Taming cute wildlife is a huge appeal of popular RPGs - butcatching horsesinVolcano Princesscan be a little tricky if it’s a player’s first run. Released in February 2023,Volcano Princessis a new parenting simulator where players raise a daughter as a single parent, and it is the first game from Egg Hatcher, an all-female development company in Beijing.
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After the daughter turns twelve and can roam the Map on her own, the option of Catching Horses will appear in Wild Horse Lake in exchange for 5 Action Points. For players going in blind, this seemingly harmless, quick mini-game can actually be quite a challenge and there are afew handy tips and tricksthat will help to determine if a player will ever catch a horse at all. This ishow players can catch and compete with horses inVolcano Princess.
Preparation
There are three areas where players can catch horses: Grassland, Mountain and Wilderness. Even the easiest territory, the Grassland has a minimum Mind Stat of 10-40. The Mountain Territory requires a Mind Stat of 40 or higher. If players have a Mind Stat of 70 or higher, they will have the best chance of catching high quality horses in the Wilderness. While players can access any area, they have no chance of catching a horse if they don’t meet the required Mind Stat. Avoid wasting Action Points and ensure to study first.
The Bryan Family Knight Path is the best for hopeful horse tamers, as horse catching and racing is necessary to ascend to the highest level of Knighthood. Studying specific courses will increase the Mind Stat slowly. However, if players want to fast track their horse catching, they can also buy the Starry Student Uniform,Silver Silence or Winter Rose dressesto raise the player’s Mind Stat instantly. Players can also use their Talent Points to reach Level 3 of the ‘Friend of Horses’ Talent, which will also improve their chances of catching horses.
After selecting the territory, players will be asked to select a bush to search. The small bushes on the left only containsmaller forest creatures, so the player needs to pick the center or right bush to catch a horse. However, if players do select the small bush and catch a forest creature, it will go into the player’s inventory and can be gifted to a local. Players will need to remember to present the creature to a character before the end of the day or the creature will escape and disappear.
Horse Catching
The horse catching mini-game visually resembles the catching and combat system fromPokemon RedandBlueversion. Players will need to cater their approach to the temperament of the horse. A timid horse will respond well to a forceful approach such as an Intimidating Look or any option which requires Stamina.
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However, a grouchy or rambunctious horse reacts badly to being threatened and will flee or become agitated. Instead, players will need to only use a Gentle approach with grouchy horses, with actions like a Friendly Smile or Look Gently, requiring high Mind stats. The horse has a Vigilance Level that will decrease with each appropriate action. Unfortunately, the player has a ‘Will’ Level that decreases rapidly like HP if the horse reacts and will often run out first. Once the horse’s Vigilance Level isentirely depleted, the animal will be caught.
Tip: Stallion’s Diced Carrot
One trick for horse catching is togrow and harvesttwo or more carrots in Wild Horse Lake and prepare the mood-changing dish ‘Stallion’s Diced Carrot’. This carrot-based dish can be used during the horse catching mini-game to replenish the player’s Will - and the horse will happily eat some carrots too, causing the Vigilance Level to decrease. Stock up on enough Diced Carrots, and players will be able to outlast the horse’s Vigilance long enough to win the horse over.
Caring For Horses
Once caught, players will be able to rename their horse and finally see the horse’s stats. Horses are rated on their Speed, Appearance and the Battle Ability. Unfortunately, Battle Ability is a passive bonus that simply raises the player’s Combat stats, ashorses cannot actually be taken in battle. The ability tocare for farm animalsin Volcano Princess is somewhat lacking - sadly, players cannot bond, ride or feed horses in Volcano Princess, but Speed and Appearance can be raised by purchasing care tools from the Weapons Shop.
Some horses can produce horse milk that will appear on the stable floor at the beginning of each month. Horse milk can be made in Milk Pudding to increase Mind stats. Horse Milk can also beused in other recipesthat raise Charisma, Mood and Stamina, such as Creamy Baked Egg, Horse Milk Wine and Grape Custard. The stable can hold five horses, so if players catch a sixth horse, they will be given the option to release one horse into the wild - a great opportunity for players to swap out horses with weaker stats for higher quality horses.
Horse Racing
Racing competitions take placeat the Abandoned Harbor and again cost 100G and 5 Action Points. The horse racing mini-game is more engaging. Players will need to hit the ‘Dash’ button when the arrow moves into the orange section of the bar at the bottom of the screen. This will cause the horse to accelerate.
Additionally, players can buy a Sprint Potion which can be used once during the race to propel the horse forwards. Players with a speed of 100 or higher will be more likely to win, but additional care tools may be needed to win the prestigious Sea Breeze Race.
Beauty Pageants
Entering a Beauty Pageant costs a minimum of 100G and 5 Action Points, and players will only have a few opportunities to enter at the Abandoned Harbor. Horses with an appearance of worse than B will do poorly unless improved with care tools. During the competition, the player will be asked to choose one of three options for how the horse will walk, each with a success rate percentage.
Selecting the highest success rate option will boost the horse’s ranking. The animations for beauty pageants are cute and minimalist, despite the mini-game itself being very brief. If players win, they are awarded with money, fame and achievements.
Volcano Princesswas released in February 2023 and is available on the PC.
