Game Reviews

Farm Frenzy 3

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| Farm Frenzy 3
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Farm Frenzy 3
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| Farm Frenzy 3

Being a farmer is really hard.

Between the 5AM starts, the back-breaking physical labour, and the ever-present odour of ordure, it’s difficult to imagine why anyone would see the farmer’s life as some sort of gentle idyllic fantasy to be recreated in casual video games.

A glance in Farm Frenzy 3’s direction might have you believe that the game is similarly deluded about the farmer’s lot in life, with its cutesy graphics and cartoon guineafowl. But, as its title suggests, the Farm Frenzy series offer a rather more manic take on farming than you might expect.

In farm’s way

While the farmyard setting, cuddly visuals, and premium elements may all suggest a FarmVille clone, Farm Frenzy 3 is an altogether more accomplished breed. Managing your farm is frantic without being overwhelming, the cutesy graphics are just the right side of sickly sweet, and the game’s premium elements are mercifully unobtrusive.

What’s more, Farm Frenzy 3 is a generous package, with 95 levels to plough through, resulting in a playing time that would embarrass certain AAA console blockbusters.

The basic goal of each of these levels is simply to produce a certain number of prescribed items as quickly as you can, by keeping your animals fed, collecting their produce quickly, and converting it into the products you need to pass the level – all with a series of taps.

Master Baker

It’s safe to say that things get a good deal more complicated later on, as multi-stage processes are required to create more valuable goods. But whether you’re baking a cake or capturing predators, the humble tap remains your only input for the game’s duration.

Although Farm Frenzy 3 never tests your dexterity, it certainly isn’t an easy game. After some gentle introductory levels to get you going you’ll be expected to manage several multi-stage processes at once, leaving you to prod at your phone’s glassy face with a growing intensity.

And since in-game currency is awarded for the speedy completion of levels, the pressure is on to juggle as many concurrent tasks as you can, with the maximum possible efficiency.

Balls in the air

Your sense of satisfaction is derived from the mastery of this juggling act, and while it’s a shame that interaction is limited to touchscreen taps anything more involved would have robbed Farm Frenzy 3 of some pace and accessibility.

More problematic is the game’s lack of variety, which the occasional palette-swap does little to hide.

As you progress, you’ll be making different products and working at a faster pace, but the gameplay barely changes throughout Farm Frenzy 3. While it’s never less than engaging in short bursts, an extended play session can leave you fatigued by the hectic planning and one-note gameplay.

Farm Frenzy 3

A surprisingly intense time-management experience, Farm Frenzy 3 offers a satisfying and likeable juggling act for players to master, but a lack of variety means it’s best enjoyed in small doses
Score
James Nouch
James Nouch
PocketGamer.biz's news editor 2012-2013