The Mane Quest

The Mane Quest is a website dedicated to horses and video games. The website was created by Swiss game designer and producer Alice Ruppert and originally launched in October 2018. The short form is TMQ.

The Mane Quest Website



Origin
Alice Ruppert always had an interest in horse games. In 2018, she realized through multiple social media interactions that other people might be interested in her opinions on them. The Mane Quest was more concretely planned in Summer 2018 and a placeholder page went live on 16 September.

The Mane Quest officially launched with 10 starting articles on 23 October 2018.

Other Media
The Mane Quest has been introduced or talked about by multiple media outlets. Known coverage is included here:

English

 * Indie Game Website: Mucking Out The Stables of Horse Games
 * Polygon: Why horses are so hard for video games to get right
 * The Mary Sue: The Galloping Return of the Horse Game
 * PreMortem Games: The authority on game horses makes her own horse game
 * Eurogamer: What Games Get Wrong About Horses
 * Horse Canada: Horse Play – Inside the World of Gaming and Horses
 * The Mary Sue: ‘The Mane Quest’s Alice Ruppert on ‘Horse Tales’ and How Making Indie Games Is a Canter, Not a Gallop

German

 * The Pod: Wer macht denn sowas?
 * OK COOL: The Mane Quest: Alice Ruppert bring Pferde und Spielejournalismus zusammen
 * OK COOL fragt nach: Viel Arbeit für kein Geld: Was treibt Blogger*innen an?
 * Pferde-Games am Pranger | Reddit nimmt das Genre auseinander

List of articles
Here is a list of articles published on the The Mane Quest, with the games they feature.

2018

 * #Horsegame: Big Plans and Little Time Mentioned Games: Stardew Valley and Pferd & Pony – Mein Pferdehof


 * UNCOVERED: Horse Personalities


 * Horses in Red Dead Redemption 2: Dressage and Companionship Featured Games: Red Dead Redemption 2


 * Farming Simulator 19 — Gamescom Trailer Reveals Horses Featured Games: Farming Simulator 19


 * The Dual Nature of Horses in Video Games Mentioned Games: Assassin’s Creed Series, Red Dead Redemption, Shadow of the Colossus, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Pferd & Pony – Mein Pferdehof


 * UNCOVERED: Horse Riding as a Skill


 * Horses in Clive'N'Wrench — With Rob Wass Featured Games: Clive'N'Wrench


 * Two New Horse Games Headed for Steam — Bibi & Tina and MRS: Your Horse Breeding Featured Games: My Riding Stables: Your Horse Breeding and Bibi & Tina: Adventures with Horses


 * Alicia Online — Good Racing and Not Much Else Featured Games: Alicia Online


 * My Riding Stables: Life With Horses — So close to decent, so far from good Featured Games: My Riding Stables - Life With Horses


 * Between Knighthood and Game Development : Interview with Jason Kingsley Featured Games: Joust Legend


 * Dressage Moves in Red Dead Redemption II and their Real Life Equivalents Featured Games: Red Dead Redemption 2


 * Darksiders III will be out on November 27th - But Where is Fury's Horse? Featured Games: Darksiders III


 * Darksiders III: New Trailer reveals Fury's Horse Featured Games: Darksiders III


 * Disappointing Darksiders 3 Reviews: No Horse Gameplay Featured Games: Darksiders III


 * Game Z Festival Talk About the Best Horse Game of My Childhood: Mein Pferdehof Featured Games: Pferd & Pony – Mein Pferdehof


 * Farming Simulator 19 — Can Rideable Horses make the Tractor Driving Worthwhile? Featured Games: Farming Simulator 19


 * The Mane Quest wishes you all a very Merry Christmas!

2019

 * “Working on a horse game nobody cared about was soul crushing” — The Unenthusiastic Making Of Riding Star 2 Featured Games: Riding Star and Riding Star 2


 * Showcase: Our Favorite Horse Art from #PortfolioDay


 * My Time At Portia leaves Steam Early Access Featured Games: My Time at Portia


 * Star Stable Online — Much Variety, Little Depth Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Ludicious19 Talk: All Horse Games Are Bad and Here's Why You Should Care About That


 * My Riding Stables: Life With Horses/Your Horse Breeding — Horse Fans Deserve Better Featured Games: My Riding Stables: Life With Horses


 * Online multiplayer horse game Dash Society opens Player Registration Featured Games: Dash Society


 * Equestrian: The Game — A Project to Keep Your Eyes on Featured Games: Equestrian the Game


 * #horsegame Prototype Update: Progress and Priorities


 * Twitter is falling in love with a Red Dead Online Horse named Hayseed Featured Games: Red Dead Online


 * Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord — Accuracy Reins Supreme Featured Games: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord


 * My Time At Portia — A Wonderful Crafting Game Despite Rudimentary Horse Mechanics Featured Games: My Time at Portia


 * Horse Games That Should Exist – Vol I


 * "Very Far Away Horse" Game Cover Confuses Gamers Featured Games: Very Far Away Horse


 * Horse Riding Tales: The Mobile Free-To-Play Multiplayer Horse Game is out on Steam now Featured Games: Horse Riding Tales


 * Horse Riding Tales — Cute Horses, Bad Interface and Excessive Microtransactions Featured Games: Horse Riding Tales


 * “Horses are already magical, they don’t need fairy dust!” — Interview with the team of Equestrian: a Horse Game for Adults Featured Games: Equestrian the Game


 * The Most Popular Unity Asset for Horse Animation has a Fatal Flaw, but it’s Getting an Update Mentioned Games: Animallica and My Little Riding Champion


 * Ostwind/Windstorm — Gorgeous Landscapes, Strange Horse Animation and Shallow Gameplay Featured Games: Windstorm – The Game


 * “I joined Tivola because I wanted to make horse games” — Studio Visit and Interview with Inga Panten Mentioned Games: HorseWorld: Show Jumping, HorseWorld: My Riding Horse and Horse Hotel


 * The Best Horse Games to Play in 2019 on PC & Consoles Featured Games: Star Stable Online, The Sims 3: Pets Expansion Pack, Alicia Online, Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds, Windstorm – The Game, Windstorm: Ari's Arrival, Phar Lap: Horse Racing Challenge, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Equestrian the Game Games to avoid: Horse Riding Tales, My Riding Stables: Life With Horses


 * Recommended: Dash Society Developer Talks About Horse AI Featured Games: Dash Society


 * “It’s a dream come true” — Nika Bender talks about her work on Star Stable Online Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds has left its Beta Phase and is Officially Live now! Featured Games: Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds


 * Recommended Resource: Horse & Rider Sprite Pack by Onfe


 * Horses in Games: Companions and Collectibles Featured Games: The Legend of Zelda Series, Shadow of the Colossus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Darksiders Series, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Assassin's Creed Series, Stardew Valley Mentioned Games: Star Stable Online, My Horse Farm (?), My Riding Stables Series, Windstorm games


 * Six Ages: Ride Like The Wind — Mobile Mythology-driven Strategy with Pretty Horses Featured Games: Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind


 * Pokémon Shield Announces New Regional Ponyta Variant Featured Games: Pokémon Sword & Shield


 * The Unicorn Princess: An Open World Fantasy Horse Game Coming to PC and Consoles This November Featured Games: The Unicorn Princess


 * Wild Horse's Valley: The Herd Management Browser Game Leaves Beta and goes Live Featured Games: Wild Horse's Valley


 * The Mane Quest Celebrates its First Birthday!


 * Bibi & Tina at the horse farm — An Exercise in Mediocrity Featured Games: Bibi & Tina at the horse farm


 * Horse Care Mechanics: Why They’re Often Horrible and How To Get Them Right Mentioned Games: TO DO


 * Horse Isle 3: Player base divided over development priorities Featured Games: Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds


 * New Facebook Group: Join the Horses & Video Games Communities to meet fellow Horse Game Lovers


 * Kanna: An Open World Indie RPG with lots of horse variety Featured Games: Kanna


 * Horse Isle 3: First Impressions Stream Highlights Featured Games: Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds


 * Windstorm Studio announces new Open World Horse Riding Adventure Featured Games: Stable Girl Mentioned Games: Windstorm games


 * “There is no need to do anything differently” — Insights from Horse Isle 3 Lead Developer Joe ‘Jor’ Durbin Featured Games: Horse Isle 3: Infinite Wilds

2020

 * “We want to build something that can grow over the years to come” - Windstorm Developer Aesir Interactive talks about New Plans and Past Struggles Featured Games: Windstorm – The Game, Windstorm: Ari's Arrival and Stable Girl


 * Recommended: "Horse Games Are Trash and I’m Over It" Featured Games: Gallop and Ride!


 * TMQ Merchandise Shop: Get yourself some stickers or shirts to support the website!


 * Revisiting Star Stable Online – A flawed but lovable game experience Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Horse Games That Should Exist – Vol II


 * Horse Isle 3, War Crimes and LGBTQ+ Visibility – A case study in how NOT to approach Community Management Featured Games: Horse Isle 3


 * Horse Games and Gender – How Video Games often fail to combine Quality and Femininity Mentioned Games: TO DO


 * Wholesome Gaming: Dozens of Horse Game Fans meet for virtual Trail Rides in Red Dead Online Featured Games: Red Dead Redemption 2


 * Character Diversity, Beta Testing and Patreon Support – Latest News from Equestrian: The Game Featured Games: Equestrian the Game


 * Rival Stars Horse Racing comes to PC and Mac next Month Featured Games: Rival Stars Horse Racing


 * Review: Rival Stars Horse Racing Desktop Edition — Gorgeous Graphics and Forgivable Flaws Featured Games: Rival Stars Horse Racing


 * The TMQ Community Draws! From #BellaSaraMay to #Junicorn and beyond!


 * A Sneak Peek at “Rewrite: Fantasy” – An Upcoming Mobile RPG with Elaborate Horse Features Featured Games: Rewrite: Fantasy


 * The Best Horse Games to play on PC and Console in 2020 (Original) Featured Games: Star Stable Online, Red Dead Redemption 2, Rival Stars Horse Racing, Horse Isle 3, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Sims 3 Pets and Windstorm: Ari's Arrival


 * Review: Petz Horsez 2 – A Content-Rich Adventure Game plagued by Questionable Horses and Awkward Controls Featured Games: Petz Horsez 2/Pippa Funnell 4 - Secrets of the Ranch/Abenteuer auf dem Reiterhof 6 - Kampf um die Ranch/Alexandra Ledermann 8 - Les Secrets du Haras


 * Second Life Quadrille: Modders and Equestrians unite for Elaborate Dressage Performances Featured Games: Second Life Mentioned Games: Red Dead Redemption 2, The Sims 3 Pets and ARK: Survival Evolved


 * Making your own Horse Game – Part One: Baby Steps


 * PROJECT D – A Multiplayer Survival Game that lets you Explore a Post-Apocalyptic World on Horseback Featured Games: PROJECT D: Human Risen


 * Making your own Horse Game – Part Two: Involving Others


 * TMQ wants YOU to write your own Horse Game Article for the upcoming Community Section!


 * Making your own Horse Game – Part Three: Scope and Focus


 * Star Stable Online announces Mobile version, Closed Beta opening soon Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Red Dead Online Players are organizing Charity Rides to Fundraise for Cancer Research Featured Games: Red Dead Redemption 2


 * Review: Windstorm - Ari’s Arrival – An Open World Horse Adventure that Outshines its Predecessor in Every Way Featured Games: Windstorm: Ari's Arrival


 * My Riding Stables 2: A New Adventure Announced for PS4 and Switch Featured Games: My Riding Stables 2: A New Adventure


 * Must-Read: Polygon Analyzes Assassin's Creed Horses with an Expert of Equine History Featured Games: Assassin's Creed Series


 * Horse Game Modding: All the horse games on the market are bad, so fan-made mods have to fill the gap


 * Yearly Review & Stats — How far we’ve come on our Mane Quest

2021

 * Game Announcement: Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure is coming to Consoles and PC in Summer 2021 Featured Games: DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure


 * The Horse Game Database: A TMQ Community Project calls for Contributors


 * Dissension – A Pixel Art Adventure about a Medieval Spy and her Mare named Pumpkin Featured Games: Dissension


 * New Features in Rival Stars: Quick Ride, Horse Types, Jumping Stats Featured Games: Rival Stars Horse Racing


 * Horse Mechanics in Harvest Days – Decent Animations and Features, Inaccurate Terminology Featured Games: Harvest Days


 * Review: My Riding Stables 2 - A New Adventure — Cool New Features Dragged Down by Old Baggage Featured Games: My Riding Stables 2: A New Adventure


 * Schleich and Wild River Games announce Horse Club Adventures for PC and Consoles Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures


 * “We want to tell a story with heart and a wholesome character dynamic” — A Look behind the Scenes of DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure Featured Games: DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure


 * Preview: I played Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure for an Hour – Here’s what to Expect Featured Games: DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure


 * “It’s like planning a vacation: you dream of the Maldives, but your ticket will only get you to the Netherlands” — Publisher Interview with Katrin Haase Featured Games: My Riding Stables 2: A New Adventure Mentioned Games: TO DO


 * Star Stable Entertainment Reports Record Player Numbers and Revenue Growth Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Review: Horse Club Adventures – A Wholesome Summer Retreat with Suboptimal Animations and Controls Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures


 * Star Stable Online Celebrates (?) Pride Month, Promises Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * “You have to achieve a certain level of quality within your resources” – Michael Hengst Talks about the Development of Horse Club Adventures Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures, Horse Club Adventures 2 – Hazelwood Stories Mentioned Games: Windstorm – The Game, Red Dead Redemption, DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure


 * AMA Session with the Lead Designer of Horse Club Adventures, June 17th on the TMQ Discord


 * Exclusive Announcement: Wildshade – A brand new Fantasy Horse Racing Mobile Game Featured Games: Wildshade


 * Review: DreamWorks’ Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure – A Promising Open World Game marred by a Thoroughly Frustrating User Experience Featured Games: DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure


 * Recommended: "Mucking Out The Stables of Horse Games"


 * "Most horse games lack visual polish" – Behind the Scenes of Rival Stars Horse Racing with Art Lead Victoria Smith Featured Games: Rival Stars Horse Racing Mentioned Games: Melbourne Cup Challenge


 * Game Announcement and Developer Q&A: The Ranch of Rivershine looks like the horse farm buildup game I’ve been waiting for Featured Games: The Ranch of Rivershine


 * 8 Common Horse Mistakes I Want Game Developers to Stop Making Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures, DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure, Rival Stars Horse Racing, Wildshade, Windstorm: Ari's Arrival, My Time at Portia, Red Dead Redemption 2, My Riding Stables 2: A New Adventure, Windstorm – The Game, Ashes of Creation


 * Horse Games That Should Exist – Vol III


 * “We want to keep Star Stable Online relevant for the next 10 years” — Interviews with Game Director Stacy Place and CEO Johan Sjöberg Featured Games: Star Stable Online


 * Wildshade, a Fantasy Horse Racing Game for Mobile Phones, is out now Featured Games: Wildshade


 * 2021 in Review – Numbers, Insights, Updates

2022

 * Horse Trek – A Long Faced Journey — A Star Trek fan Dating Sim with... Horses? Featured Games: Horse Trek: A Long Faced Journey


 * The Horse Nerd’s Review of Elden Ring – How Torrent Satisfies Gameplay Needs but Fails at Horse Movement Featured Games: Elden Ring


 * "Astride" Kickstarter Announcement & Developer Interview – A Scandinavian Horse Game with Big Ambitions Featured Games: Astride


 * Today, Among Us is a Horse Game Featured Games: April Fool


 * Wild Horse Islands, Horse Valley and more: Horse Games on Roblox Featured Games: Roblox Horse Games


 * "The Stable" of The Witcher 3: An Elaborate New Horse Customization Mod is Now Available Featured Games: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt


 * The Best Horse Games to play on PC and Console in 2022 Featured Games: Star Stable Online, Windstorm: Ari's Arrival, Red Dead Redemption 2, Rival Stars Horse Racing, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Sims 3 Pets, Horse Club Adventures, DreamWorks Spirit Lucky's Big Adventure, Horse Isle 3 Mentioned Games: Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * “This is only the beginning” – Equestrian The Game: Global Release Announcement and Developer Interview Featured Games: Equestrian the Game


 * Introducing Wyvern and Waypoints: A Website about Dragons in Video Games


 * My Time At Sandrock Early Access Review – First Look & Hopes for Improvements Featured Games: My Time at Sandrock


 * Announcement Trailer for Horse Tales – Emerald Valley Ranch: An Open World Horse Adventure Game with Breeding, Building, Racing and more Featured Games: Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * Horse Club Adventures 2: Hazelwood Stories Announcement: Teaser Trailer and Developer Insight Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures 2 – Hazelwood Stories


 * Recommended: Polygon Asked Me Why Horses are so Hard for Video Games to get Right


 * The Indie Horse Game Revolution: 6 Upcoming Passion Projects to keep your Eyes on Featured Games: The Ranch of Rivershine, Astride, Tales of Rein Ravine, Unbridled: That Horse Game, Horse Project, Horse Life Simulator Mentioned Games: Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * 5 Crucial Games Industry Tips for Horse Game Creators


 * Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch – Gameplay Trailer, New Info and Gamescom Press Roundup Featured Games: Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * New Animated Horse Asset: Does Horse Herd by 3D Bear beat Horse Animset Pro in Anatomical Accuracy?


 * An Exclusive First Look at the Irish Cob in Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch Featured Games: Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * There are Four New Horse Games on PC and Consoles in 2022 Featured Games: Horse Club Adventures 2 – Hazelwood Stories, My life: Riding Stables 3, Bibi & Tina – New adventures with horses and Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch


 * 2022 in Review – Stats, Insights and Updates


 * Someone Actually Made a "Far Away Horse" Game and You Can Play It Featured Games: Far Away Horse, Very Far Away Horse, Roblox Horse Games

2023

 * Chariot Racing in Games – Horses, Representations and Untapped Potential Featured Games: Assassin's Creed Series, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Qvadriga and Ancient Arenas: Chariots