Simulator games have been a staple of video games for decades. From aquariums to truck driving, there seems to be a simulation game for practically all facets of human (and animal) life. The appeal is pretty crystal-clear, too. Why not play a game that simulates something you’ve always wanted to do? The classic Sim City franchise laid upon us the burden of running an entire city, while equally as classic flight simulator games let us fly a plane. At one point, a new saying might indeed be, “If it exists, there’s a simulation game for it,” and it likely won’t be that much of an exaggeration. One such new simulation coming down the pipes is Hundred Days, a game where you can live out your dreams of, you guessed it, making wine.
Hundred Days teaches the art of winemaking
This unique simulation game, from developer Broken Arms Games, takes players through every single aspect of running a winery. It looks pretty comprehensive, from managing your vineyard onward. Players have to manage a ton of different factors, such as diseases, pH level, and plant type. The choices include picking what type of vines and when you should harvest them. They also have to handle the fermentation process and drive sales. There’s a ton to making the wine we all occasionally (or sometimes more than occasionally) enjoy. Players also make use of placing the different buildings and machinery involved in wine production. The quality of your wine is crucial, as the sales from the wine and your company’s reputation are essential to company expansion. This involves a lot of different considerations, and gameplay looks pretty sophisticated.
Hundred Days seems pretty complex in gameplay, from grape to bottle.
Running a winery is no cakewalk
There’s lots to be done on your winery. You’ll have to cultivate different vine types and pair that with considering the soil type. You’ll also have to handle various tasks on the vineyard like pruning. Treatments for your vines protect them from disease, ensuring a more plentiful and higher-quality harvest. You’ll also have to determine when the optimal ripeness is for your grapes and act accordingly. Once you’ve completed that, you’ll have to move into the fermentation process, which comes with its own challenges. Players will now need to determine which bacteria and yeasts will be used and figure out each wine’s aging process.
From there, you customize your bottle’s look and create a sales network. This will have to be planned carefully, as your brand also must appeal to different types of consumer. Finally, you handle the marketing strategies and make sure your company’s name gets out there. As you can see, there’s a lot of fine details involved in the wine game, and in order to ensure optimal success, you’ll have to master each step and combine your mastery to succeed.
Work such as bottling and tipping has to be planned out and managed in order for your product to go from grape to great.
Low specs? No problem!
Hundred Days won’t require a powerhouse computer to run, unlike many other simulators. With a Windows 7-compatible OS, only 4GB of RAM required, and relatively low video card requirements, the sim can be enjoyed on most laptops. At only 1 GB size, it’s also pretty lightweight. Running a vineyard may be taxing on the mind, but it’s far less taxing on the computer.
When’s it coming out?
There’s still no official date for Hundred Days, but you can wishlist it on Steam. We’ll keep you posted on the final release date though.
Are you looking forward to a wine simulator? Are you going to check out Hundred Days? You know what to do.
