It's these rather mundane benefits which you'll need to appreciate and work towards if you're going to harvest (ahem) enjoyment from Farming Simulator 20 that 'Simulator' in the name isn't for show. Ooo, check out the 12-metre width on that harvester! Why, I could work the same land in half the time! What's that? A seeder that can be used without first cultivating the field? Another 50% time saving! Clicking the right analogue stick over a certain bit of kit explains what it actually does and why you need it in your arsenal, and each item has its vital stats listed. It wasn't long before we started eyeing the stats of more expensive hardware with envy. The shop is always accessible on the '-' button and lists a load of real-world branded equipment. The tutorial quickly leaves you to your own devices, so be prepared to hit '+' and delve into the Help menu for explanations of the game's various systems unless you're a Farming Simulator veteran. While we started out with precious little knowledge concerning heavy-duty farm machinery, let alone the process of growing crops and keeping livestock, well, living, we soon started to learn the ins-and-outs.

This cash is then used to buy sexier farming gear with which to cultivate, fertilise, sow and harvest more efficiently. It can then be transported to one of the various outlets surrounding your acreage and deposited in their silos in exchange for hard cash. A short tutorial gets you acquainted with the very basics of attaching equipment to your tractor, cultivating a field, sowing seeds and then harvesting the produce before dumping it in a silo or a trailer. Yes, most video games are, but this one puts the dollar total at the top centre of the screen at all times – you want that ever-depleting figure to be as big as possible. Give it time, though, and its monotonous rhythms become pleasurable and the intense chatter and mindless speed of the real world melt away at the wheel of a combine harvester.Įssentially, Farming Simulator 20 is a 'numbers-go-up' game. It's an unhurried beast that absolutely insists on its own slow-and-steady pace. Farming Simulator 20 requires a very particular hat – a farmer's flat cap, to be precise. Games often have particular tempos or ways of doing things that may not marry with your mindset at the time, with other work and deadlines looming. While reviews of any sort can only ever be subjective, sometimes writers have to don a different 'hat', so to speak.

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