The Story of Seasons (formerly Harvest Moon) franchise is coming to Xbox for the first time.
In recent times, many exclusive Japanese franchises for certain consoles have makes the jump to Xbox systems. Ten years ago, people would laugh if you told them you enjoyed games from the Yakuza, Kingdom Hearts, or Tales Of saga on Xbox. Developped by Wonderful entertainment and published in our country by Afternoon games, the title that occupies us today, History of the Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, it’s a game of Japanese role-playing and simulation who sees the light for the first time on Xbox.
Originally published as Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town to Japan for the Gameboy Advance in April 2003, had a later 3D remake, in October 2019, for Nintendo Switch. Now, in October 2021, one of Nintendo’s most recognized franchises is coming to Xbox, but changing its name to History of the seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.
Life on the farm is the best life
The first time I played a game in this franchise, it was for Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life on GameCube. I wanted to retry a game from this saga on the occasion of this launch for Xbox and when I returned to this world of farms and cultures I realized that it is one of the best games available. today for anyone looking for a relaxing simulation experience.
History of the Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town It all starts when you inherit your grandfather’s farm and meet the mayor of Mineral Town. You then remember your childhood memories on the farm and this is where your story begins. What sets Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town apart from most franchises of the genre available on modern platforms is that you don’t have to live your life in a specific way. You can spend all the time in a specific resort you want agriculture or fishing. As you interact with the different people who live around you, we will have little scenes and moments from the story that allow you to learn more about each person who lives with you. It’s up to you to enjoy your land cattle ranching, agriculture, mining or crafts. You start with basic agricultural and mining tools, but by collecting resources you can improve them, which is essential for moving forward and progressing.
Spring, summer, fall and winter.
Each year, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is divided into Four Seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. Each station has their own crops and some take longer than others to develop. Each of them will bring you reasonable profits which you can resell later. You can also save it as a ingredients for cooking, another of the elements that we are authorized to perform. Thus, we will turn these harvests into a delicious dish that we can sell or give to someone you love.
Not only do you h ave to take care of the crops, but each season is accompanied by its own events
Not only does the farmer live on crops, since we can also take care of the cattle we have. You can feed them, brush them, milk them and even mow them when you touch them. We can take care chickens, sheep, cows and a long list of animals. Now however the sale of crops and dairy products of your herd will bring you some benefit, it will not allow you to go very far when you need to improve tools and improve buildings on your farm.
So that’s where mining will come in handy. There are two mines in the game: one that is available throughout the game and another that is only accessible in winter. It is essential that you mine resources, as you not only need them for upgrades, but also they bring you a good advantage.
The friend reaches the fig
Being a farmer can be a difficult and lonely life, so the best thing is make friends along the way. Even those friends might one day become your partner and, who knows, maybe get to marry someone. There are a lot of locals in Mineral Town, each with their own unique tastes, so making someone fall in love is usually not an easy task, as it takes time, like everything else. But get a spouse makes life on the farm easier.
We will also meet kawaii elves that will make a big difference in your life. These little guys can be a blessing when they love you. Yes, you have to befriend them by giving them gifts and attending snacks, but they will help you on the farm. water your crops, feed the livestock and do housework in general. So making sure these little guys are your friends is a must to be a good farmer.
Graphics aren’t everything
The soundtrack of this game is fantastic, with a different score for each season of the game, which brings a touch of originality and a feeling of being in another world which is wonderful. The graphics, while nothing fancy, are colorful and match the type of game we are dealing with very well. Every season is different from falling leaves in autumn to Christmas lights in winter. The game is also completely translated into Spanish.
My last take on History of the seasons: Mineral town it is that it is about a game much more complete and deep than its esthetics one wants us to understand it. The whole experience is absolutely fantastic and it also serves very well as a refuge when you play, for example, another more frantic title and you want to relax.
History of the Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
$ 39.99
Advantages
- Hook from minute 1
- The station system and its developments
- Crowd of events and things to do
- 100% Japanese original soundtrack
The inconvenients
- It becomes overwhelming by the amount of elements to consider
- It’s still a port of a Nintendo Switch game
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