Playing Farming Simulator 20 on the Nintendo Switch really did make me appreciate how hard a job being a farmer is! This is a very popular series of games and having it on the go on the Switch is a fantastic idea. After a decade though, does this series still have enough to make getting up at 5 in the morning worth it?
How to Download Farming Simulator 20
The game can be downloaded from the Nintendo Store, from Google Play or App Store. To start your download, click on the button below this review. Be sure to also read our review of FS 19, and the predecessor of the FM 20 – Farming Simulator 18.
The Game Review
The ultimate goal in Farming Simulator 20 is to keep that number in the middle of the screen going up. Ok, so I am really making it basic here, but the money you make is really what this game is all about and the more money you have the better a farm, equipment and so on you can have. So that money bar is one of the most important aspects of the game!
The game starts out with a very basic tutorial that teaches you some of the essentials. Here you will learn how to attach things to your tractor so you can take care of the field. You will need to plant seeds, look after them, harvest them and store them in the right part of your farm. I was amazed at how much there was to it in all honesty. You do this and you make money!
As you make more money you can buy more and better equipment. For example, you can get wider harvester which makes your job easier. You can get seeder that works without cultivating the land! These new and improved pieces of farming equipment are expensive, but they make your job easier and they eventually will pay for themselves.
The game does not hold your hand at all. The tutorial teaches you the bare minimum and I wish it gave me a heads up that the truck I spent my first big money on was not a wise purchase. This is a game that you have to spend some serious time with, in order to learn the mechanics and what the different seeds, equipment and so on do. If you know farming, you will fit right in. People like me, we have to work hard to figure this game out.
What is strange is that once you do figure it all out. Farming Simulator 20 on the Nintendo Switch becomes a very relaxing and engrossing game. The more you play and the more money you make, the bigger your farming empire becomes. New equipment is cool and all, but you can also purchase other plots so you have more farming to do and more money to make.
How can I manage it all? Well, this is where hiring AI-controlled farmhands come into play. Look the AI on these guys does not make them the smartest tools in the shed. However, you can give hem some of the more mundane tasks to do such as seeding and harvesting and get a kind of automated thing going on in some parts of your farm.
I actually really like what Farming Simulator 20 is offering. If you can get past the first couple of hours, you will probably end up addicted to this game like I am. The early part of the game is slow and has a lot of trial and error as you learn, but stick with it! I find this the perfect kind of game to spend 30-60 minutes with while in bed before I go to sleep.
