Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is the newest installment in the Story of Seasons franchise. Here is everything you need to know about it before buying it.
Story of Seasons, formerly known as Harvest Moon, is an agricultural simulation video game created by Yasuhiro Wada. The game was first developed by Victor Interactive Software, the company was then acquired by Marvelous Entertainment. Marvelous is the current publisher of the game in Japan and Europe.
The first Story of Seasons game was released in in 1996, titled Harvest Moon for the Super NES. The series changed names officially in 2013 after Marvelous took over.
In Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, players start a new life in Forgotten Valley. The player is fulfilling their father’s dream of running a farm in this location alongside his friend Takakura. Players will befriend the valley’s residents and continue their father’s legacy.
Along the way, players will find a lifelong partner and raise a child together. The player’s child will grow up to the point where they can choose between continuing with the legacy or taking a different path.
There will be more action than just working on the farm. Players can visit a local dig site where they can hunt for treasures. The social aspect and befriending the locals is also an important part of the game.
Gameplay is one of the consistent elements in the Story of Seasons series. Players have a list of set activities to complete:
Growing Crops
Perhaps the most important part of the game. After all, it is an agricultural simulation game. It is the main source of income for players and the one element they must master to successfully advance through the game. Players must prepare the terrain, plant the seeds, water the crop, and harvest when the time comes.
Additionally, players will be in charge of selling their produce. Some crops are only available during specific times, and during some seasons, it is impossible to grow anything.
Ranching Livestock
A secondary source of income for players. Similar to the agricultural aspect, ranching requires planning and strategy to turn a profit. Livestock can get sick and are vulnerable to attacks from wild animals.
Gathering Materials
Improving the farm and the home requires materials. As players explore Forgotten Valley, they will have the chance to gather different materials that can be used in different ways.
Festivals and Friendships
The social part of the game is central in Story of Seasons, and what better place to make friends than a festival? This social event can include contests and other ways to earn rewards.
Becoming friends with the locals will open plenty of opportunities to players. Some locals can request specific crops or products from the player, which then will lead to special rewards.
Marriage and Family
At some point in the game, the player will find a lifelong partner who they will marry. Together, the couple will have children who will grow up over time. The children can then decide to continue with the family legacy and stay at the farm or pursue a different life outside of Forgotten Valley.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remake of the classic, technically enhanced and improved. The game takes all the best elements from all previous editions and adds more events, recipes, festivals, and even new crops to grow.
Harvest Moon is considered one of the pioneers in the genre and the inspiration for several games. From basic harvesting games contained in Facebook to major titles like Stardew Valley, they all take from the Story of Seasons series.
What makes this game and the genre overall so important in the gaming industry is the accessibility. Even hardcore gamers have played a couple of hours of Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. This type of simulation game is easy to learn and one of the few genres that any player can enjoy. It doesn’t matter if it is a mother or their teenage child, they both can start a farm and put love and time into it.
The base game is now available for $49.99. A separate DLC, including four season outfits, is also available for $3.99.
The first Story of Seasons game was released in 1996 for the Super NES. This game was primarily developed for Nintendo consoles, which made sense, considering it is a Japanese game. As the game grew in popularity, it became available in other platforms.
Story of Season: A Wonderful Life is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. At this time, there are no plans to release the game for consoles from previous generations.
At this point, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life do not support cross-play. There are no plans for the game to become multiplayer at the moment. However, this update come at a later time. The Nintendo 3DS version of the game had this capability, so it is not unheard of for these games to become cooperative.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a remake of the original game. It includes every detail that made the original game so special to fans and adds on all existing elements.
It is not necessary to play a previous game to get into Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. This remake is intended to be the first approach new fans have to the series. One of the advantages of the genre is that most of the focus is on the gameplay. Overall, stories follow similar patterns, a character takes over a farm that is neglected and they must build it from the ground up.
Of course, long-time fans of the series will have a fun time discovering everything that is new in the game and elements that were brought back.
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