Game review: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (Nintendo Switch)
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a new farming simulator based on a Gamecube game called Harvest Moon. Instead of being a Nintendo exclusive, this new game is available now for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and the Switch platforms.
The story of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is fairly simple because your father and his best friend Takakura always dreamed of running a farm. It's now up to you as the player to create your own character to fulfill your father's dream of running a farm in a small community called Forgotten Valley.
Before you begin your journey as a farmer, you have the option of choosing the appearance of your main character. While your character doesn't talk, you are still free to name them and choose whether you want to play as a male or female character.
What is new about this version of the game is that you can choose to be a non-binary character for the first time too. Not to mention same-sex partnerships and marriage are also possible in this remake. Even if you choose to play as a gay couple, you still have the option to have kids the further you progress into the game.
If there is one thing I didn't like about Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, it's the fact that the start of the game doesn't give you much guidance on what you have to do next. I remember you have to read a lot of notes to run your farm, but the game does not give you any waypoints on what you should do first, which I thought was a bit annoying.
Before you are able to meet your future spouse, the first thing you have to do is run your farm. Since this is a farming simulator, you will have to grow crops and raise farming animals. There are new animals and crops to experience in this remake compared to the original game from over 20 years ago.
Each season in this game lasts 10 days, and the game requires you to get married within your first year as a farmer. You don't have to worry too much about finding a partner because there are a ton of options for you to choose from. Thankfully, many of your future spouses aren't fussy, so you won't have a hard time settling down.
As you progress further into the game, you will eventually get old, and your children will become adults. Your children have the option to inherit the farm you just made, or they are free to pick another career path if they choose to do that as well.
Graphically, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has been updated to look much better and prettier than the Gamecube original. The game has a cute anime-style look, and the game runs pretty decently when I reviewed it on the Nintendo Switch.
The game's visuals also change depending on the season you are currently experiencing. The game is also quite cool because you are free to explore Forgotten Valley and befriend many of its inhabitants. This can also lead to new events and sidequests too.
While a lot of things have been changed, some people might admire the fact that the game retains the original music. The soundtrack is one of the best aspects of the entire game, and it's great that it has not been replaced. You are bound to hear a lot of memorable tunes while you are playing this game.
The only negative thing I can say about the game is the fact that it's a farming simulator, and it's not going to appeal to everyone. If you don't like farming, there's a strong chance that you won't like playing this game at all. You won't see any epic action scenes in this game for obvious reasons!
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life might not be everyone's cup of tea; fans of the original game are bound to love several of the new features that have been added to this remake. It's still a fun farming sim, and it's enjoyable to play if you're looking for something different to experience.
Verdict: 7.5/10
