STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of Mineral Town

A love letter to the fans of the original Harvest Moons, different name, same love, I dislike that we do not start with the dog, but aside from that its just as fun as the old ones, but better with some quality of life changes.

Summary: I cannot recommend Story of Seasons, as it heavily lacks content, there are a lot of farming games out there which are way better than Story of Seasons.

The lack of content shows in every aspect. Examples:
- I wanted to craft storage boxes … and had to find out that there is no crafting system at all! Story of Seasons is the first farming game i encountered that does not have a crafting system …
- Crops: in winter there are no suitable crops and there is also no green house, so you will not do any farming at all in winter season!
- Foraging: there are no things to forage, the world and the beach are empty, no plants, no shells, no insects. As there is nothing to forage there is also no museum where you could donate stuff.
- Fishing: there is no fishing mini game (which i appreciate), everytime i went fishing i only got 3 items: old boots, fishbones and small fish. Only the small fish had any value. To me this is a lazy concept, just one type of fish? So fishing is easy to do, but also boring at the same time.
- Mining: there are lots of levels in the mine, but everytime you enter the mine you have to start from level 1. Yes, there is an escalator - but you have to present 100 gifts to a goddess (with only 1 gift per day), so you will need at least 100 days to get the escalator … not a fun concept to me …
- Cooking: after you upgraded your house you can cook - theoretically. You need cooking utensils which you will only get after 10 days each, so till you have all utensils a whole season has passed - yeah … And you can also only cook dishes where you already know the recipe, no experimenting or looking up in the wiki. No recipe, no cooking. To get the recipes you have to do different stuff, i recommend reading the wiki.

I will not continue playing Story of Seasons, it is too boring for me. Unfortunately i spent more than 2hrs in it so i cannot refund it anymore. I bought it in the spring sale for 10 Euros, this should be the standard price, considering the lack of content.

nice casual relaxing game

A wave of nostalgia when I played the game again but with this version >< I love it so much. Some keys don't work when I assign them tho to my liking but not really a problem. Another cozy game to play for hours and hours!

Wonderful remake of a harvest moon game which originally came out on gamecube. Loved this game as a kid

There are a lot of things i like and also dislike about this game. So, i figured i'd go in-depth and review it. (I will not be writing any spoilers to the game, but i will be speaking on in-game mechanics. so, if you would rather go in blind, maybe don't read this.)

I have played a lot of games similar to this one, and there are a lot of features i enjoy about the game. I wanna start with talking about the cons though. The first thing i noticed is that there isn't really a story to this game. The most you really get is heart events with the other characters, but there isn't a definitive story to the game. It's very grindy instead. (Note though that there are two different game modes, one for beginners and one for "normal" game play, i did normal.) It takes awhile to actually start making decent money, which i actually do enjoy because it feels like there's more to do that way. but what i don't enjoy is that since there isn't really a story, things get really repetitive.

Another feature i look out for in games like this is character dialogue. I love when characters have a unique story, and you can talk to them every day and still find things interesting. In this game, i was quick to realize that character dialogue doesn't change (unless you increase a heart with them, then they'll say something new, but even then, it gets repeated until you gain another heart with them and so on.) The characters don't really have a lot of depth. You learn more about them through their heart events, but the fact they just repeat the same things every day makes them dull.

Another feature i really dislike is the mining. Mining in this game is simply just annoying. Most similar games, you just hit rocks, get materials, and a ladder will show up under one of the rocks you hit. In this game, you actually have to hoe the ground for the ladder to appear, and the ladder CAN appear under rocks too. so, sometimes, you have to hit rocks THEN hoe that same spot. Given that each time you use a tool, two of your stamina is taken, your quick to realize that you can only go a few levels before running out of stamina. Usually players have to use a little exploit called "save scumming" to get relatively deep in the mines. I feel like having the player have to mine AND till the ground to find the ladder is a bit of poor game design in my opinion, especially given that it's not easy to increase your overall stamina.

The last thing i don't enjoy about this game is the fact it doesn't tell you anything really. This teeters back and forth for me because i do enjoy exploring and learning new things on my own, but when important features in the game aren't introduced, it's kind of annoying. My main example of this is the Harvest Goddess. The Harvest Goddess is in most Story of Seasons games i do believe. In this game, you're introduced to her ONLY when you bring an offering and throw it into the river, but there's no indication of that being a thing. You're not given hints about it or even guided in that direction. The only reason I found out she was a thing was in my first year summer when I received "Van's favorite drink" in the mail and told to give it to him, but i didn't even have Van unlocked yet (he unlocks after thirty offerings are given to the Harvest Goddess.) So, I had to look up how to unlock him, and only then did i learn that the harvest goddess was a thing. (Note that this could be different if you play in the "beginner" game mode.) There are just other, little things similar to it that you have to figure out on your own (like kappa,) but the game gives you really no guidance toward.

Pros:

Honestly, despite all of the cons, i actually do enjoy playing this game, which surprised me because usually those are the things i look for in "cozy games." The first time i played through this game, i stopped after two hours and didn't touch it for over a year because i thought it was boring. Recently, i decided to give it another chance and have actually had fun! I usually find things to keep me busy in the game, and it's been fun learning new, little things even in year two of the game (when i feel like most players sort of have a grasp of the game.) I like the fact that in the "normal" game mode, things are a bit more grindy, and you actually have to work pretty hard to get some money saved up. Usually, i feel like in other games, you can start to have a lot of money pretty early on if you have some semblance of what you're doing. Despite the fact there isn't much of a story, so there's no real objective other than just making money, upgrading your tools and farm, and getting married (if you so choose,) there's actually a lot to do in the game that keeps you busy and keep playing.

🌾 A Charming Farming Classic Reborn! 🌾

A faithful remake that keeps the heart of the original while adding modern improvements. The farming, animal care, and relationship-building are just as addictive, with smoother controls and refreshed visuals. While some mechanics feel a bit dated, the cozy and relaxing gameplay makes it a great choice for farming sim fans.

⭐ 8.5/10 – A must-play for fans of the genre!

Good times, great memories.

Love it.. finally i can play my childhood game, in remake even, and, FINALLY THEY FIXED THE MIDDLE CROP NOW ABLE TO BE HARVESTED!

I don't know this happened to someone else.
I play this game about 2 hours it run fine.
Then I closed game and comeback to play.
I got slow motion issue. sometime when UI appear (Character talk, open menu's UI and other) it's frame rate drop it around 20-30 frame rate.
( I'm pretty sure it's not about my PC's spec. it can run normal-high graphic AAA game. (Spiderman , Hell driver2 or else) )

chill out and have fun with this game

It is very charming, I do think the heart of the original is still here though I do think they toned down several elements. In particular, I don't think they realized how annoying it is to NOT be able to lower your animal's affection when you are trying to complete the game.

Getting all the achievements is fully possible but it is a time sink on another level, just like the original game. For the Steam achievements, you really only need the 5 years. But achievements that are in the game itself, its brutal. It doesn't help that characters really don't have too much to say and even if there is an achievement/item on year 50, getting to year 50 is best done through a mod or just letting your character go into a deep sleep.

It is the kind of game I have no big compliments towards but no big complaints for. Everything is details or nitpicking, which I think LOOKING at the gameplay should tell you what you're in for.

You are 10, sitting on the living room's floor, holding a ps1 controller and looking at Popuri through your tiny tv, thinking "wow she's so cute..."

Girl, you are gay.

Very repetitive, tiny map, superficial characters. Super disappointing and so glad I didn't pay full price for what feels like a cheap mobile game.

I disliked the new character designs in the game, so I bought it after finding a mod that replaces them with the old designs from Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (GBA)...

What a lot of memories, but no rival marriages made me quite disappointed

I love this game probably because it has a sentimental value to me. I played this game since PS1 when I was little, early 2000. The game is called Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Now that I'm an adult, I can relive my childhood by playing this game from my computer, with a better and modern graphic to it. This game brings so much memories. Love this game to bits!

My caps-lock button in the keyboard is not working in the game, is there anyone else experiencing the same?

This game brings me to reminisce about my childhood, where every holiday must be played PS1 game Harvest Moon Back To Nature! 🥰🎮 #childhood #memories #HarvestMoon #PS1 #gaming #nostalgia

got me feeling nostalgic. ah, harvest moon back to nature

What a nostalgic :)

I'm totally addicted to this very cute game, I just can't stop playing !! ❤️ I LOVE DOCTOORRRR

it's almost the same fomt game from the GBA series, with various small changes/QoL improvements.

Good game. Cute graphic, not too hard quest. Recommended.

Wish they didn't remove the rival marriage though, it gave more realistic feel to it. Also Keyboard controls are weird, luckily I have a controller.

Overall the game is great, it felt close to home with the original GBA game just need to improve keyboard controls/bindings.

Great update to a beloved classic!

This game has a charming graphics and story. It's like you go back to your childhood and play Game Boy games from 2000 with friends again even you don't have an old game console anymore. It's so nostalgic.

good game

nice game and relaxing

chill and fun

Story of Season: Friends of Mineral Town has always been a comfort play for many reasons: the mechanics are simple, the art charming, the characters have just enough going on to be interesting and, all in all, the game is tailor made to spend the odd hour or two on at a time. While not the pinnacle of the cosy game genre anymore I would definetely recommend the game for anyone just looking to vibe and have a good time.

Fall in love with 'Harvest Moon: Back to Nature' on PS1, one of the first game I've ever played.
Yeah, nostalgia is partly responsible for my purchase. It was worth my time tho.
There are some quality of life changes compared to the original, but the punishment from playing "badly" is also mostly gone. I guess the developer hoping for a more relaxed gameplay due to the trend of the genre decades after the original.

I wish there is a harder difficulty in which, the punishment from playing "badly" added back.

It's not my favorite Story of Seasons/Harvest Moon game that was ever made, but it's a really good re-make. I love that they added same gender marriage, and the two new marriage candidates are great. I wish they'd kept rival marriage, but I can live without it. Some of the QoL changes are amazing. Being able to walk on crops, being able to use tools at an angle, the horse improvements, and item stacking are game changers in the best way.

finally can build my second family with happines

get this game for when it goes for sale and FOR YOUR OWN CONVENIENCE: BEFRIEND THE HARVEST SPRITES FOR FREE LABOR. BUY TURNIP SEEDS FOR FAST PROFIT AND A CHICKEN ON YOUR FIRST SPRING THEN INCUBATE THE EGGS AND FORAGE AND ALSO ALWAYS MAKE AN OFFERING TO THE HARVEST GODDESS EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!

I really love Harvest Moon, so I really like this one.

Gameplay ★★★★★ Graphic ★★★★ Story ★★

It's hard for me to admit, but this game is really boring.

The days are too short and your actions eat up way too much energy and refilling either takes too long or is too costly with consumables.

The villagers are uninteresting and it takes way too long to improve your relationship with them.

People play life sims because they are relaxed and cozy, but this game is just way too busy. I have to constantly rush to get everything done and in the end it feels like I have achieved nothing. I played Harvest Moon on the Super Nintendo, N64 and even Light of Hope and they are all better than this. The one game that beats all of them is Stardew Valley though, so if you haven't yet, get Stardew Valley instead.

Brings nostalgia and good graphics.

This game is just nostalgia and nothing more; it is basically a remake of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town from 2003. However, the game itself is too grindy; for example, you will need to try to talk to almost all villagers, else there is a chance for the friendship to decay. It is possible to drop from 10 hearts to 0 if you fully neglect them; shop-bought livestock can only be raised to 5 hearts max, and you will need to use a breeding kit to turn the 5 hearts into 6 and 6 into 7 and so on. This is acceptable for chickens and rabbits, but for cows, man, it will take up to almost 1 whole season for a new calf to be born, and you will need to wait for the newborn calf to reach adulthood and use the breeding kit on it until the cow reaches 10 hearts. That’s still not the crazy part; the crazy part is that you have so many types of cows, each producing different kinds of milk, like strawberry, coffee, and others. Also, you will need to plan your route efficiently; movement needs to be precise like an F1 driver because the time will pass very quickly, and without you knowing it, it is already evening, and all the shops are closed. Dialogue is very limited, mining mechanics are seriously lacking, and basically you must visit the harvest goddess every day to have certain things unlocked. To reach the true perfection of this game, you will need to marry your partner for 50 years. Can you imagine that? Other than that, money is really not an issue; there are multiple exploitations that you can use to earn money through saving and reloading your saves for the derby, the apple game, transaction exploitation, etc., which makes planting crops a waste of time. Note: You can save anywhere and anytime in the game. This game is extremely unpolished, and I can say the 2003 version is much better compared to this game.

this game is very realistic, a white person who inherited an entire farm where you can hire immigrants to work without payment, in exchange for food.

jokes aside, the game lacks a clear objective. After marriage, there's little to keep you motivated to continue playing.

The game is certainly nostalgic and I enjoy the QoL upgrades they gave it a better UI, menu, and map. The game runs smoothly and the character portraits are very cute. The art-syle is trying to keep the chibi style of the original GBA game, and it works to a point but also makes some characters look odd. The chubby legs while running is too funny and Cliff looks like he's wearing a dress due to this art-style, like why did they make my poor Cliff wear a dress with his new outfit. Some other complaints are they took Gray's iconic hat/outfit away, like give my man back his hat, Karen's iconic bangs are gone (but she still looks super cute), Cliff lost his ponytail & his new clothes make him look like he's got a dress on, and Rick got a major glow-up which was different and sort of doesn't go with his shy, protect-Popuri character traits. All in all the characters look so young now, and yet the game is still charming. You no longer have to push the animals in and out of the barn which is nice, but where is my basket?!? The game is still enjoyable and fun to play, but my GBA game just seems better because it isn't trying too hard to be Stardew. If you enjoy harvest moon games, then do get this game (preferably on sale) because it is still fun and for those that never experienced the GBA, you will have a lovely time with the characters and the massive UI upgrade this game has compared to the GBA version. But why did they change Elli's name to "Elly"????

I hate Rick, he thinks he was the best chicken farmer so i made sure i won every cluck cluck festival to show him that I raised the best chicken in mineral towm, then I gladly married Karen even tho i have my eyes on Jennifer for a while so i say screw it! i took his childhood friend as my wife so he would be a single man forever, I made sure Poppuri and Kai had a really good relationship so I they should be married soon but this game doesnt have rival events sadly :( also Rick hates Kai for a stupid reason and he totally has a siscon with his sister, on his birthday i gave him a golden lumber to tell him im wayyy wayy wayyyyyy RIcher than him and his smol ah farm and this donation can surely pays for his sister marriage. I JUST HATE RICK

PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE
PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE PLEASE GIVE US A PORT/REMAKE OF ANIMAL PARADE



Pretty please? No pressure (:

This is essentially a remake of the Gameboy Advance version, which in itself was a remake of the Playstation 1 version (Harvest Moon: Back to Nature). BTN was likely one of my most played games as kid so for that alone I'll recommend this game. However I can't really comment further on the game as I'm facing bugs at every turn which renders the game rather stressful to play - and the developers have a reputation for releasing a full game, doing some bug fixes for a couple months and then abandoning the game to focus on something new even if bugs are still present. Some issues I have fixed, and others when I have the free time I'll see if I can also fix and maybe update this review.

So I recommend this game and all the SoS games and old-school Harvest Moon games (bear in mind SoS is Harvest Moon re-named, and the more recent Harvest Moon games are owned by Natsume who owned the rights of the original name: these games are generally considered inferior than Marvelous Inc games). However if you don't want to deal with bugs, I recommend giving this game a miss or trying the Switch version.

Some of you might be wondering: why play this game when there are so many newer farming games with more mechanics, content, and customization? For me, there are two main reasons: First, this game, due to its simpler mechanics and customization options, is more focused on the core loop. You're not overwhelmed with a thousand tasks to do each day like in games such as Stardew Valley. While this can make the game feel repetitive faster, more relaxing gameplay loop still offers a nice distraction. Second, it allows you to experience the series that basically pioneered this style of gameplay. It's a REMAKE of a REMAKE, but still relatively close to the roots of the original Harvest Moon games, which is fun to experience, especially if you've never played one before.

ehhhhhh......it's.....okkkkk. It's fun, but there's def some mechanics that are so infuriating because you will lose days to events or wind and you can't do anything for that day which plays around shops being closed so you lose out on 3 days of nothing. The rng of the mine is not fun in the slightest. It also feels like the game doesn't want you to play because it is cooooooooooooonstantly interrupting you with either the bin guy talking to you or some 3 second long animation to show how tired you are after doing an action, go to hot spring, rewatch tired animation and you have like 5 minutes a day of being interupted so your character can show how tired they are. I guess I didn't have the patience for this game, but I had so much fun with what it offered. I just got so over having to wait to play the game. Just let me play!!!!

Hitchin' up the buggy, churnin' lots of butter...
Raised a barn on Monday, soon I'll raise another..

I refunded it, because first of the highest settings did not work on my PC which can run most of the high end AAA games on the highest setting. But a simple farming game was just super slow.

Ran into some bugs, where I transitioned to a new area and my character was stuck

This game is not made by people who know how to make games, thats for sure

ONLY GET THIS ON SALE.

The game works smoothly and without bugs, but it added unwanted extra stuff in, and deleted some small details that made the original fun.

It is super obvious that this game "borrowed" features from stardew valley, which i find funny because this was the og harvest moon lol.