While I prefer Coca-Cola Classic, I will totally drink Pepsi if that’s all that’s available. I say this because Story of Seasons isn’t officially a Harvest Moon game (at least not in North America), but nobody in their right mind would say it wasn’t at least in the same spirit as the champagne of the farm-sim series.
What doesn’t work in the game is easily the start. I don’t care if we’re talking Harvest Moon, Persona or even Zelda: tutorials in every modern game should be skip-able. This is unlikely anyone’s first Harvest Moon, and shouldn’t cater to newbies. There’s at least half an hour of how-to’s you’ll have to suffer through before you get to play the actual game: a major annoyance, to be sure.
That said, once the tutorial session is over, the pace is lightning quick, especially for seasoned farmers who have the usual chores such as watering crops, tending animals and fishing in their fingers.
The game rewards hard work, and allows you to have a great steady farm going by the end of your first season. You won’t be waiting years to upgrade tools, unlock new seeds and animals or start courting potential life partners. Harvest Moon games live and die by how they pace progress. Story of Seasons balances challenge and time exceedingly well. It even offers an easy mode that is far less punitive to newer players.
There’s almost too much to do in Seasons, with countless crops, more animals than ever before and more land than you’ll ever have time to tend. But, as previously said, the game doesn’t punish newbies who still don’t know how the agrarian utopias in Harvest Moon games operate.
If you’re entrepreneurial like me, you’ll have a full-fledged farm complete with cheese makers, seed machines and even a pottery mill before your first Winter. But there’s no rush to success, and the game doesn’t punish farmers who enjoy a slower life.
If you’re especially daunting, you can rent some of your town’s abundant land, competing shipping sales with other farmers. Be warned: this winner take all approach could leave you crop-less. Winning these challenges is infinitely rewarding though.
All in all, Story of Seasons will satisfy a much needed fix (and palate cleanser) for the recently released Harvest Moon Titles that might have left a bad taste in your mouth; official title or not. 9/10.