Howrse vs Meeple Station
Howrse
Howrse is a text-and-graphics-based horse game by Ubisoft. The game has been on the internet since 2005 and is still going strong despite the emergence of graphically better horse games like Star Stable, Horse Haven Adventures and others. Unlike other horse games, Howrse focuses more on the management aspect of owning a horse ranch, requiring you to have good organization skills as you make sure your horses are all well-taken care of and trained. The game also has a competitive edge, allowing you to send your best horses out for challenging races. There are plenty of beautiful horses and ponies you can raise, as well as other fun features like horse breeding and trading too. You can even set up your own equestrian center and join up with a team so you'll have some company while playing the game.Howrse may not look like much on the outside, but once you've gotten into the game, you'll start to realize what a gem this game is. The depth of the gameplay is simply amazing for a text-based game, and of course, there's the irrefutable joy that this game has brought to horse and pony lovers worldwide for more than a decade! If it hasn't already, Howrse should definitely be deemed a horse game classic.
Meeple Station
Meeple Station is a space-themed, sandbox simulation game that focuses a lot on exploration, trading and team management. In this game, you’ll need to build your starter space station and then venture out into the galaxy to find a place to set up shop, so to speak. Mine nearby resources and refine them into valuable bars and other alloys, and trade the resources you have with passing spaceships for resources that you don’t. Don’t forget to assign your meeples with tasks that suit their respective personalities, and give them everything they need to be content despite being cooped up in a tightly-packed space station.The game doesn't have a multiplayer mode (yet), but I can see the potential of having the game mode added in the future where players will be able to trade with each other and even raid other player’s stations to plunder resources. It’ll probably be somewhat similar to Minecraft’s multiplayer mode.
Overall, Meeple Station is definitely an early access game with plenty of potential. Despite the bugs and game issues, it is a rather fun sandbox game to play where you can build your own space station, explore the galaxy, mine and trade for resources, and manage your team of adorable meeples. If you’re interested, Meeple Station is currently available for purchase on Steam. Check it out!