“My name is Ethan, I’m a father to a 4-year-old little girl, a geek and an old-time farm SIM lover. Like many of you, I grew up with games like Harvest Moon, The Sims, and GTA and I played the hell out of games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Even until the point where I started dreaming about myself playing these games.
My love for these games gave me an idea that I couldn’t shake: is it possible to combine the mechanics and fun I enjoy the most? A modern game that pushes all the boundaries of the classics? And you guessed right! This idea became what we now know as The Ranchers!”
This is how Ethan, the lead designer for the upcoming farming simulator game, The Ranchers, describes his creation. At its core, The Ranchers is an open-world game for 1-4 players where your imagination is the limit. As is to be expected, for a game in this genre, you can do everything from building your house to growing crops and even raising animals. If that isn’t exciting enough, you can play hard and fast with your life down in the mines where the monsters lurk.
The gameplay in The Ranchers doesn’t limit you to just raising animals; you’re also able to fish and hunt in-game. The other area where The Ranchers seeks to separate itself from the other games in the genre is the inclusion of vehicles. Vehicles can be purchased from any car dealership in town and used for all sorts of tasks and mischief.
From making deliveries and transporting your animals to mowing down trees, fences and even chickens – cars can do it all. Each car is also not the same. Instead, each vehicle has its own specifications like handling, speed, and energy consumption. This level of customization and detail is due to The Rancher’s own in-house “Systemic Engine”, which allows everything in the game to be interactable and react to everything else.
Using the Systemic Engine also allows players a level of freedom to experiment that many other games don’t. A small example of this can be experienced when trying to gather wood. Sure, you can use your axe like a responsible lumberjack, but you can also use one of your machine guns, some TNT or even your car to get the same result.
With over 200 confirmed buildings and a plethora of quests and contracts for players to fulfil, all while staying ahead of the game’s dynamic weather and time means there should never be a dull moment regardless of if you’re adventuring alone or with friends.
The game is currently up on Kickstarter and has a planned release date of quarter 3, 2023. If you want to back this project, you can head to Kickstarter or click the link here. From the Character Designer Pack which allows backers to become a tourist NPC in the game that will be featured in the in-game festivals, to the Founders Pack which allows backers to Immortalize themselves in the game by having a picture of their choice in The Ranchers Museum.
While undoubtedly expensive, backers willing to shell out their hard-earned gold coins to help make The Ranchers a reality are in for some excellent rewards.