There have been a plethora of cozy games on the market in recent years. However, I’m surprised it’s taken this long to head to the Wild West. Cattle Country is taking up the reins and heading to the prairies. Giving players a chance to live out their wildest Western dreams. While it’s easy to see that there are still some parts in development, the demo gives players a great taste of what they can expect. Think Stardew Valley, but much more condensed and easier to digest. That’s what Cattle Country is aiming for, also displaying some fun new features that help it stand out from the crowd.

Yes, ‘Cattle Country’ Has Fishing, and Yes, It’s Much Easier Than ‘Stardew Valley’

While Cattle Country features adorably dumpy little character models, the environments are stunning to explore. They’re surprisingly reactive, and feature plenty of details to help bring this world to life. The lush greenery, combined with the beautiful aesthetic, helps Cattle Country distinguish itself. While it does feature all of the Cozy Game basics, such as chopping down trees, fishing, and everything in between, it’s been streamlined to make it much more accessible. Yes, the first thing that I did was check out the fishing minigame. And I won’t apologize for that fact.

But, unlike other games in the genre, there are a few parts about Cattle Country that stick out in my mind. It features hunting, mining, rodeos, and bandit battles. Things that you’d never typically find in your standard Cozy Game, and something that helps it feel like a bigger sum than its parts. But, while it’s adorable as hell to look at, things can go south rather quickly. It’s basically a more pixelated version of Red Dead Redemption 2 but with more house-building.

There are a few things I’d love to see before the final game releases, however. It already has a great deal of polish, but I do hope we’ll be able to run faster. I know that Cozy Games are slower experiences, but sometimes, I like to go fast. Sure, I have a horse from the start. But I want to run in the wild, damn it. Otherwise? I’m ready to get into this one a bit more, partner. Yeehaw, and such.