Parents' Guide to

Farm Story

By Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Farm sim has sneaky advertising and ways to make you spend.

Farm Story Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 5+

Not for little kids!

This app is not for kids that cannot read or do not understand they will spend real money if they click on the large buttons wanting them to buy more crystals.

This title has:

Too much consumerism
age 9+
love it

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (3):

FARM STORY is a great looking and generally fun farming simulation, but is frustrating in that it feels built specifically to get players to spend money (or to at least download other apps they might not want). This is a "velvet rope" app, which entices you with free play, but then offers you a faster, more complete experience if you spend extra money. However, unlike most "velvet rope" apps, which let you play a slower, less complete game if you don't want to spend money, Farm Story does not provide that option. It makes their rare "crystals" incredibly hard to come by without paying for them (or downloading other apps from the same publisher), and also makes those crystals a requirements in order to pass through certain missions. That takes a lot of the fun out of it, making the app feel more like a marketing device than a straightforward game. Too bad too, because this game starts out fun until your crystals are gone.

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Release date: September 7, 2010
  • Category: Simulation Games
  • Publisher: TeamLava
  • Version: 1.6.1
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 3.0 or later
  • Last updated: August 22, 2016

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