Last January my wife and daughter convinced me to try a game that I would never have considered on my own: StarStable Online.
My usual genre consists of games like Fallout, Arkham, Elder Scrolls, etc. All First Person Shooter or Hack and Slash games. StarStable is different in two ways: first, it is a[n] MMORPG and two it contains very little violence and when you are hurt it is masked by a sort of "whew that was close but you managed to survive (or get away)" message. Apart from that I soon learned this is a very fun game and satisfies a number of basic gaming needs.
When my daughter told me about this "awesome horse game" I laughed. But my wife began playing it and she is not really into games unless they are puzzle games (like Myst or Riven). Soon after not only were my daughter and wife playing but also my wife's parents, her sister, and the cousins! At that point I had to try it to see what the hullabaloo was about.
Turns out this horse game made for younger women is actually a lot of fun for anyone and everyone.
StarStable Online is based on previous single player games. In this game you travel to a region where horses are the primary mode of transportation. You start at a stable and are asked to care for a horse. You do such a good job with that horse you are then asked to keep it and that is where all the adventure begins.
This is a pretty wide open world once you become a paying customer. There are level restrictions to several regions but that gives you something to work toward. You can communicate with anyone in game through mail or through chat. Chat is divided into multiple tabs with varying restrictions such as special groups, or the club you belong to as well as local and global chat. The game is VERY social and the players often don't bother following the plotline or quests and go off and have role playing parties and such.
But as open as it is, there IS a main plot or quest, and there are TONS of side quests and chores to do as well. Quests are segmented and can be done at your leisure. Completed quests grant you gold and level your character. Chores and races build your reputation with the various factions and regions and provide gold. Then there are the races. Races are divided into regular races with a competition board, and championships. Championships take place in specific regions at specific days and times. Regular races are available once per day for points (leveling your horse) and all day for the competition board itself.
It is a good idea to do your chores and races to build popularity (which leads to more quests) and helps your horse perform better (faster, more agile, better jumping, etc). At times the chores can become very tedious doing the same things day in day out but they are also quick to do. Some of the chores include cleaning stables, delivering goods, finding objects, mapping areas, checking on workers, fishing, etc. The more you participate the more quickly you advance in general.
There is a mystical side to the game. Your character, it turns out, is very special and has been gifted with powers that will be needed to keep the world safe from the nefarious plans of the bad guys. I won't say more about that, but I will say for a game for young women, there ARE some scary or stressful moments when you are trying to foil the plans of the interdimensional spooks or the ruffians.
The other aspect of the game that is just FUN are the horses themselves. There are many different types of horses in game and you won't have access to all of them at the beginning, but they come over time as you level up and gain access to where they are sold. Be warned, you can become addicted to buying the various horse types and colors! Another fun part is buying your own clothing and the horses tack. There are many options and at first you might try to stick to items that give you the best performance boosts, but sometimes you just bow down to what looks best. Other fun things to do include visiting the Disco every Friday and Saturday night and just riding around with your friends or your club. Some clubs even hold inter-club competitions.
Finally, it needs to be mentioned that StarStable provides NEW content EVERY WEDNESDAY! That is pretty amazing. They also provide MAJOR updates (like new horses) several times per year and REGION updates frequently as well! For example they just added a new region that is HUGE and takes a lot of time to investigate, and as time goes on they will add many new quests in this region. The development of this game is very active and the community is vibrant.
Over all I would recommend this game to anyone, but be aware there are a LOT of children on this game (and the chat filter lets you know that as it filters many words that could be abused - often to the frustration of people trying to communicate) so please be on your best behavior. But even so, there are a lot of adults on the game as well. The adults are usually found to be on late late at night or during the day when school is in session.
Check it out! If you like it, your best bet (financially speaking) is to purchase a lifetime membership. Also, while you get a star coin allowance as a life member, you WILL want to purchase more star coins to purchases horses and special tack... just a warning that it will dent your wallet!
