It's been a while since we heard anything about Story of Seasons - the Harvest-Moon-in-all-but-name 3DS game that we were worried would never see the light of day on these shores. Despite having an initial release date pencilled in for "Q1 2016", it comes as a pleasant surprise to see that Story of Seasons is actually available to pre-order now, with a revised festive release date of 31st December, meaning it'll hit the shelves just this side of the new year!
A kind-of spin-off from the classic Harvest Moon games, Story of Seasons is the product of a split-up between Marvelous, the developer of past games in the series, and Natsume, the western localiser. As the 'Harvest Moon' title belongs to Natsume, Marvelous have had to come up with a new name for the farming/romance sim, which has been going since the days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. Hence "Harvest Moon in all but name"
This kind of looks like the farmhouse in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life!
With the usual options of growing crops, raising livestock, and fishing, this game promises to be another fun light farming adventure. The social side of things is still incredibly important here too, as the option to get married and start a family is still there, with a choice of female and male marriage candidates. You also get to customize the main character you play as, such as choosing hair style and colour, clothes, and facial expression!
Looking Stylish!
The story here is traditional Harvest Moon, as you start a new life in the hamlet of Oak Tree Town, beginning with a small plot of farmland, but eventually expanding your farm and unlocking new buildings to add to your plot. There are also a few interesting new additions, such as a Pottery Studio, in which you can make your own ceramics to sell or give as gifts. They've also added a type of mysterious seed, that when grown resemble famous Nintendo items (think more along the lines of Mega Mushrooms than Metroids)! Each one has its own special effect which will help you with growing your other crops.
Another nice touch is Story of Seasons' promised multiplayer mode. Giving you the option to visit a friend's farm with up to three other people, you can help out with their farm work, and synchronise your efforts thanks to a range of emotes you can choose from! At the end of your visit, you even get a souvenir - or if you're the host, you have to prepare the souvenirs for each of your visitors. How adorable! When you have StreetPass turned on, and you pass by someone else with the game, you swap profiles, and that person's character may appear in your town.
Look at its ickle, fluffy face!
With Nintendo doing the publishing, we're keeping our fingers crossed that there might be a pre-order bonus, or even some merchandise for the game. Those who pre-ordered from certain stores for the America release received an adorable little Angora rabbit plush, so we'll definitely keep our fingers crossed.
The cute animals in this game would make great plushies! As you may be able to tell, we're incredibly excited for this one - and having played Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley earlier this year, we can't wait to see how it compares.
