Review: Cattle Country for Nintendo Switch

Alright, so here’s the thing about Cattle Country. They call it a “Cozy Cowboy Adventure Life Sim”—which, yeah, “cozy” is pretty much everyone’s favorite word now, and sure, the cowboy bit stands out. But honestly, let’s just ignore the hype for a second and dive into this whole Wild West setup.

So, it throws you back to the late 1800s. You get to name your character and your land in some mining town. You say hi to a bunch of people, but pretty quickly, you’re on your own. You’ve got horses tied up and buzzards doing their thing in the sky, but if we’re being real, it feels like a jumble of eras. Like, the close-up art of people? Not screaming Wild West.

Things get a bit clearer when bandits show up. You’re strolling along, and bam, out pops a baddie. Gotta be quick to deal with ’em. But if you hate surprises, you can just switch ’em off. It’s a weird balance—makes you wonder if it loses something important or if it’s just peace of mind.

Now, visually, the game sticks with that retro pixel vibe. Day turns to night, seasons change, and all, but there’s some lag, more so if you’re on the OG Switch. Cute game, though. The music? Supposed to sound Wild West-y, but kinda hush-hush. First, I thought my volume was off, sounds were all bird noises and stuff. Even at max, nope, not much better.

You got your usual chores here: clearing land, cutting trees, cracking rocks. Craft a sprinkler for crops, make some furniture…and somehow, a hard-boiled egg? Farming’s about seasons—plant, pick, sell. Expand and you get animals. Fishing’s there too, but honestly, feels like a race against time, kind of like the bandit skirmish. Water traps are your friend.

Mining might just clinch it as the most intriguing bit. You’re treasure hunting underground while dodging bats and snakes (yes, you can make them vanish too). Kind of a favorite, but you need torches since your headlamp’s a joke in the dark. And watch your stamina, ’cause winding up at the doc’s is not in the budget.

Relationships, though—that’s your ticket to town upgrades. Chat up the locals, throw a present or two their way. The banker? Great guy, get friendly and he’ll make bank for more money. The saloon lady? Get on her good side and a restaurant pops up. There’s a calendar of events in town, but it feels more like bribery than bonding (hello, Animal Crossing vibes).

It’s not the most thrilling. And here’s the kicker: it’s not even super clear on how to be friends. You give them gifts they clearly love (“You’ve made my week!” kinda comments), but the friendship gauge barely budges. Then there’s hunting them down—they’re always on the move, whispering the same lines. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but it leads me here…

Game doesn’t exactly guide you. Which can be fine, but here? Kinda annoying. Even 25 hours in, felt like spinning wheels. Not a life sim master here, but my wife, a big fan, agreed. It drags. Cattle Country is charming, sure, but as soon as this write-up’s done, we’ll probably move on to the next distraction.

Not helped by some flaws. Subjective stuff: the interface feels clunky, touchscreen would be a blessing. Top-down isn’t bad, but there are wannabe hieroglyphs everywhere. Also, no screenshots or vids? Come on. Then you have glitches. The dreaded “Software closed due to an error” message. Yuck. At least they fixed the glass-crafting bug.

All said, the cowboy twist brings a fresh angle, but loads here feel recycled. No shock in this genre, but still a letdown. If it were more polished, folks might overlook the déjà vu, but bugs hold it back. If you’re into this stuff, maybe wait for a discount before diving in.