Raise-'Em Sims Are Having a Quiet Moment

You probably think horse sims are a tiny corner of Steam. Horses of Hoofprint Bay launched on 4 November and 98% of its 1,311 reviews are positive.

What is it doing right?

It's a hand-drawn 2D barn builder. You care for horses, train them, breed them, then enter show jumping and cross-country. That's the store page, and it reads like a very old recipe.

I think the pull is the loop. Monster Rancher (1997) made monsters out of your CDs and sent them to tournaments. Princess Maker (1991) had you raise a girl for eight years. Uma Musume has you train horse girls for races. Each one hands you something small and asks for patience.

Patience is the mechanic.

My theory is that raise-'em sims stick because you can't rush what you raise. Whatever you end up with, you built slowly.

Which raise-'em sim ate your evenings first? Am I missing a classic?