Faisal Ghaffar Nearly two decades ago, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life came out and those who played the game raised a child and collected cows happily. But, when you play the 2023 remake, you will come to realize just how tedious it is. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life focuses on building a farm and family, but when you compare it to modern farming sims, you will find that it falls short, both in terms of socializing and farming. While it does come with additions, they are not enough to cancel out its shortcomings.
The plot
Developer Marvelous attempted to make Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life a charming adventure, as thy have added a lifetime of activities literally because of the game’s day-to-day speedy gameplay and aging process. In fact, even same-sex marriages have been added to spice things up. It begins with you taking over your dad’s farm in Forgotten Valley and it does not take long for the game to move beyond planting crops.
It becomes immediately clear that the things that matter are now how much cash you invest, but the relationships you have with the local townsfolk. Sure, improving your relationships and farming have to go together, but the latter does not come with a time limit. If you are unable to get married in the first year, your playthrough will come to an abrupt end. Therefore, you have to interact with romantic interests.
The aging system
One of the highlights of A Wonderful Life is the aging system it comes with, as newlyweds are encouraged to begin raising their child into an adult who have their own dreams and hopes. After one or two seasons, the town also starts feeling like its own character and it undergoes different changes with the passing years.
There are a total of six ‘life chapters’ and you will see new furniture and upgrades and the people will also age. This affects gameplay slightly, as long as you are able to stay invested. The in-game time is about 30 years and you have to be invested because it will take you around 15 to 20 hours to finish one year.
The issues
The first full year is quite interesting and you will definitely enjoy it, but the remaining do not remain intriguing enough for you to go all the way. Nurturing relationships would have been easier if the characters had appealing and engaging backstories, but this is where A Wonderful Life seems to be lacking. There is just not much detail given about the complicated pasts or inner conflicts of the characters.
A lot of conversations that you have with your potential love interests do not go beyond the surface and a lot of dialogue is nothing more than small talk. The structure is a bit repetitive, but there are changes in dialogues, depending on the context and the situation.
The Verdict
Even if you loved the original, the 2023 remake is not up to par with the modern farming games. There have been updates that have improved the game significantly, but it has nothing that impresses.
