A man for all seasons.
Sims are coming back onto the E3 show floor, with a few companies offering their version this year. One company in particular offers a farming sim in a popular 3DS franchise, in which agriculture and trade are key. Don't panic; it's not FarmVille.
Story of Seasons, localized by Xseed, comes from the Harvest Moon (Bokujo Monogatari) franchise but doesn't bear the title of Harvest Moon, primarily as that particular IP is owned by Natsume in North America. But it most certainly plays like Harvest Moon, minus some of the more bothersome aspects of the series, such as the speed of the player character, who now can run instead of just stroll. Harvesting crops can now be done quickly to the entire 3×3 field as well instead of each individual crop.
The idea of prior Harvest Moon titles was simple: plant a crop, harvest it, sell it, get money. Story of Seasons will thankfully require a bit more thought, as the nations you trade with may want crops at a certain time, due to being out-of-season in their country or just increased demand. Crops, clothes, and livestock can be traded, and recipients even send back thank-you cards. Isn't that nice?
Xseed collaborated with Nintendo in the localization effort for Story of Seasons, and the results are a pleasant surprise—your farmer can also plant and harvest Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Stars as well. Xseed said that though there are no familiar characters making cameos in the game, it was very pleased with Nintendo's support and have left the potential open in the future.
Mario Farm, anyone?
Song of Seasons
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