Horse Isle 3: Player base divided over development priorities

Horse Isle 3 is an open world online multiplayer game focused on catching wild horses and breeding them for better stats. The game went live in August, after several months of open beta testing. 

The decision for the game to get “released” came as a surprise to some players, considering the game’s status: The game’s 3D art and user interface look rough to put it mildly, and many things that would be considered core features are missing. The game has a huge world with various biomes, dozens of horse breeds with complex stats that influence their behavior and looks and an extensive inheritance system that allows players to breed for specific characteristics. 
What it does not have are non-player characters or a proper storyline. There are quests, but they are written and hosted by the players themselves. Horse Isle 3 is a sandbox where you have to find your own gameplay and have limited tools to do so. 

Results of a poll posted in a Horse Isle 3 fan group, 740 total members, around 200 poll participants

While adding NPCs and Quests is on the developers’ to-do list for the future, the addition of some elements seems to be limited by the game’s “live” status: Before the game’s release in August, lead developer Joe “Jor” Durbin asked players if they wanted any more plants to be added, explaining that it would not be possible to add further plant types after going live, which strikes me as a very odd limitation. 

While “unfinished MMO without NPCs or quests” would likely not inspire anyone to purchase anything in any other subgenre of games, the horse game fans who love Horse Isle are happy to support the team, and optimistic that the game’s revenue will be well put to use in adding more content to the long awaited sequel.

In fact, much of the expectations around Horse Isle 3 seems to be directly rooted in people’s love for HI1 and HI2. While asking around communities in order to gain some insight, I’ve found plenty of comparisons to the earlier games and the general hope that HI3 will grow as mechanically complex and beloved as its predecessor did. The sheer depth of horse variety is already fascinating, with every horse in the game being completely unique in its proportions, color and character attributes. 

Many players deeply appreciate these horse taming and breeding mechanics and have high hopes for the game’s future. 

Private message from a HI3 player in response to me asking around about the game on Reddit.

The game’s team numbers a total of 7 core members, which is a very small team for any online game, let alone an MMORPG. For comparison: Star Stable Online is being developed and maintained by a team of over one hundred people. 

The first two Horse Isle games have been up and running for over a decade, and although I have still not played either game myself, I can tell that there is a lot of enthusiasm and love in the TMQ community for the franchise. 

That love is currently being tested with the progress of HI3’s development: 
Despite the lack of quests and NPCs the game is already heavily monetized. The premium currency Mobia costs 1 USD per 100 units, with a premium membership being available for the equivalent of 5$ per month.  

A HI3 player’s comment on the game’s current state. Source.

The recent addition of more expensive cosmetic items in the form of seasonal hats for 1000 Mobia (10$) each has sparked discussion in the HI3 community about the game’s priorities. While some players are upset that a game this unfinished would charge for cosmetic items, others defend the choice with the argument that the game and its developers need players’ support for the game to grow. What unites these players is their desire for a HI3 that is good.

In a way, this loyalty and support is heartening to see. It reminds of the early days of Kickstarter, where a good idea and some concept art were sometimes enough to crowdfund a game project. The fact that horse game fans are so willing to put their support into a project that would have every investor’s alarm bells ringing is fascinating. 

Comments on the poll above.

Source: Horse Isle 3 Infinite Wilds facebook group

But from the point of view of someone entirely unaffected by old HI nostalgia, it looks a lot more like this is further evidence for the utter desperation of this genre’s fans. In response to my question about the game’s current state, a commenter in a HI3 fan group on Facebook wrote: “There should be some built-in gameplay. Otherwise, I like it.”

That is how low the bar is for horse games. 

Apparently, many horse game enthusiasts are eager not just to spend hours playing Horse Isle 3 in its current state but are also willing to spend 10$ on simple cosmetic items in it. The sensation this provokes in me is an odd mixture of desperate frustration and unbridled optimism. If this can acquire such fan support, any actually complete and well-managed horse game should be a gold mine, right? 

The world being large and empty is a complaint I’ve seen several times.

Many buildings in the game look very same-y, judging by screenshots.

Considering the small team and the decade-long investment of time, it seems obvious to me that Horse Isle is a passion project, and not the kind of soulless shovelware we see put out as single player horse games for PC and Console. Unfortunately, passion is not all that’s required in order to make a good horse game, let alone a huge open world MMO. In the game dev industry and especially among passionate hobby developers, tales of small teams biting off more than they can chew and failing as a result are an incredibly common occurrence.

In its current state, with its often ugly horse models, its wide, but empty world and its horrendous-looking UI, my motivation for a proper review of Horse Isle 3 is very limited. Obviously the game has plenty of fans and supporters who are more than happy to play it as it is and have faith that it will one day be the best horse game ever. 

Personally, I’d rather wait and see.

All in-game screenshots in this article were taken from the official Screenshot gallery on Horse Isle' 3’s website. They were taken and originally uploaded by players.

Horse Isle 3 is free to play and can be downloaded here once you’ve created an account.