Latin America is an untapped location in the world of video games. Gaucho and the Grassland is looking to change that. Not only is this world inspired by Latin American tradition and architecture, but also by folklore. These lend themselves to the Cozy Game genre incredibly well, far better than I may have initially anticipated. Rather than just being a Stardew Valley clone, Gaucho and the Grassland looks to do things a bit differently. There’s a cohesive story, plenty of farming to do, a Ghost Dad who wants to help Gaucho save his lands, and even a bit of fishing. Yes, it may start off fairly typical, as most cozy farming games do, but Gaucho and the Grassland differentiates itself from the standard cozy game fare in meaningful ways. It borrows from giants but brings enough flair to make it feel more unique than meets the eye.

Create Your Gaucho, Go on Adventures, and Save the World. All With a Faithful Horse and Dog

The first thing you’ll be tasked with doing is creating your own Gaucho. After selecting your gender, your clothing, your mustache, and everything in between, you may think it’s time to set off on an adventure. You’d be wrong, as I also had the opportunity to customize my faithful horse and dog before setting out. Once loaded into the world, I had to take a moment to soak in my surroundings.

The plucky pecks of a flamenco guitar echo behind me, and the vibrant world slowly begins to open up. In typical cozy game fashion, I was gifted a farm and a plot of land by my Father, who had unfortunately passed away. Unlike other cozy games, though? My father is still with me. He’s just a happy little Ghost. Affectionately referred to as “Ghost Dad” throughout the story, my father would follow me around, pointing me in the right direction and offering advice.

Rather than just tending to the land, it’s my responsibility to help save the world. I receive a key and can enter one of three different locations. These locations are sealed off from the rest of the world, due to a Boitatá roaming the lands. A mythical fire dragon, the Boitatá is surprisingly adorable in the world of Gaucho and the Grassland. But that doesn’t mean folks aren’t terrified about its presence. Locked away behind a gate, I need to help out at least seven people per realm to banish the Boitatá back to its own lands.

The Boitatá Blocks Some of the Best Parts of ‘Gaucho and the Grassland’

While I thought that I would be free to move on from the realms I found myself in after banishing the Boitatá, I was mistaken. Each Boitatá encounter is very similar. Help at least seven people in the area, open the gate, and build totems to banish the dragon. But once this happens, a new part of the world is opened up. Something more spiritual and ethereal. While the general gameplay loop of Gaucho and the Grassland may stray from the typical boundaries of a “cozy game”, these sections are where it builds its own identity. I don’t want to say much about them, as they’re such a pleasant surprise, but just wait until you banish your first Boitatá. You’ll understand, and Gaucho will become 100% more interesting and engaging after this point.

Don’t Forget To Take Things Slow, and Do Some Things for Yourself

Gaucho and the Grassland may be a game all about helping the folks around you, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect yourself. I mean, one of the main characters in the game is a ghost. If anyone can tell you to cherish life for what it has to offer, it would be him. While helping different folks out is a key part of the experience, be sure to slow down every once in a while. Take some time to go fishing. Start a farm. Clean up the area using the different tools you’ve created. Build and decorate your house. Gaucho and the Grassland borrows a lot of your typical “cozy game” tropes, expanding on some and simplifying others.

Gaucho is best approached slowly. You can burn through the game rather quickly, but you lose out on a lot of the fun doing it that way. I wanted to find out how the story wrapped up, so I did just that. But now, I’ve been taking things slower. Soaking in the local lore. Discovering the landmarks. Talking with every person littered throughout the map and helping them achieve their dreams. Even if sometimes, finding what you’re supposed to be doing next is a little more difficult than it should be.

‘Gaucho and the Grassland’ Has Plenty of Variety, but Finding Your Next Quest Can Be a Little Obtuse at Times

Roaming through each of these beautiful landscapes is a joy. I could hop on my faithful horse at any time and ride throughout the lands. My dog follows, digging up holes that have plenty of useful crafting items. Typically, I can find a new quest by looking for an exclamation point on my map, showing me who I should be speaking to next. It’s a simple premise; I chat with them, they let me know what I should be doing, and I’m sent off on a new adventure. But some of these quests can be a little more obtuse than they should be. One, for example, has me searching for a “black pet”, and I must have encountered it at some point when doing another quest. It told me I found it, but I have no idea where I did.

Seeing as I need to find the pet and wrangle it back up and deliver it to its owner, it makes it far more frustrating than it should be. The map shows me where I need to go next. Which is all fine and dandy, except for the fact that I can’t seem to find this “black pet” again. Where did it go? Where did I see it for the first time? Even if the game were to say what kind of pet it was, it may make things flow better. This is something that could be, and should be, fixed after release with a few patches. It would help the flow of the game feel far better. While it was annoying to me, I could see it being the point that less patient players jump out of the game until it’s fixed.

‘Gaucho and the Grassland’ Has a Lot of Potential, and Most of It Is Realized

Gaucho and the Grassland is a beautiful little adventure. One that has a lot of potential in plenty of different areas. It’s visually striking, with the Latin American flair oozing from every facet of the game. It’s a joy to control and play, especially if you’re taking your time with it. But most importantly, it’s got an interesting hook that kept me coming back for more. There are a few little issues here and there, primarily with the camera sometimes getting too jittery and quests sometimes feeling a little obtuse. But those issues can be ironed out with post-release patches.

It feels like Gaucho and the Grassland is the type of game you’ll want to invest your time into. There’s plenty of content, and it looks and plays nicely. But with further updates, the game can only get better. There’s a lot of potential here, and most of it has been realized to the fullest extent. I’m happy with the journey I got to take with Gaucho, and I’d be more than happy to visit the Grasslands again in the future.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

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Gaucho and the Grassland will be available on July 16, 2025, on Steam. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.