This genre isn’t exactly overflowing with good games, but there might finally be a title that deserves this label.

Horse games have a bad reputation. If the horses are accurately depicted, they’re considered ugly. If they’re beautiful, they’re boring. If they are highly anticipated, they tend to be flawed and unsupported. Horse-loving gamers have been disappointed before, often only finding the latest horse games to be half-satisfying. The Legend of Khiimori, a horse racing simulator, launched in early access this week and may finally offer the experience horse-loving gamers deserve. Chelsea Farace, a streamer, estimates that she has played more than 30 horse games over the years in search of the perfect one. She agrees that many of them end up being “good enough” to satisfy horse lovers.

The Legend of Khiimori seems to tick all three boxes: beautiful and realistic horses; in-depth training and breeding systems; and an enthusiastic portrayal of historical Mongolia. Its demo was so popular last year that the developer, Aesir Interactive, postponed its planned 2025 release. Now that it’s finally out, how do horse enthusiasts feel about it? Farace feels that The Legend of Khiimori goes well beyond “pretty good,” offering a level of beautiful realism that she hasn’t experienced since Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that she loves.

He praises the visual accuracy of the horses, such as their “flehmen response” when they show their teeth, how they swim, and their little stretches and signs of excitement when they aren’t being ridden. Players loved these things about RDR2, but wanted more realistic horse-related activities, which Khiimori provides. Rather than the slow or sprint speeds in RDR2, Khiimori guides players through various horse movements, such as trotting and galloping. The game takes into account terrain while riding, weight distribution, and even the horse’s genes when breeding. Farace loves real horse genetics and has spent a lot of time studying it. He loves it when people try to do things correctly. It can be complicated, but when done right, it can educate people on the subject.

However, Khiimori still needs a lot of work. There’s an old saying that you can only choose two things: fast, accurate, or cheap. In horse games, it sounds like this: beautiful, accurate, and flawless. Khiimori is a bit buggy. Farace is optimistic because she feels that the foundations are strong enough to build on and that it could become something special. Many other horse enthusiasts seem to agree.

On Steam, 80% of the 578 user reviews are positive, giving the game a “mostly positive” rating. Users mention the bugs, for which Aesir Interactive has released at least three patches this week. Another major complaint is the lack of regional pricing, which makes the game too expensive in certain countries.

Source: PCGamer, Steam