Help Anny manage a farm in Mayan territory in the Farm Tribe strategy game. After her father buys a piece of land near a Mayan archaeological site to do research, Anny has to help him pay for it. Grow the farm, research technologies and hire workers. Use the raw produce and other natural products to make food to be sold in the nearby village. Turn a profit and help pay for the land so that the research can begin in this exciting strategy game!
Farm Tribe is a "village simulation" game similar to the Virtual Villagers strategy game series. The premise of this game genre is that you have a village or tribe of people that go about their everyday lives performing whatever tasks they deem important. You are there to guide them, directing them to construct new buildings, search for food, explore their surroundings and research new technologies to make their lives more pleasant. It's not open-ended though, as you have your own goals to achieve in your quest to create an advanced self-sufficient tribe.
The story in Farm Tribe revolves around Anny Chester and her scientist father Mark. Dear old dad had bought a plot of land in Mayan territory in order to perform research on the area and search for buried mysteries. Unfortunately, buying the land required him to take out a large loan, and it is up to daughter Anny to think of a way to make money to pay it back (with your help of course). Her dad's research assistant suggests setting up a farm and selling the produce to the nearby village, and so begins your adventure in Farm Tribe.
You start the game with very little: just the plot of land by the river, with a rundown hut and a campfire. You will be given "quests" or goals though, so don't fret that you won't know what to do. The goals will help propel the story along, always giving you something to work towards so that you don't just sit there twiddling your thumbs. You will be asked to construct new buildings, research new technologies, plant new crops, hire new workers etc.
You don't have to do all these tasks on your own. There are workers or villagers who will be there helping you do all sorts of things from repairing and constructing buildings, foraging for food, cleaning up the place, doing research and more. Your workers are individual, having their own name and skill levels in farming, construction and research. However, these guys aren't just people you can keep ordering to do stuff. They also have needs that you have to attend to. They need housing, food and drink, the occasional rest break, and people to chat with when they are lonely!
Once you have taken care of your workers' needs, it's time to focus on the primary goal of the game: creating a profitable farming business to pay the bills. At the start, all you can get your workers to do is forage for mushrooms, berries and fish, and sell those for cash. Once you research a few technologies and buy the necessary equipment, you'll be able to start planting and harvesting crops like potatoes and sell those instead. You can also get recipes (either from quests or through the shop), and sell the finished products for better prices. Berries can be turned into jam, fish and potatoes can be fried together with spices etc. The money you earn is important as you will need it to buy new equipment, hire new workers and construct new buildings.
Cash isn't the only thing you should focus on (though it is a pretty important aspect). Once you have more than a handful of workers, you will find that your strategy and time management skills are truly tested. There aren't any timers, allowing each player to play at whatever pace they feel comfortable. But proper planning and quick adjustments and orders are required to make sure your workers are at their most productive.
You have to ensure that (depending on priorities) there is someone doing research, tending the crops, catching the fish, and constructing the next building. Luckily, you don't have to do too much micro-management, as the workers will continue working their assigned jobs until told otherwise. Usually, you won't be able to afford to have as many workers as there are jobs to do, so you will need to decide which jobs are more important and should be focused on at any given time. Things get more exciting when the farm gets hit be severe weather and you need to take workers off their normal jobs in order to clean up the place.
There is also plenty of story to go along with your village management. After all, the reason for getting the land in the first place is to do Mayan research. Throughout the game, you will encounter events and quests (from the nearby local tribe) that explore this story further. You will discover totems, scrolls and other relics from a long-forgotten era, and experience the adventure together with Anny and her dad.
Farm Tribe is a great village simulation strategy game, with plenty of character, story and vibrant graphics that will keep you entertained. It is slightly more structured than the popular Virtual Villagers games, but if you like those games, you will be pleased with Farm Tribe.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
You can read more about Farm Tribe at
http://www.game-tycoon.com/farm-tribe.html