Sound of Horses

Sound of Horses is a story-driven action-adventure game where players assemble their own knightly party to explore the surrounding world. As the story progresses, players and their party will freely traverse different worlds, becoming embroiled in various conspiracies, making choices, and working together with their companions to uncover the world's hidden secrets. The game features a highly realistic physics engine, allowing players to ride horses freely through different environments, enjoying the sound of the wind and the feeling of freedom. Sound of Horses is also continuously updated, releasing more story chapters, allowing players to roam freely in the world.

Gameplay of Sound of Horses:

Exploring the Sound of Horses, we journey together to a peaceful countryside town called Homeland. Here, everything retains its rustic charm with meadows, farms, and familiar dirt roads. Notably, people still travel by horse in a traditional way. This is also where you begin your journey, a horseback adventure to discover new lands and stories. Are you ready to hop on horseback and explore Homeland?

As mentioned above, Sound of Horses is a game focused on horseback riding and exploration. You can customize your character’s appearance and choose your companion horse before starting the game. In the early stages, you won’t need much time to learn how to ride. The controls are very simple, you just need to pay attention. A small note: don’t ride too fast, otherwise collisions could injure both of you.

Sound of Horses has a relatively slow pace, so take your time and enjoy everything. There are fields, many residential areas, and plenty of stories waiting to be discovered. Currently, the game content is divided into many small episodes for you to explore gradually. Each episode opens up a new area with more tasks and things to discover. Meet NPCs, chat with them, and complete assigned tasks to receive valuable information and rewards.

Story of Sound of Horses:

Episode 1: Introduces you to Homeland, a quiet and familiar area where the adventure begins. You learn the basics of riding, explore gentle landscapes, and begin to notice early signs of something unusual. This episode gradually guides you into the larger mystery without overwhelming you.

Episode 2: Titled The Forest Guard, opens the way to a parallel world known as the Other Side. Here, the tone shifts to a more mystical atmosphere. You’ll travel through forests, snow-covered mountains, and ancient guard paths where forgotten secrets linger.

Episode 3: Takes you to Draconia, a land shaped by riddles, ancient contests, and legends. This region challenges your skills and your ability to interpret clues scattered across the environment.

Episode 4: Leads you to the Steppe, where the Land of the Eagle awaits. Here, strength, trust, and precision define the challenges you face as you prepare for a final test against the legendary Eagle.

Episode 5: Brings the story to Volcania, a place of fire and ice. Its harsh yet stunning terrain pushes you toward the last pieces of a mystery that spans both worlds.

Each episode expands the story and introduces new horse cultures, competitions, and traditions, ensuring that your journey never feels repetitive.

Features of Sound of Horses:

Story-Driven Gameplay: The debut episode, titled Homeland, serves as your gateway into this enchanting universe. Players can dive right into the story by experiencing the first three days for free, which introduce you to the core gameplay mechanics and the vibrant world of Homeland. As you ride through fields and forests, engage with memorable NPCs, and partake in various challenges, the seemingly peaceful existence begins to hint at deeper, underlying secrets. The full narrative unfolds as you progress through ten days of gameplay, culminating in an unexpected cliffhanger that sets the stage for your next adventure.

Exploration and Adventure: The gameplay experience emphasizes exploration, allowing players to choose how they wish to engage with the environment and its inhabitants. You might find yourself gathering herbs or assisting a farmer, each interaction bringing you closer to understanding the lives of those around you. The game rewards curiosity, granting additional hours of immersive gameplay as you wander off the beaten path and discover forgotten corners of the world.

Future of Sound of Horses: Though the first episode is available now, the development team is already hard at work on future episodes, ensuring that Sound of Horses will continually expand its narrative depth and world-building. Each subsequent episode promises to delve deeper into the overarching storyline, allowing you to experience a multifaceted approach to the adventures that beckon beyond Homeland.

The Journey Ahead: As you progress into Episode 2: The Forest Guard, the narrative evolves to encompass the mysterious Other Side—an alternate realm filled with enigmas and ancient forces. This shift in focus challenges players to balance their responsibilities in Homeland with the demands of a world that is both familiar and alien. Players will find themselves save from the mundane as they navigate forests and mountains, meeting the enigmatic Forest Guards who tread the line between these two realms and protect their secrets.

Player Comments of Sound of Horses:

After reading the developer's website, I realized this was made by an original developer of Star Stable and Starshine legacy whose credits were completely removed from SSO despite CREATING THE ENTIRE ENGINE (which they STILL USE!!!) HIMSELF. Anders Åkerfeldt is his name, and going through the wayback machine's archive of Pixel Tales, you can even see his name first in the credits. Shame on SSE for removing his credits anywhere they could.My joy is immense, and I myself consider this game a giant "F*** YOU" to modern SSO/ Star Stable Entertainment (even if not intended to be), and 100% a love letter to the original developers from 2006-2014.Absolute beauty of a game, so nostalgic and pretty. Proof you dont need "modern graphics" or over-stylized graphics to make a nice game. (im talking to you SSE...)

I haven't played much yet and I stopped completing the quests quite soon. I'll complete the quests later and get to know all the people, too. I'm interested in the story as well. But:What I really love about this game is just riding my horse in this beautiful world. I really like the atmosphere and the sounds. Riding is so relaxing!I believe this game has much more to offer but so far I've mostly enjoyed the relaxing riding part. It's very pleasant in this game. This part alone makes me to give a positive review this soon! 

 I didn't think that it was possible for a brand new game to feel nostalgic, but Sound of Horses proved me wrong. I love the customization at the beginning. The game feels very cozy to me so far, especially the sound of hooves against the ground. It gives me the same joy as those old 2000's barbie movie shoes tapping against the floor. (very niche, but i'm just saying)...Anyways, my only suggestion is to work on the dialogue a little bit. It feels a bit cold/robotic at some parts, but I understand that the game is in development and that changes will be made. So far, I'm in love. Thank you for creating this gem of a game!

Conclusion:

Sound of Horses delivers a gentle adventure that blends exploration, mystery, and meaningful riding across a carefully crafted medieval world. You guide your story through cultural traditions and growing secrets, but Early Access limits your experience, leaving the remainder of the journey for future updates.