Farming Simulator 22 – We’re farming again! [PS Plus]

Test – After a three-year hiatus, the Farming Simulator saga is back! This new chapter, titled Farming Simulator 22, comes with a lot of new features, but also with a completely new release model. The license, previously controlled by Focus Home Interactive, is now owned by the creators, GIANTS Software, who now publish their own publications. Did this major change allow the franchise to reinvent itself?

With Farming Simulator 22, fans of the genre can tread familiar ground, as GIANTS Software’s production – not surprisingly – builds largely on the foundations of its predecessor. Newcomers should know that in the game you can manage a farm from A to Z. It is up to you to cultivate the land, grow crops that are now countless (canola, wheat, grapes, beets…), raise chickens or cows, control numerous tractors and manipulate different tools. 400 agricultural machines have once again been designed in high detail to satisfy enthusiasts who like to observe machines from all angles. This is good news, as the interiors of the various vehicles have been carefully reworked to bring us closer to the models in the game. In total, nearly 100 different brands are represented in this new edition, ranging from John Deere, Landini, Provitis and Hardi.

“We plow and we reap, the sea is our work” (Sándor Weöres: Bóbita)

Now that you have a well-stocked garage, the goal is to monitor your plants as they grow to get the best possible return (and thus increase your profit when you sell). To do this, you must first plow the land, then spread lime to fertilize the soil, remove the stones scattered in your garden, sow the seeds, and finally, let the weather take its course and allow yourself a little nap at home. In the game, one day is equivalent to one month of work. When she wakes up, a month has passed and the fields are covered with weeds. Naturally, these weeds must be removed. There are many solutions, but the simplest (and I agree that it is not environmentally friendly) is to buy some herbicide from the neighborhood store and spray it on your plants.

All of these steps put the player in the farmer’s shoes and make the experience believable, which is definitely one of the great features of the game. If you’re a fan of management games, you’ll enjoy watching your farm evolve over the seasons… because they do! The seasons are finally here.

This new episode contains three large maps that you can freely explore. The first, Elmcreek, is located on American soil. The second trip, Erlangrat, takes us to the Bavarian Alps. The last one, Haute-Billeron, takes us to several points in southwestern France. However, even if these different environments are quite strange, thanks to the different moods, good lighting and improved viewing distance compared to the previous chapter (at least in the next generation), we can still regret that there is nothing unique in the visual world of the game. It’s also partly down to the outdated textures and lifeless streets.

“The Four Seasons” has finally arrived…

It’s hard to imagine simulating farm life without seasons… and yet, it’s been happening for years. But the saga that was born in 2008 finally rectifies the situation with the 22nd episode that achieves different seasons. This brand new feature (based on fan-made mod ideas for Farming Simulator 19) allows you to adapt to the annual cycle when growing different types of crops. While canola, for example, is planted in August and takes 11 months to grow, this does not apply to cotton, which must be planted in February and harvested at the end of the year. In order not to wait for the seasons to pass slowly, we advise you to “diversify” your activities and fields and reconcile them according to the seasons.

However, December and January are used almost exclusively for road and field maintenance. You need to salt routes to improve the efficiency of deliveries or clear fields to help drives…. Well, that’s just on paper, because in the end, leaving things as they are will only cause minor damage to the crop. It is difficult to make a profit in this cold season, but you can still build greenhouses. This new feature allows you to grow fruits and vegetables all year round.

Make your own flour, wine and cake!

the Farming Simulator 22 Another great innovation is the advent of production lines. From now on, the player is not obligated to sell the wheat as is, but can build a mill and produce his own flour from the same wheat. This flour delivered to the bakery can then be made into bread. It is clear that this idea extends to all possible sectors of activity. Similar to management games like ANNO 1404, cotton can be turned into cloth and then clothes, grapes can be turned into grape juice or wine… By the way, the most difficult thing in Farming Simulator 22 is making cakes, because it requires many tasks. Activities…

This is where the online portion of the game comes in, as players can now work in teams to create a huge store. While one player is responsible for producing the fruits that make up the cake, the other is responsible for farming to provide milk and eggs. If you don’t have friends, it is also possible to hire workers, which makes the task much easier. They can plow your land for a fee, just like in Farming Simulator 19, but they can also transport goods from point A to point B. Due to the not very convenient menus, it takes some time to get used to this function.

Now can we become professional farmers right away?

It could have been hoped that the new version would take advantage of the three-year gap and arrive in stores with a tutorial mode that introduces the different devices as a companion to newcomers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Although there is a “New Farmer” mode, the experience is as rigorous as it gets for players unfamiliar with the saga. This mode simply explains the basics in ten minutes. After such a short time, the novice farmer feels lost, overwhelmed by the possibilities and number of farm machines available. As you can see, beginners interested in Farming Simulator 22 need to muster up the courage to play the game if they want to experience a worthwhile rural adventure.

While Farming Simulator 22 will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the series, newcomers may feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. But it would be a shame to skip this episode, because it corrects most of the flaws of the previous part. Vehicle models are always more accurate, and the arrival of seasons or production lines is a real plus. Now it’s up to you if you’re ready to immerse yourself in this experience, which is as complete as it is difficult to get used to.

-Bad sector-

publisher: Giants programs

Developer: Giants programs

style: Farming simulator

appearance: November 21, 2021