Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Star Stable Entertainment AB nor am I being compensated by Johan Sjoberg.
Okay, I know there’s some irony to be had about me writing about online Ads and then writing a semi-in-depth review of a fantasy equestrian game. Alas, this blog is “anything goes” and I’d like to write about things I like inbetween rants.
Review: Star Stable Online
I have an embarrassing confession to make:
Way back in 2005, I recall seeing an ad for Starshine Legacy (CD-ROM) in a magazine that I cannot remember for the life of me. Anyways, being 13 at the time I was in my “hate on everything girly” phase. That included pink, dresses, romance books and anything perceived as girly.
But I didn’t hate horses. How could I hate an animal that has no control over how it is perceived by society?
Even so, I was shy about asking my parents to get me a copy of it partially due to the price tag (at the time), and because I felt like I’d be betraying my “not-like-other-girls” persona I was earnestly trying to put on. Now that I look back, it’s kind of ironic that I was like that because I was more like-the-other-girls than I realized. Oh well, you live and learn.
Then came along 2012, which was around the first time I’ve heard of “Star Stable Online”. I didn’t have decent internet connection to run the game, and it wouldn’t hit the mobile market until 2020.
I forgot about it until late 2022, while I was yearning for an equestrian game that didn’t have the typical “become a celebrity rider in order to save the ranch” plot line. I played it for a couple months, then stopped for reasons I cannot recall.
Flash forward to 2024, I finally get a decent gaming PC and I remember that I have an SSO account.
So, I decided to fire it up again and remembered that I had a shire, and an Avatar pretty in pink:
As cute as I thought the outfits were, they needed an update. As I progressed through the game’s quest, I got access to more clothing and horses.
And so, I started going with specific looks:
As you can see, I’ve been having a little bit of fun with the photo gimmick. Once you hit a certain point in the main quest, it gets easier to come up with your own personal aesthetic.
Without further ado, I’ll take about things I love about this game.
Horse and Character models
Nothing turns me off of a game quicker than ugly looking models. Especially when they’re soulless looking.
However, I find the Star Stable horse models to be refreshingly beautiful and cute to look at. They’re reasonably expressive, via the eyes:
The Jorvik Warmbloods (AKA, the starter horses) have serviceable models. Unfortunately their gaits are a bit stiff looking and their manes seem… plastic-y.
It’s hard to describe without video, so here’s a video demonstration by Ivy Rainpaw:
https://youtu.be/mfqAHeym2t8?si=ebDIwEfA6WhmL4oO
Not a terrible model by any means, but it’s definitely the horse which is free of charge.
Now, as for the character model:
You have to take the time to earn shillings and level up to roughly 12 in game to mold the character into whatever aesthetic you like. Before level 12, a lot of the outfits are blocked. It doesn’t make sense outside of incentivizing players to pour hours into doing quests and whatnot.
I got the hairstyle from the Medieval Arena, and the outfit itself is from the Jorvik mall’s clothing store.
I’m happy with the overall look, so I can’t complain.
Gameplay
I’m going to be completely honest, I do most of the fetch quests on my phone.
If I want to do races, I boot up my PC because the controls are a lot easier on the keyboard. I’m not sure if it’s because I lack fine motor skills, or that the mobile controls suck; but when I try to race on the mobile version I crash into every sharp turn corner.
Otherwise, the races are pretty fun on the desktop version.
The main story quest is alright for what it is. I like that it slowly opens the world more and more to the player, even if the game is technically open world. As of writing this post, I haven’t completed the main story itself so I’m not informed enough to make a full comment about it.
What I will say is that….
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
I don’t like how no one in Mooreland seems to give a damn when Justin disappears. Not even Loretta, the character who has a crush on him, seems to care. Is it a bug on my end? Is my reputation not high enough that I’m missing out on content? I’m not sure, but once I do I’ll update this post.
The only characters who are concerned are Linda and Alex. I tried to reach Thomas (Justin’s father) for comment, but he didn’t have much to say.
Maybe since I’m only level 12, I’m not far enough in for other characters at Mooreland Stables to care.
Main quests tend to be the quickest way for me to level up my character, from what I’ve experienced so far.
The constant back to back fetch quests outside of the story get a tad tedious. I recommend taking breaks in between play sessions if you don’t want to get bored with the game fast.
Microtransactions
I get the nuances of why MTs are so prevalent in a lot of free-to-play games: the developers need to make money.
Over the course of a few months into this game, I’ve collected a few in game horses. However, they can only be bought with Star Coins which costs real money. In my opinion, players should be given the option to grind for Jorvik Shillings (free currency) to get certain horse breeds. Alas, I get why the Devs wouldn’t do that. It just sucks that it has to be this way.
I don’t mind supporting the game whenever I can. However, the fact that this game is geared towards kids and has so many horses hidden behind real currency is a problem. I don’t think MTs should be promoted to children like this.
But what do I know? I’m just a nobody who blogs like it’s still 2007.
In conclusion
There is something to be said about simple, yet charming mobile games like this. It’s become one of those games I just tune out to while listening to some podcasts when doing the fetch quests.
As far as mobile games go, I’d give it a 7/10. I don’t play mobile games that much, so I’m probably biased. But nothing quite beats being able to ride around on magical horses in a whimsy landscape while slowly learning more about the world of Jorvik.
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