Game: Mary King's Riding Star
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Midas Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: 2000
You might think that a horse riding game is a strange choice to review, and I'll admit it's not something I'd have predicted being remotely interested in. A while back whilst browsing the top rated original Playstation sports games, I noticed that this particular title was at #4 and something like #27 overall on the console. Delving further uncovered mainly positive reviews for the game, and only served to heighten my interest as to how this game could be so acclaimed.
After playing for a while, I'm pretty sure that I now understand the generally high scores for the game, despite it being published by Midas. The sort of people who are keen to purchase and play a game about grooming, keeping and riding horses are not the sort of people who also enjoy 80 hour RPGs, or artsy games generally speaking. Simply finding a game that allows them to simulate one of their interests seems to be enough to enjoy its content, and this seems to be where the high ratings have come from.
Gameplay is split into two distinct sections; the first is presented as an almost tamagotchi style point and click animal care game, with meters for overall horse health, thirst, hunger and grooming. In order to keep the horse healthy, players must ensure these meters are full, by performing the necessary tasks and navigating the stables to find the necessary equipment. To assist players in knowing what to do, the farm owner and player character engage in awfully levelled and voice acted dialogue which is far too quiet to hear, and of little help anyway.
The other section of the game deals with "three day eventing" which consists of dressage, showjumping and cross country. Using an overhead view, players steer their horse whilst controlling its speed and timing any necessary jumps so as to clear obstacles. Not only are all of the challenges far too precise and difficult for anyone who isn't completely obsessed with horse racing, the controls are confusing and never explained. After three attempts to place better than 10th in a competition, I gave up and wondered whether it might be easier to enter such an event in real life and place.
Graphically the game is poor with an overhead camera angle for riding sections and a simply animated set of environments and models for the horse care section. Perhaps a camera angle from behind players would have benefited the game, as players could then judge the distance between fences much more easily than having them appear from offscreen unexpectedly. The music that accompanies gameplay seems out of place, though it'd only really fit Build Mode in The Sims. As for sound effects and voice clips, everything's pretty low quality and awful.
Overall Mary King's Riding Star seems to be a game targeted towards horse lovers/riders rather than people like myself. One issue with this however, is that most horse riders will go and ride one instead of switching their Playstation on to simulate equestrian sport. The very small market that this game was made for seemed to enjoy it upon its release, but essentially its just another poorly made Midas title.
Rating: 18/100
Grade: F
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