If Story of Seasons packed its saddlebags, grabbed a poncho, and took off into a magical wilderness to vibe with some deities, you’d get Gaucho and the Grassland. Developed by Epopeia Games, this cosy little indie title has you play as a Latin cowboy (or cowgirl) tending your animals, befriending mystical beings, and helping small towns shake off the grip of snake spirits — all while trying not to miss-click your save file into oblivion.
If you’ve been craving a farming sim with cultural flair and a magical twist, Gaucho and the Grassland might be your next escape, even if it stumbles on a few UX details.
The Rhythm Of The Ranch (Gameplay)
The core loop is simple: chop wood, tend to animals, talk to locals, rebuild shrines, repeat. The world opens up gradually, with each region having its own places to explore, resources to gather, and issues to sort out.
It doesn’t reinvent anything, but that’s not a dig. It doesn’t have to. This is for people who’ve already romanticised the idea of manual labour and want to do it while vibing to a gentle soundtrack. It scratches that farming-sim itch in a fresh-feeling setting with a lot of heart. You’re not farming for profit here, you’re farming for harmony, which sounds like a slogan I’d find on a mug on Pinterest.
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It’s a world built on gratitude and gentle storytelling, and each region feels alive with personality and purpose. There’s comfort in how familiar it all feels — build, chop, help, repeat — but the spiritual overlay adds a sense of purpose beyond profit.
Home on the UX Range (Critiques)
All that being said, the game’s interface is where things start to get a bit… crunchy.
Let’s start with the chopping. You know that thing where you left-click and hold to chop down a tree in basically every game? Gaucho says: What if you didn’t? What if you had to individually click for every swing of the axe?
The menus also need some work. Specifically, the save/load screen, which looks exactly the same whether you’re saving or loading. And worse, every time you press ESC it opens the load screen by default. So if you’re a normal, seasoned gamer who muscle-memoried your way through the menu and accidentally loaded an old file thinking you’re saving? Congrats, you’ve just sacrificed ten minutes of your life to the ether. It’s not a rage-quit moment, but it’s definitely a deep-sigh-and-walk-around-the-room moment.
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It’s also worth pointing out that the settings menu translates “mouse sensitivity” as “mouse sensibility,” which is adorable. I’ve never considered the mental cognition of my mouse before.
Additionally, despite having a menu labeled “Accessibility Settings,” the game doesn’t actually offer any meaningful accessibility features. This section contains basic graphical settings you’d find in any standard game. The most you will find to assist you are remappable controls.
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But honestly? None of these quirks are deal-breakers. Gaucho and the Grassland still delivers — in charm, culture, and that slow, satisfying sense of progress.
Roundin’ It All Up (Conclusion)
Gaucho and the Grassland is still an easy recommendation if you’re into chill, cosy adventures with a touch of magic and a culturally rich setting. There’s heart in every pixel. A little UI polish and a couple less clicks per wood log, and this game could be something really special.
Just remember to double-check that save screen. Seriously.
Gaucho and the Grassland launches July 16th for PC via Steam.
Quest Daily scores Gaucho and the Grassland:
7/10
A review copy of Gaucho and the Grassland was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
