Story of Seasons

Very good

I absolutely love this game. I've been a loyal fan of the Harvest Moon series since I was one of three little kids playing it on the gamecube, and I've followed the games loyally until The Split happened. Despite not being able to keep the original name of the series, the first Story of Seasons game was true to the spirit of the series before the split with fun, lighthearted gameplay and interesting character interactions. Building up a farm, friendships and a family were fun to do. The character art was really nice. Et cetera, et cetera. I preordered SOS: Trio on a whim as a birthday present to myself. I began playing it and absolutely fell in love with the game. In my opinion, it's the best one yet. Yes, it's not perfect but it's the little things - like "quick" greetings, as though you're saying hello as you pass by; like choosing a personality and more advanced dialogue; character-specific friendship events - that get you hooked. After participating in a scene between one of the Westown villagers and their child, I was nearly moved to tears. I've been overwhelmed with the warm fuzzies on occasion, I've laughed at quite a bit, and at times I have been sort of disturbed by goings-on in-game. There have been quite a few times while playing SOS: Trio where I had to just sit back and say, "Wow." The storytelling in this game is really well done - and that my character can play a part in it is pretty fantastic. One of the hallmarks of the Bokumono/Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games is the ability to build and pursue a relationship with a character of your choice. The game introduces quite a few eligible bachelors and bachelorettes that vary widely in personality, occupation, background, etc. etc. Going in, I had a mental picture of what each person was like based upon my experiences with previous games. But having played through a few hours (just broke 60) I can honestly say that I think these characters feel... I don't know, new? Sure, they've brought back some similar character roles from other games (handyman, florist, waitress) but the way that the game developers have incorporated three unique towns' culture and influence on the characters' lives and backstories makes everything feel fresh and different. (Side note: I wasn't really a fan of the way things were split between villages in Harvest Moon: ToTT, but I feel like SOS: Trio manages to pull everything off just right.) Comparing it to the first titular Story of Seasons game, I'd say they're fairly similar but I prefer the newer animation style and farming/ranching cirteria. The new contest judging criteria / star rating system makes for some interesting, individualized gameplay – with SOS: Trio, I can pretty much advance my farm and grow crops however I want. I can focus on increasing the # of items my cow produces when milked passively by feeding it special fodder and also give it treats to improve its coat for contest judging, or vice versa. There are more animal personalities available, and they can have an effect on how stressed the animal gets, how quickly I can gain its friendship, etc.; pets can have different jobs than just herding cows/sheep or chickens - I have two cats that herd the big stuff, two dogs that herd the small stuff, and three other pets (including my own Capy-san) that forage for gems and ore for me. I could get a pet that gathers fish or wild herbs if I wanted to. Pets are actually really handy to have around. Admittedly I'm not too thrilled to have to pay for the DLC that was released in Japan for free once it becomes available in NA, but I want to be able to experience this awesome game the way that it is meant to be played. Props to the devs, and I hope whoever reads this gives the game a chance. It's been a blast so far, and I've still got a ways to go! Hope you found this helpful.

Escribo esto cómo gamer casual y como alguien que ha sido fan de la serie desde Harvest Moon 64 y que jugó prácticamente todos los títulos desde entonces. Y daré un poco de historia para que fans como yo, que se sientan confundidos o indecisos se animen a comprarlo. Debo decir que llevo años sintiéndome decepcionada por las entregas que había tenido la desarrollada Natsume Inc. con los juegos que aún se llaman Harvest Moon: La calidad es mala, cómo si fueran juegos móviles y además son bastante aburridos. El último Harvest Moon que intenté y que me hizo tirar la toalla fue el Magical Melody. Así que cuando me enteré que XSEED iba a sacar la misma IP japonesa pero con un nuevo nombre (Story of Seasons) para competir contra las localizaciones de Natsume, y vi que la pura portada para el nuevo juego por fin tenía arte bonito y parecido a los juegos de antaño, me emocioné. Compré el Story of Seasons pasado y por fin re-nació mi amor por esos juegos que tanto me divirtieron cuando era niña. Story of Seasons es muy bueno, pero Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns es completamente adictivo y superior a su predecesor, simplemente porque hay muchas cosas más que hacer. El gameplay es muy sencillo: Eres alguien que tiene sueños de algún día vivir de una granja, así que retas a tu papá y a tu familia para demostrar que puedes vivir de tus sueños y te vas a vivir a una. Debes aprender a cuidar a tus animales y plantas, a ganar dinero haciendo todo tipo de actividades, ya sea de tus actividades de agricultura o participando en los festivales de los pueblos, haciendo trabajos de medio tiempo, entre muchos otros. Como en las entregas pasadas no todo es arduo trabajo, el juego también ofrece la posibilidad de hacerte amigo de los habitantes de los pueblos, participar en celebraciones y eventos especiales dependiendo de tu nivel de amistad con ellos. Incluso puede casarte con algunos de ellos, tener hijos y obtener la vida de rancho feliz que siempre quisiste. Tenía miedo por el nombre, ya que me temía que la dinámica fuera parecida a Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns en donde hay dos pueblos: uno ganadero y otro agricultor y para tener una granja exitosa debías estarte cambiando entre los dos pueblos, lo cual resultaba bastante tedioso. Por fortuna Trio of Towns no funciona así y tú tienes tu propia granja y haces negocios con tres mini pueblos temáticos (Uno de vaqueros, otro japonés y uno hawaiano.) No entiendo por qué las entregas de XSEED y de Natsume son tan diferentes, ya que son exactamente la misma IP japonesa, pero por experiencia personal Story of Seasons es mucho mejor que cualquier Harvest Moon de los nuevos. Es un juego para niños pero yo como adulta también disfrute por lo sencillo pero divertido, entretenido y retador.

Ya tenía tiempo que quería revivir la esencia de un Harvest Moon, lo llegué a jugar en Emulapobre y en PSP, siendo maravillosa la esencia de estos juegos de granja. Ya tiene un año que salió a la venta y hoy me decidí por comprarlo, por desgracia acá en México salió muy caro aún recuerdo, y por adquirirlo hasta ahora en ninguna tienda lo tenían, lo tuve que pedir por este medio desde EUA. Lo único negativo es que el juego viene completamente en Ingles, ya lo había leído en otro comentario aquí, pero es mejor recalcar para próximos compradores, para algunos cómo yo que comprendemos un poco el ingles no veo mucho problema, son textos simples, pero en ocasiones si son algo complicados. Conociendo que México es parte de la región América, hubieran puesto el español, siendo que en la región Europea sí lo añadieron, sería bueno que pusieran un parche de idioma aunque sea el español de España, no veo problema con eso. En caso del envío, me llego un día antes de lo previsto, así que en ese caso fue muy bueno.

An amazing game that provides hours upon hours of entertainment, after 40+ hours of gameplay there is still so much I need to do. If you are a fan of farming games such as stardew valley then you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. However, if you like stardew valley because of the combat you should stay clear of this one as there isn't any in this game. Even though I say there is no combat it isn't needed as there is so much to do in this game you probably won't even think about it. The characters are all very well written and as you progress in the game it really feels like you as the player are becoming part of these towns and are truly affecting the lives of the residents of the town. While the game may start out slow it quickly picks up to the point where you will have to plan ahead to figure out what it is that you wanna get done in a day. The farming mechanics are all well done and there some depth in getting the perfect crops. There are a lot of festivals or in-game events that not only show the personalities of each town but also add more to the character dynamics. The world of this game is just so alive. As you play you will notice villager hobbies and what they like and dislike, you will see them go out to eat with each other and they will even interact with villagers from the other towns, and if you become friendly with them you can ever eat with them. There are also plenty of romance options, 6 males and 6 females currently but 1 more for each gender will be added once we get the DLC, and they are all very well fleshed out and each have a distinct personality making no 2 feel the same. I should mention that there are no same sex marriages so if that is a turn of for you then you might wanna look for a different game. All in all, I think this game is amazing and if you are looking for a fantastic game to get lost in then this is one you need to get. However, if you find the farming aspects of games such as rune factory 4 or stardew valley boring I doubt this game will change that for you.