TV Farm 2 was not what I thought it was going to be. Having never played the original offering, I just assumed this farm game was going to be your classic time management game where I planted stuff and then got money for it.
I had no idea the complexities that awaited me in TV Farm 2...
If you're looking for a simple game where you don't have to think before you click, then let me say, run... run screaming from this game and don't look back.
But, if you're looking for a challenge, something with a bit more bite to it, that requires you to use that thing you call a brain, then tune in now, because TV Farm 2 is quite the strategy game.
It begins with a bizarre story. You apparently are a contestant on some sort of reality TV show where you must compete to have the best farm in different locations all over the country. You begin in a classic pasture-like setting, but your travels will take you to the mountains, the desert, the arctic, and the tropics.
It all begins a little innocuously. But after about five minutes when you're still embroiled in the tutorial... you begin to realize what an amazingly complex and robust game TV Farm 2 really is.
You have rows of land where you can plant your crops. You always begin with one row, but you can buy more during the level. You'll start off with certain items in your warehouse that you can use to make other, more complex items immediately or ship them off for money right away if you're short on funds.
In addition to your crops, you have buildings that can produce more expensive items like tomato paste, popcorn, or sauce. These items will produce a higher valued item, so when you really need to up your earnings, you're going to want to focus on production.
You have goals that can be seen at the bottom of your screen... usually, to produce a certain amount of a product or make a certain amount of money. I loved that production counted toward your goal... so, once you produced said item, you could sell it and it still counted. I hate discovering that I have to have the items in my warehouse in these types of games after I've already sold the whole lot.
You begin with your basic buildings, but, as you progress to different areas, you'll have different production buildings that are relevant to that area. For example, you get to make wine in the mountains... how cool is that?!
The graphics were decent, nothing super crisp or entirely impressive, but you don't really play time management games and expect to be wowed by the art. The key to a really great time management game is the gameplay and the challenge of the thing.
And, I found TV Farm 2 extremely challenging. I often had to stop and formulate a strategy in order to devise the best way to tackle a level. I had to know what products brought in the most money, how many workers I would need, if it's worth it to upgrade buildings or purchase more rows to plant crops, and so on... and, of course, as the levels progressed, the difficulty increased... I got to the point where I would start the level, look at everything, get a plan, then restart to play for real...
And, while that may sound like a frustrating time... I loved every minute of it.
TV Farm 2 was an extremely entertaining game for hardcore time management fans. If you're on the fence about high-stress strategy games, however, I suggest looking for something else to play because this one will completely consume you.