Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator Switch Review

Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator has finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch, and like many simulator experiences, this is a pretty chill game with a ton of replay value and little-to-no stress. Some times in life, we just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy a title that doesn’t beat us up, and this is definitely one that can help in this department!

But does Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator check all of the boxes of a sim title? Or does this one fall flat and feel more like a chore? Let’s find out!

The story of Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator is that you are a strong manager/leader that is running a company in London at the beginning, organizing the office and such. This is an actual part of the game, and it is a nice, little fun tease that makes you scratch your head before you realize you have been invited to run a vineyard. Your character, Emma, travels to the location and is a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, even if it is an exciting venture for her.

You are immediately connected with some colorful NPCs that serve as guides and assistants as you work on the vineyard. The tutorial system is very helpful, but it is a ton to take in all at once. Thankfully, it is spaced out in a way that is not too exhausting, and before you know it, you will be casually running the vineyard like a champion (Okay. That might not be so true. haha).

I found the story of Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator to be a decent one. Each character, including Emma, bring a lot of life to the game and give it a lot more substance. Simulators can tend to be dry because of a lack of connection with the people on screen, but I think this title does a great job of giving purpose to everything and everyone and it does feel like it is a living, breathing simulator because of it.

As far as simulators go, Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator is a decent one, too, but it is far more difficult to get into if you are unfamiliar with the concepts and jargon of wine waking. Understandably, the game does try to educate you about the process of making wine, but unfortunately it is a massive amount to take in at one time, making the early game a serious survival of sorts.

Basically, you are given this tiny piece of land and a boatload of instructions that seem impossible given what is available to you. Not only that, but some details are not shared in the early years (In-game time), like applying for loans and upgrading your buildings, that are available from the get-go, which can create tons of problems for people unaware, especially throwing yourself into debt and creating an impossible scenario to climb out of (Resulting in some quick Game Overs if you aren’t careful).

However, once you fail and learn these horrible lessons as you make a few bottles of atrocious wine, you finally begin to get the gist of everything, and that is when Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator really opens up. As you talk to helpful NPCs in regards to the vineyard, a basic understanding starts to click, and you will finally learn how to increase your field a little bit and Tetrisize the various pieces given to you (via cards) to accomplish certain tasks like pruning, harvesting, bottling, cleaning, and so much more (Making wine is a serious process).

Time is a weird one for me, though. You can blast through an in-game year in Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator in a matter of minutes, which means you can time travel through years as a wine maker in 30 minutes, putting yourself into the year 2026 without even realizing it. Basically, each season has four phases, and there is only so much you can do within a phase, which is how time can fly.

Finances are another strange one, as you there are tons of expenses that you need to keep an eye on. For starters, making wine costs money, and learning all the ins-and-outs of wine making will make you realize quickly how much of a pain it all is. Once you actually make wine, then you have to sell it while simultaneously working on your next batch/batches. So selling brings in money and making burns money, but there is also the factoring in of cleaning equipment and upgrading various things that can really burn a whole in your pocket. But the more you invest, obviously the more you will reap and the more money you will make.

Story Mode offers a fun experience that kind of comes to and end. Thankfully, though, you can continue afterwards once the credits finish, but Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator also offers other modes of play, like Endless Mode and Challenge Mode that add a lot to the overall gameplay and replay value. Not only that, but you can play in Piedmont, where the story takes place, or Napa Valley, which is quite awesome. Napa Valley does not have a story mode, but it does offer the rest and is a nice change of pace and scenery.

Where the game fails a bit on the Nintendo Switch is in its controls. For some reason, most movement is allotted to the left joystick, and it is finicky a lot of the time. It would have been significantly easier to use the D-pad for more precise movement, but the D-pad can only be used in certain moments, strangely. Clearly a mouse would be ideal, and this is where sims like this hurt on consoles, as all mouse-movement is relegated to inferior controls.

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This is unfortunate, because the mass majority of the game is quite pleasant and fun, even if some of the early game can be overwhelming and frustrating. Controls need to be as comfortable and accurate as possible, but for some reason, Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator‘s transition onto the Switch was not the best in this regard.

One area that is great, though, is the wonderful art style and pleasant music. Simulators do need to have a relaxing vibe about them, and Hundred Days does an excellent job of furthering that mood with its warm colors and soothing sounds.

At the end of the day, Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator is a solid attempt at simulating the running of a vineyard. It covers the complexities of the job really well, and it gives you a much-needed appreciation for the craft. The game itself is fun, offers a lot, and has a decent story to give purpose to at least one playthrough. Otherwise, you are just trying to make the best wine you possibly can over many years.

Sure, the controls are a bummer and they do sour the experience at times, but I definitely think this is a title well worth your time, especially if you are a fan of simulators. You don’t have to be a wine enthusiast to enjoy this one, but it would help you in the early game, most likely. Either way, learning to make digital wine is fun, and you won’t get drunk doing so.

Hundred Days – Winemaking Simulator Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Broken Arms Games
Developer: Broken Arms Games
Release Date: February 28th, 2022
Price: $29.99, £26.99, €29.99
Game Size: 1.2 GB