After 20 years because the authentic launch, Harvest Moon, now known as Story of Seasons, is again in motion. Anybody who’s a fan of the hit recreation Stardew Valley would certainly love one of many video games that extremely impressed it. This acquainted farming gem Story of Seasons: A Great Life initially launched on GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2003, making this a long-awaited remake and assessment. The Story of Seasons franchise had a number of rocky titles within the modern-day, however there’s little question that the allure from 20 years in the past continues to be current inside this remake.
Like most within the sequence, you begin a brand new life at your grandfather’s outdated farm. Within the nation city of Forgotten Valley, you get to customise your farmer, select the animals you care for, and develop quite a few totally different crops. Not solely that, however there are a number of totally different residents of the Valley, some who’re single and able to mingle. The primary function and purpose of this Story of Seasons recreation is to search out somebody to marry by the top of your first 12 months, and develop a household with them. This recreation brings again the allure from the unique, and it nonetheless serves as an amazing recreation in 2023.
A return to kind
As somebody who loves Stardew Valley, and having solely performed a Story of Seasons recreation on the Nintendo DS as a child—regardless of me proudly owning a GameCube and PlayStation 2—reviewing this recreation was a deal with. Sadly, I gained’t have the ability to examine it an excessive amount of to the unique, however what I can say from doing my analysis is how a lot Marvelous Inc. did an amazing job. Nice as in having the ability to not solely replicate what the farming simulator method was, however to maintain it in a contemporary gentle.
Whereas the unique had a duller shade palette, the remake has saturated Forgotten Valley and introduced life into the sport once more. In the event that they have been to promote this as a brand new Story of Seasons title, it could nonetheless maintain up. The gameplay loop is satisfying, and there are consistently new issues to do because the seasons and years go by. You don’t even get to a lot of the great things till you attain the second 12 months, which makes this a recreation you’ll be taking part in for days on finish.
The concept of having the ability to develop a household and watch your youngster develop is one thing that’ll make gamers keep on with the sport for awhile. Regardless of among the early gameplay changing into a bit monotonous, which I’ll clarify additional into the assessment, the most effective stuff comes later. If any participant was disenchanted by any of the newer Story of Seasons titles and needed one thing recent however acquainted, I extremely advocate choosing this one up. Though it sits on the identical value level as a brand new recreation, it actually does really feel updated.
The day-to-day life on a farm
When you get into the swing of issues, you’ll discover your individual farming routine that works for you. Most gamers will discover that they do comparable stuff. Get up, feed your animals, acquire animal merchandise like Milk and Eggs, water your crops, after which let the animals outdoors. When you’ve carried out your morning routine, there are some things across the Valley to do. You may go fishing, acquire sources like flowers and mushrooms, or assist out on the dig web site.
Many of the stuff you’ll be doing all through the day will assist contribute to your earnings. For instance, I normally find yourself spending many in-game hours on the dig web site looking for valuables to promote to Van twice a season. Every season lasts 10 days, and naturally, there are 4 seasons in a 12 months. You can too spend your day attempting to provide presents to the romance choices in hopes that they’ll need to marry you. By the top of the day, I carry my animals in, possibly cook dinner a meal or two, after which head to mattress. The cycle repeats, with sure occasions popping up and making some days really feel new.
Ultimately, you’ll unlock issues like your individual retailer, or new amenities to make higher merchandise to promote. You may even begin rising hybrid crops, and every of those will slowly earn you extra money. I nonetheless haven’t felt compelled to place the sport down but, however there are occasions after I really feel prefer it isn’t stimulating me sufficient. For instance, digging on the dig web site is an effective way to generate profits, however it’s extremely tedious. I typically have to tug my telephone out to double job as a result of digging simply in a single spot takes a real-life minute.
When it feels aged
To proceed on what I used to be saying, sure issues in regards to the recreation do remind me that it’s a 20-year-old recreation. Each the digging and fishing aren’t actually difficult, all you do is press one button and also you accomplish the factor. However for the dig web site particularly, it’s a must to preserve urgent that button again and again till you get treasure. If Marvelous Inc. have been to vary issues up a bit, I’d’ve moderately had a tiny minigame for fishing or digging that might preserve me engaged sufficient to benefit from the exercise.
The sensation of an aged recreation continues as I sometimes attempt to busy myself with different actions. As soon as I end my duties on the farm, and don’t have any requests to care for, I typically really feel obligated to finish the day early. There are solely two everlasting retailers on the town, one which’s a café and one other that sells seeds. Van the travelling service provider will come by on the third and eighth, that are my favourite occasions of the season. It might be neat to produce other retailers, similar to a furnishings store to embellish your private home and farm.
You can too journey to the town for a number of hours, however the display screen will fade to black and it’ll simply go the time. I perceive it is a remake, and by no means marketed itself so as to add a ton of recent options, however I typically want for issues that I may do in trendy farming simulators that I can’t do in Story of Seasons: A Great Life. A virtually one-to-one remake is what the crew behind the unique was going for, so I can a minimum of commend them for that.
A pleasant polish
Since 20 years have handed because the authentic, you’ll anticipate a leap in graphics. It positively seems lots cleaner than the unique, since we’ve handed a number of console generations since then. That’s to not say it has impeccable graphics or something. I just like the cartoonish type, however it is going to sometimes look flat texture clever. It’s not one thing to complain a lot about although, I don’t suppose it could honest nicely with high-definition graphics. The pop in colours actually assist, and taking part in on my PC makes it seems good, particularly when the solar units and the lighting adjustments.
One factor it added that I respect is character customization. Apparently, the unique by no means had this function, and I’m glad that in the event that they added something, it was this. There are a number of face choices, and a ton of hairstyles. If this wasn’t added, I really feel as if it could actually make the sport really feel dated. However now you may make your farmer look just like you! Additionally, they can help you select between he/him, she/her, and so they/them pronouns, which is sudden, however nice to see.
The adjustments that Marvelous Inc. added make the remake value it, particularly for the bachelors and bachelorettes. Not solely did they add extra romance candidates, however you’ll be able to marry anybody, irrespective of the pronouns you selected! There appears to be a very good purpose behind each change, making this really feel like a well-updated remake.
Price your time
Total, I can say with certainty that irrespective of if you happen to’ve performed the unique or not, you need to try Story of Seasons: A Great Life. Though I’ve some gripes about it, the great elements of the sport overshadow the unhealthy. Anybody excited about video games with farming like Stardew Valley, or life simulations like The Sims, ought to get pleasure from this remake. There are many stuff to do because the seasons go by, and the gameplay loop is gratifying.
I hope Story of Seasons continues to comply with what it does greatest, since I can inform that is in all probability one of many higher video games within the sequence. I’m actually not carried out with this recreation, and have much more to find. Marvelous Inc. did a very good job with holding the id of the unique, whereas including quality-of-life updates that make it playable 20 years later.