Good Job!! Buddy!

It’s always encouraging to see video games keeping abreast of current events and striving to be as relevant as possible to the average person on the street. While it might not be immediately apparent (this is a game about driving a tractor, after all), the splendidly named Good Job!! Buddy! has its finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary culture.

As is explained in the brief but well-realised introduction sequence, prior to digging up fields for a living your character was employed as the financial manager of a New York investment firm. In keeping with the current climate of monetary unrest and upheaval, his firm went bankrupt and whilst driving aimlessly around the Californian countryside he stumbles across an advert for a tractor driver.

Okay, so it’s hardly Pulitzer winning stuff, but at least it makes the game seem suitably relevant (not that we’re suggesting that those of you that have fallen on hard times as a result of the credit crunch should head to your local farm to find employment, you understand).

Intricate backstory aside, Good Job!! Buddy! is essentially a puzzle game at heart. In each level you are presented with a field that must be ploughed (or ‘plowed’ as the game hilariously states) in order to make it ready for the sowing of crops.

When your tractor drives over a patch of grassland, it turns to ploughed land. Conversely, should you ride over a patch of already ploughed land, it will mysteriously transform into a lush and vibrant patch of lawn. Spooky.

This portion of the game is divided into two sections - Planning and Execution. The former involves you drawing a route around the field with your finger, following the pre-determined pattern that has been suggested by your employer.

Once you’ve created a path you’re happy with, you can initiate the second phase. Your tractor appears and obediently traces the route you’ve suggested, and when it reaches its conclusion you’ll know if you were successful in your mission.

While this all seems simple enough, there are issues to contend with - the most pressing being the amount of fuel your tractor carries. It only has enough juice in the tank to move a certain number of squares on the grid, so careful planning is vital if you wish to complete each stage.

The issue of fuel is exacerbated by the fact that various obstacles are present on many of the stages, such as rocks, which cannot be moved. So you quickly find that creating a snake-like path around each level is in order to ensure you successfully prepare all of the available space for your crops.

Predictably, as the game progresses the missions become ever more complex and taxing: the patterns you're expected to achieve get more intricate and the number of obstacles in your way rises. This is compounded by the fact that you’re often only given enough fuel to make the exact number of moves required to complete the level, so there’s no margin for error whatsoever.

The brain-straining puzzle action of Good Job!! Buddy! is bolstered by some particular neat presentation. The visuals are of a high standard: from the introductory sequence to the high-resolution in-game graphics, neat embellishments (like the plumes of smoke that appear when your vehicle is in motion) and well laid out menu system, this is a game that's easy on the eye.

Naturally, given the premise, it doesn’t take long for the aesthetics to become repetitive - there’s very little variation in the furniture dotted around each field. Also, it gets hard very quickly - almost too quickly, in fact.

We found ourselves hopelessly stumped on some of the opening missions, and while this sadistic challenge is likely to please those of you who appreciate a stern test, for gamers looking for a more casual piece of entertainment, Good Job!! Buddy! might prove to be a little too demanding.

Taking into account what the game is setting out to achieve, it’s clear that Good Job!! Buddy! (will we ever tire of saying that title?) is an enjoyable puzzle title that showcases excellent presentation and will serve as a suitably imposing test for hardcore brainiacs.

However, the stiff task ahead - combined with the somewhat samey nature of the gameplay - means that this isn’t a tractor ride that everyone is going to savour.