse will be traveling. In most cases, it will be your job to tap the horse’s behind to start them moving and to speed them up or slow them down. Once they are moving, you will follow the arrows and tap any circles that might appear. When it comes to the controls, it really is as simple as that.
Ease of Use:
Visual Quality:
The visual quality and graphics in Horse Life are some of the best that I have seen in this type of game. It is the little things here that truly make this game shine. For instance, when you get to see your new pony spring to life, taking the first few wobbly steps, it is then that you realize the true potential of this game. When compared to other games of this caliber, I found the graphics to be outstanding.
Visual:
Audio Quality:
The audio quality here is decent. The music and game sounds are not overly annoying. I was able to play with the sound on, where other games have me turning it off or down nearly immediately. You can purchase additional songs and music from the shop, though this music is close to what you already have so it’s not much of a change.
Audio: 
Replayability:
Horse Life is one of those games that you can play for an extended period of time without getting tired of the game. Considering the range of competitions, the events that go on, and the activities you are able to enjoy with your horse, game play never gets so old that you want to get rid of your game. If you like sim-type animal games, this one should rank pretty high on your game play list.
Replayability:
Bottom Line:
Horse Life is a game that will be pleasing to a large group of people. Animal lovers of just about any age should enjoy this. I am still partial to my puppy sim game (”Nintendogs”), but I will say that the graphics here are much sharper and the game play is definitely worth the purchase. If you like animals or want a non-violent game for younger kids this is a great pick.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Everyone, Fun, Horse Life, Horses, Nintendo DS, Rated E, Tricks, video game
Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Psychology. She plans to get her Ph.D and work as a therapist in the field of human sexuality. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.
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