Country Tales review for Nintendo Switch, PC

I wasn?t expecting too much from Country Tales. After all, it?s published by Ocean Media and developed by Cateia Games, and when they get together, unintentional hilarity ensues (unless you actually play the games, then it?s just plain bad.

Turns out, lowered expectations and a change of genre are all that was needed to make the combination palatable. Rather than being an awful adventure game, Country Tales is actually a surprisingly enjoyable resource management game set in the old west, where you go from level to level rebuilding homes and setting up lumber mills and farms.

It probably helps that the game is incredibly simple and undemanding. While the game gradually gets a little more difficult, it never asks all that much of you. You go into a level, you slowly build things up and collect items, and then you move onto the next one. There?s really not a lot to it. If you?ve ever played any of the many, many time and resource management games crowding the various mobile game storefronts, you?ll know exactly what you?re in for here.

And quite honestly, that?s just fine. Country Tales isn?t going to light the world on fire — and at $10, it?s more than a little overpriced — but if you?re looking for an easygoing time-waster, it does the trick.

Ocean Media provided us with a Country Tales Switch code for review purposes.