Earlier than there have been Animal Crossings, Harvestellas and Stardew Valleys, there have been Harvest Moons.
The cosy farming sim is considered having its personal golden period for the time being with extra of them than you possibly can shake a stick at, however there are a few of us older people on the market that would like it to be known as a renaissance. Farming video games have been round for the reason that mid ‘90s, youngsters. And top-of-the-line ever has bought a wonderful remake for current-gen consoles. Does STORY OF SEASONS: A Great Life do sufficient to face tall in opposition to the fashionable resurgence?
As most of those video games begin, you find yourself inheriting the farm via a deceased relative. On this case, your father passes away and the farm passes all the way down to you. With steerage out of your previous man’s greatest good friend, Takakura, you might be tasked with restoring the farm to its former glory.
STORY OF SEASONS: A Great Life is ready within the idyllic coastal city of Overlook-Me-Not-Valley. Takakura will present you the stables, hen coops and numerous rising patches across the farm, together with the recommendation of discovering somebody to marry as quickly as attainable. After that although, you might be just about left to your individual gadgets.
In fact, before everything, a farming recreation ought to concentrate on the farming components. A Great Life was good, and doubtless even fairly novel when it first launched. Now although, it doesn’t do something to actually differentiate from all of the others on the market. You earn your cash via promoting produce from the livestock and crops you produce, to take a position that into extra livestock and seeds. As you progress, Takakura will drip feed you new mechanics akin to a horse or a sentient plant known as Tartan that may provide help to create hybrid vegetation.
In case you have by no means performed a Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons recreation earlier than then don’t panic. Simply remember that Tartan isn’t the weirdest factor about it. In A Great Life alone there’s a loopy scientist, an abominable snowman, harvest sprites that you could solely go to when you eat a particular mushroom and rather more.
A single day in STORY OF SEASONS: A Great Life takes simply over twenty minutes to finish. When you’ve gotten the farming jobs out of the way in which – feeding and nurturing your animals, watering your vegetation and amassing produce – you possibly can head into the city and make your mark.
It’s right here you’ll discover the residents of Overlook-Me-Not-Valley and all their numerous quirks. A Great Life has been up to date to not solely will let you create a male/feminine/non-binary character, however there are additional residents added that you could attempt to woo by presenting them with a present every day.
It’s when speaking with the residents although that A Great Life reveals its age. They simply don’t have a lot to say. There are contextual feedback as seasons progress and in addition moments within the village the place you speak to them, however the lack of variation in talking day-to-day feels very dated in relation to extra fashionable farming sims. Additionally, it’s from an age the place recreation characters would relatively speak at your avatar relatively than truly ‘converse’. Your character by no means actually responds exterior of the occasional sure or no response. Don’t get me fallacious, you possibly can simply establish the resident’s character as that comes throughout very properly, however it’s a very primary social mechanic that has come on leaps and bounds within the a long time for the reason that unique launch.
In addition to some additional romance choices, A Great Life has had an overhaul to graphics on this remake. Issues are much more vibrant and crisper, however that cartoonish artwork fashion just isn’t misplaced on this up to date model. Just a few issues that have been tedious within the unique model have additionally been streamlined, however when you performed the unique this remake will really feel very acquainted, warts and all.
That does additionally imply that a few of the irritating game-ending selections are nonetheless current. It’s attainable that you could fail in A Great Life within the opening years and when a 12 months in-game can take round fifteen hours generally, it’s extremely advisable to maintain loads of saves. And hold your marriage intact, trace trace.
There are just a few actions to maintain you occupied in your downtime from the farm. Fishing, cooking, and archaeological digs are just some issues you possibly can soak up, and plenty of will let you seize a bit of additional cash on the similar time. There are different actions too however the one I discovered handiest was in all probability for the fallacious causes. On the fringe of the map is a path that means that you can go to different cities. You wont truly go to wherever else, nevertheless it helps to progress the time of a day by six hours, which is beneficial you probably have exhausted your every day chores and reward giving. It was an ‘exercise’ I discovered myself utilizing increasingly as the sport progressed.
Sadly, there’s a tedious nature to STORY OF SEASONS: A Great Life; one which wouldn’t have been obvious when it first launched, however actually stands out now in amongst the glut of different farming video games on the market. It nonetheless has some incredible concepts, akin to seeing your character and the residents of Overlook-Me-Not-Valley age because the years go, nevertheless it takes slightly bit too lengthy to progress the story at occasions. That, coupled with the actual fact there isn’t actually sufficient to do in your down time, implies that this remake doesn’t have the influence that the unique did.
It’s nice to have one of many basic farming video games on fashionable consoles once more, however STORY OF SEASONS: A Great Life can’t maintain a candle to lots of the extra fashionable choices.
