Nobita is fed up with being scolded by his parents for not being aware of his responsibilities. When talking to his friends, he discovers that they are all in the same situation with their respective families. the robot cat comes to the rescue with a space trip, but in the adventure that they will live in Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom they will have more arduous tasks than those from which they were fleeing on Earth.
In this ‘spin-off’ of the popular series of farm simulators we play with Nobita. As the game progresses we can ask for help from his friends and Doraemon himself to carry out tasks such as watering the crops or fishing. Although this system seems like a good idea in principle, it needs to be refined. There are tasks like taking care of the cattle in which the partner stays still, doing nothing.
A fun moment can also be shared with the local two-player mode, which also allows you to complete tasks without depleting Nobita’s heart bar as much. The character controlled by the second player is Doraemon.
Doraemon’s iconic gadgets in the ‘anime’ make appearances as tools that help with chores. Among these we have a door that allows teleportation between far away places and a locomotive chimney that allows Nobita to run quickly. Those two were our favorites, in contrast to the Seeking Staff which serves the same function as the map, becoming redundant.
Despite being a family game, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom handles an exquisite irony. The protagonists, by escaping from their tasks, end up doing even harder work. Upon landing, they must agree to help Prince Lumis with his farm duties. Only then will the Queen decide that they are trustworthy enough to return the spaceship to them so they can return to their home planet.
There is a strong connection between the level of friendship with other characters, which is represented by hearts, the quests and the progress of the story. All of this is based on the dynamic of “you have to give to the community to receive on an individual level”. This message of harmonious coexistence is perfectly complemented both by the aesthetics of a children’s story that it manages and by the soundtrack. The fact of having the voices in original Japanese would be totally wonderful if some subtitles did not have localization failures.
Despite the fact that there is a routine of tasks that must be carried out every day and some social interactions that are established from the beginning as “a price to pay for the ship and its meaning as a return home”, the game does not it feels overwhelming. On the contrary, we found it very quiet. We could say that it is even meditative.
The gameplay is simple and the few camera movements do not cause dizziness, making Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom an extremely friendly work with people who are not “gamers”.
Another point in favor that we had already mentioned is that it is for all ages. This helps adults and children alike enjoy this experience and that everyone feels included. No need to have seen the cartoon or be a fan of Doraemon to become fond of this rural world.
One of the funniest details of the game is the moment in which we have to take the cattle out of the barn to get some air and sun, because we felt that we were “parking a car”. The fact that there are some small ‘glitches’ when two animals cross paths adds a delicious chaotic touch.
Hunting insects in this game is much more satisfying than in other titles of the same genre, both when capturing them and adopting them as pets. We are still traumatized with the tarantulas of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Something that also made us very happy was being able to make friends with animals both on the farm and in the forest. Those from the farm through daily care and those from the forest giving them fruits when we find them on our walks.
Bringing us to the harsh agricultural reality, we earn little money and spend a lot of resources, but at least there is some food. That tight budget doesn’t allow for luxuries like a country cottage, new clothes, or fancy home decorations early in the game. We will continue playing until the Queen returns our ship to us or until we can be burghers, whichever happens first. Doraemon probably takes us out of that paradise of child labor before we reach the status of latifundistas.
Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom It’s not terribly new and it has minor flaws, but it makes up for it with the great charisma it possesses and the cozy space it offers, making the player feel welcome. It is the video game version of the lullaby stories that our mothers told us in childhood.
Review by Natalia Giraldo with a digital copy of Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom for Nintendo Switch provided by Bandai Namco.
