If you were a child in the '90s, then you'll remember the horse games. Like other pet simulations, the gameplay was often minimal, but you could brush the horses and click-and-drag little bows into their manes. At least one I remember let you add sparkles, though that truly might just be the early '00s all blending together. (Remember butterfly clips?)
All this to say that that the horse game is back, with newly announced Horse Tales - Emerald Valley Ranch. Described as an "equestrian open-world adventure", it looks extremely reminiscent of those games of old - but with the a key addition. You can both choose your horse's hairstyle, and actually leave the stable.
There's a touch of Breath of the Wild in its art style and hilly village environments, as if someone looked at it and went "what if the horse part of this was the whole game (and also it released for PC?)"
Horse Tales will allow players to restore their family's estate and make friends with nearby residents and multiple horses, each with their own unique personality, preference, and training needs. It looks exceptionally mellow, while being the next-generation throwback to the '90s horse games I could never have pictured.
Horse Tales - Emerald Valley Ranch comes out on November 3rd, except in North America, where it will release on November 15th. In the meantime, you can wishlist it on Steam.
