Review | STORY OF THE SEASONS: A Wonderful Life

It’s wonderful to live life to the fullest, something you can do in this farming life simulation. Story of the seasons: a wonderful life. Developed and published by Marvelous Inc., this remake of the similarly-named 2003 GameCube title sees players take on the role of a young player-selected main character, as they take over the farm left behind by their father. of his death. A Wonderful Life starts off slow, introduces new mechanics, and gradually gets you used to the game and the town, Forget-Me-Not Valley. But once it starts, it’s an addictive yet very relaxing experience.

But let me start with the basics too. It is never a good idea to rush things.

All day I dream about cows, chickens, agriculture and other things. I think I’m overworked. (Wonderful Inc.)

Introduction and Personal Preference

I’m not terribly familiar with the Story of Seasons series (and its ancestor titles ), having played only one PSP entry a long time ago with its rather obtuse event controls. I personally prefer the Rune Factory series of games as they are much faster paced and have more action focused activities like combat. Going into A Wonderful Life, I had to slow down a bit and get used to the slower pace of life.

Customization and Introduction to Characters

Unlike Rune Factory games, Story of Seasons has players customize their appearance and gender from the start. Takakura, a friend of your father’s, provides you with the necessities for the bears and guides you through the basics of farm life. He’s not the only one though, as the people of the valley will gradually introduce themselves to you (and vice versa) and give you a taste of what life is like in their free world.

Gardening and Farming Mechanics

Gardening is simple and fun. You cultivate the land, sow seeds and water when necessary. However, you’ll need to keep the health of your crop and the season you’re in in mind when planting, and you’ll need to be careful not to tire yourself out or you’ll find yourself visiting one of the more exclusive ones in the series. doctors around. Keeping an eye on Mother Nature through the TV will definitely give you an edge here (and more free time). One thing I wish the game would be more careful about is how easy it is to overwrite a seed drawn with a hoe; if you’re not careful, you could lose a lot of seeds this way.

Mining away, I don’t know what to say~ (Marvelous Inc.)

Farming, Ranching, and Renovating

Farming and ranching are pertinent to your success; You are going to need a lot of money to renovate the old farmhouse. When you are done tending to the chickens, sheep, cows, planets and more, you are invited to explore the valley. Whether it’s mining for Carter and bringing home valuable artifacts to sell, fishing in the game’s many lakes, or gathering flowers, there are plenty of activities that will consume your time in a fairly fun gameplay loop. But sometimes you wish certain mechanics were explained in-game rather than in a notebook, like improving your animal’s health and how it relates to the product they produce.

Importance Of Interacting With Valley Inhabitants And Character Events

It is also important to talk to the inhabitants of the valley. Not only will they have solid tips to share, but you might even get some very useful supplies, like cooking recipes, which you can get from sprites in the valley every day. And on a slightly more frustrating side, you can miss out on character events if you’re not always exploring.

Imersive Character Interactions And Finding A Soul Mate

Every resident has a story to share, and it really helps make Forget-Me-Not Valley feel alive. Whether you’re watching the residents interact with each other in cutscenes or when you’re having a direct conversation (watch what you say!)

You will also find your soul mate in this way. Don’t get too caught up in your work or you’ll miss one of the game’s important narrative themes.

Bringing new joy to the world never felt better. (Wonderful Inc.)

Gameplay Experience and Visual Enhancements

This version of the old GameCube classic feels great to play. Full 60 frames per second along with nice bright and colorful images between a variety of seasons await you in A Wonderful Life. Multiple save slots, languages, and Quick Resume support too. Plus you can save anywhere, anytime (it’s a good idea to save often!). Some might miss the dirtier images of the original that were more common on that hardware, but I don’t mind the change at all.

Overall Assessment and Recommendation

But in a nutshell, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is an addictive and relaxing farming game with a solid gameplay loop and plenty of replayability. Definitely one of the best farming games out there, so put down the sword and shield and grab a watering can for a change, you won’t regret it.

STORY OF THE SEASONS: A Wonderful Life

AVAILABLE IN	xbox series |  playstation 5 |  Change |  Windows PC |  Steam	DEVELOPER	wonderful inc
POSTED ON	June 27, 2023	PUBLISHER	wonderful inc
SORT OUT	Everyone	PRICE	$49.99 / $59.99