This dialling back also extends to the overall riding aspect. Really, as someone who approaches both open-ended objectives, sandbox games and set piece-heavy titles with equal aplomb, it’s only to be expected that a game like Star Stable would dial things back a bit. I appreciate that the developer Pixel Tales wants to keep the emphasis on the riding aspect of the horse game. As such, this makes them incredibly linear and easy to complete. In keeping with a lot of social network games, they’re actually more like small tasks or challenges to complete for progression. The missions here aren’t like what you’d find in typical games. The story isn’t mean to overshadow the entire horse riding experience, which is even better. It’s an easy story to relate to (unless you’re an Objectivist) and provides enough incentive for the missions you’ll undertake. You travel to the typical barn for the summer to train your horseback-riding skills only to learn that it will be demolished soon by the heathens of the corporate world. Star Stable is essentially a massively multiplayer horse-riding simulator. But Star Stable represents one of the more intriguing aspects of gaming – and overall entertainment – of today: Just because it looks to be meant for kids and is meant for kids doesn’t mean everyone else can’t have fun. The same effect would perhaps be achieved if I were given Winnie the Pooh to watch after a particularly harrowing season of The Wire. I’ll be honest: When first faced with the prospect of Star Stable, I was flummoxed.

Star stable download review