Farm Frenzy is an arcade game with a resource management sim for a game that's as much thought and planning as it is fast mouse clicking. Gameplay revolves around planting grass to feed animals, which in turn drop goods for you to use. These goods can either be sold for cash to improve your farm or turned into higher-value products to rake in even more gold. As you progress through the game's 45 stages you can buy more animals, get new buildings and upgrade existing structures, all while keeping a lookout for bears that drop from the sky!
In Farm Frenzy, you buy livestock and feed them grass so they'll be healthy and active producers. Their byproducts are sent off to market every so often by a truck, which returns with gold that you can use to buy more animals. You can also use the money to buy machines that will turn eggs into cupcakes, or wool into cloth. These refined products earn more money on the market and will help you achieve your goals for each level.
You have two main enemies in the game. The first is a ticking time limit that you have to beat for the best ranking. The second is: Bears that fall from the sky to disrupt your operations. The bears are especially annoying, because they can land right on top of your prized cow and set your progress back far enough that you have to restart the entire level. Fortunately, you can combat the bears by caging them and shipping them off to sell them by tapping them onscreen repeatedly, which gives the gameplay a very minor action element.
You have two main enemies in the game. The first is a ticking time limit that you have to beat for the best ranking. The second is: Bears that fall from the sky to disrupt your operations. The bears are especially annoying, because they can land right on top of your prized cow and set your progress back far enough that you have to restart the entire level. Fortunately, you can combat the bears by caging them and shipping them off to sell them by tapping them onscreen repeatedly, which gives the gameplay a very minor action element.
The Farm Frenzy Game begins with a few geese wandering a small patch of land. Click the ground to make grass grow, allowing the geese to eat and lay eggs. Click the eggs to put them in your storehouse where they can be sold for precious cash to run your farm. It's a simple loop of generating money to buy better/more things that will in turn create even more income. From time to time a bear will drop in and knock animals out of the farm. To cage the beast and protect your animals, click on it as fast as you can. When it's trapped, click again to send it to your storehouse, ready to be turned into profit.
To complete a level of Farm Frenzy you must meet a set of goals such as collecting ten eggs or owning five animals. The goals get loftier and more numerous as you progress, but they always serve up just the right amount of challenge. Unlocking new levels often requires specific building upgrades that must be purchased beforehand. You may not be able to progress until you have a level two bakery, so stop by the shop and spend your hard-earned stars to keep the game moving along. Sometimes you'll have to replay previous levels to earn the cash.
Every risk has its reward, and every danger has its foil. Later in the game you'll be able to balance out some of these aspects with new purchases, such as buying a dog to keep bears at bay or a cat to help gather goods on the field. These help soften the action element of the game, as when you're trying to store items and create more expensive products a bear can make things a little too click-heavy.
Analysis: There is very little holding Farm Frenzy back from being a superb game, but it's not without a few minor flaws. The mix of arcade action with time management is good, but oftentimes it's a little too heavy on rapid clicking for my comfort. Things can get frantic with several bears roaming the farm, a full stock-house, and hard-earned goods flickering on the screen ready to vanish. If you manage your money well and buy smart upgrades this can be somewhat alleviated.
The pacing in Farm Frenzy also feels a bit stretched, almost as if the developers purposefully stalled gaining new buildings and upgrades just to fluff out the game. The beginning is especially slow moving and you probably won't own animals other than geese for the first hour of the game. Fortunately these minor quibbles far from ruin an otherwise fantastic, easily enjoyable game.
Gradual advancement, upgradeable structures, and a little action to keep things from getting too stale. Farm Frenzy pulls a number of disperse elements together to create a game that will keep you coming back for more.
1GHz Processor
256MB RAM
25MB Hard Disk Space
DirectX 8.0
64MB Video Card
Direct Sound Compatible Sound Card
CD-ROM Drive
You can also try Farm Frenzy 2...
System Requirements
Windows XP/Vista1GHz Processor
256MB RAM
25MB Hard Disk Space
DirectX 8.0
64MB Video Card
Direct Sound Compatible Sound Card
CD-ROM Drive
You can also try Farm Frenzy 2...