When it comes to Farming Simulator, I love the relaxed nature of the series. Each has improved on the last, giving new things to be doing alongside the old. New crops, new animals, a revised and expanded building menu… These changes have all made the series a lot better. The same can be said for the mobile versions. While lesser beasts than the main games, there’s still a good time to be had with them.

The big issue here is putting a mobile version on a console. Especially when that console has had a main version of the series before. Which the Switch has. Since that time, Giants has clearly felt that creating a Switch-specific version of the main games when the mobile version can easily be ported wasn’t needed. As such, the next game to appear on Switch was the mobile version of FS20, which felt such a downgrade.

The new mobile version has seen numerous additions from the main game of FS22. Upon first starting, I wanted to familiarise myself with the menus before getting on with the tutorial. That’s where I saw production chains are here. Acting as sell points until you own them (with the tutorial taking you to one to sell), these buildings will take the produce put into them and create products that can then be sold for a greater profit.

The tutorial itself is basic, introducing just the core loop of tending the fields. Tiling, sowing, harvesting, selling. As well as showing off the chicken pen to introduce caring of animals. Already with a few inside it, I wanted just a few more to speed up the production of eggs that would soon come. Which is where I noted the animal growth system has been implemented in the mobile version.

Along with those two are the new crops of olives, sorghum, and grapes, seasonal cycles, and autoload. But these additions can’t compare with what is lost by this being a mobile version. While some won’t mind the massive load of automation that comes with this being a port from a device with no buttons, there’s some actions I wouldn’t mind having control over. Such as ejecting bales from a machine without having to turn it off.

But bigger than those are two things. The first is the lack of renting. Since you only start off with what’s essential for the tutorial, it’ll be a long while before venturing into other areas of the farming world. With the main games, this can easily be offset by renting vehicles and tools, even if just for a short while to do some other activity while waiting for crops to grow without skipping days.

The other way to keep active without skipping days would be to help other farmers for money. Not with the mobile versions. There’s no jobs to undertake, even though the fields not under your control are still going through the core farming loop as the days progress. Both of these, as well as the automation, do make this a hollower experience for those on Switch. But just because it is a lesser experience doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.

Across the time I have spent with Farming Simulator 23, the core mechanics are still as good as they have ever been. The core gameplay loop still as engaging as ever. The work put in to expand – whether a new vehicle, piece of land, or production building, feels rewarding, adding to the ways you earn money. Once my operation is fully up and running, the expansion across the entire map will be swift!

Speaking of maps, there’s two this time. Since only the first will allow the tutorial to be played, I jumped to Amblestone first to give it an explore. The rocky elevation of this North American map has me surrounded by those rocks. Like being in a giant bowl with a spoon resting in it. There’s some collectible toys that give money when found, which encourage exploration of all areas of this map.

As for Neubrunn, I’ve not given it as much exploration, but I love the views that the river and open land gives. The graphics aren’t as rich as the main series games, looking very blurred at even a near distance at times. That blurriness, and basicness, does tend to spoil what beauty these maps have to offer. For me, I will love what has been offered here even if it does feel hollow at times. The core is still here, allowing enjoyment of what the series is about.

But can it really be recommended when there’s a main series game available that gives a fuller experience? And for less money? That Switch-specific build of Farming Simulator 17 for me is still the best version on the console. It is easily the one I would most recommend anyone wanting to play an entry on the Switch get. Unless you don’t mind the simpler life of FS23, that is.

Images Taken From:
Farming Simulator 23 | Nintendo Switch (Handheld)