HomeTown Story

 3DS
  • Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Oct 17, 2013
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 8 out of 14
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  1. Pocket Gamer UK
    Nov 5, 2013
    60
    Quick to pick up but difficult to master, Hometown Story's a tough sell but will yield an investment of enjoyable, quick play sessions if you're patient.
  2. Game Informer
    Oct 22, 2013
    60
    I can't deny Hometown Story has charm with its premise and I love the ideas, but the execution needs work. Owning a shop should be more frantic and rewarding. If the developer, Toybox, can smooth out the rough edges, it may one day match the lure of simulation games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. Sadly, it's not in the same league.
  3. FNintendo
    Jun 20, 2014
    50
    Hometown Story’s attempts at setting up an involving store management game end up falling in a tiresome, repetitive and often difficult to understand challenge, where the rules are not clear and where aspects which are logic in everyday life gain a completely illogical dimension in the game. While the beginning may be alluring enough to bring some players in, the game will quickly wear out those with higher expectations.
  5. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    Jun 2, 2014
    50
    It's hard to care about villagers when they are all generic-faced repetition bots. [June 2014, p.86]
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  6. Nintendo Life
    May 1, 2014
    50
    With more polish, Hometown Story could have been a worthy successor to Harvest Moon, but sadly the final product doesn't come close to matching the highs of that famous franchise.
  7. IGN
    Nov 4, 2013
    50
    The controls are sometimes clunky and unresponsive when walking around, and the screen even froze once right in the middle of a transaction. Add in a poorly designed village that’s too spread out and a temperamental camera that keeps changing angles, and Hometown Story’s mechanics go from forgivably faulty to downright aggravating.
  8. Games Master UK
    Jun 7, 2014
    48
    An apoplexy-inducing camera, that shifts between perspectives at every turn, ensures that just getting about the place is a chore. [July 2014, p.79]
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  9. Cubed3
    Jul 15, 2014
    40
    Hometown Story is charming on first glance, but there are a lot of problems that overshadow it.
  10. games(TM)
    Jun 28, 2014
    40
    Shows some potential, but ultimately uninspiring. [Issue#149, p.122]
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  11. Eurogamer Germany
    May 20, 2014
    40
    It's charming, mind you, but it still boggles my mind how Yasuhiro Wada, the mind behind the brilliant Harvest Moon, managed to make this boring a game.
  12. NintendoWorldReport
    Nov 4, 2013
    40
    Hometown Story is a woeful game that promises much and delivers little.
  13. USgamer
    Oct 28, 2013
    40
    More of a game for your younger sister than you, Hometown Story pales in comparison to the many 'life simulation' games already in the market. In many ways, it's a bare-bones version of Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale, stripped of all its zaniness and sly negotiations. Hometown Story isn't necessarily bad but given the price tag that it commands, I'm unwilling to recommend it. More deserving games are waiting for your money.
  14. 4P.de
    May 26, 2014
    39
    Unbelievable but true: The dev team from Toybox created another low point in the franchise’s history. While most Harvest Moons give you loads of interesting things to do or to discover all you’ll find here is boredom.
  15. RPGamer
    Dec 13, 2013
    20
    To be honest, I have a difficult time even calling Hometown Story a game, as its gameplay mechanics have almost nothing to do with its progression. Without a massive overhaul of how progression in the game works, it would probably have been better served as a visual novel, and even then, it would have been a pretty poor one.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best 3DS Game of 2013
28
#28 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
17
#17 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 25
  3. Negative: 8 out of 25
  1. Meganubis
    Sep 2, 2014
    1
    I have never played such a boring game, the quests are inconsequential the gameplay is stale, the "Makers or Harvest Moon" is so misleading,I have never played such a boring game, the quests are inconsequential the gameplay is stale, the "Makers or Harvest Moon" is so misleading, there is no sourcing mechanic like there is in the Harvest Series, whats worse is that it seems to be a Poor mans "Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale", and I paid next to nothing for that! I was upset that Rune Factory 4 wasn't coming out in my region, and this game has made me feel even worse!… Full Review »
  2. Shadowdrh
    Nov 3, 2013
    2
    Serious lack of control makes this game terribly disappointing. There is no explanation for the icons in your log-book; good luck guessing.Serious lack of control makes this game terribly disappointing. There is no explanation for the icons in your log-book; good luck guessing. There is no camera control; you'll just have to learn which way the camera is going to flip when you walk into a certain spot. Your log book tracks how many of each item you sell, but, since you only sell what you buy, it isn't pertinent to what is actually popular. Your inventory will quickly become cluttered with unsellable material that you have no idea what to do with. Some of these things named towns-people will buy (if you happen to have them on display when they happen to stop by). Some of them trigger story events when you display them (if the proper character happens to be activated for that story event when you display the item). The only thing you can do is spend all your game time cycling through the clutter hoping something will trigger something. 99% of your customers wont buy any of these clutter items, they actually get angry and leave because of your lack of variety of real sell-able items. Some of your towns-people will request things, making it easier to figure out what to do with certain items. Unfortunately there is no quest tracking what-so-ever, so get ready to spend lots of time with a pen and paper writing it all down yourself. The soundtrack it terrible. There is one track for each area and it never changes. The shop music is particularly irritating, and you will spend most of your time listening to it. You can turn the music off, but only if you are OK playing the game with no sound at all. You cannot view your inventory outside of your shop, so when you are out buying things to sell, you will need to remember what you already have to avoid buying to many of the same type of item. The entire game could have been saved with simple quest tracking, and a menu system. Also the use of actual words rather than arbitrary icons would be a plus. As an example, I've figured out two of the icons (i think) the little ghost with a tail means girl, and the little ghost without a tail means boy. All together this is just an overpriced flash game poorly ported to 3DS. However, if you would liked the game Mist, or some other mystery game with no guidance and lots of guess and check mechanics, you might enjoy slogging through this disappointment.… Full Review »
  3. Doopyface
    Oct 23, 2013
    5
    It is fun and strangely addicting, but the gameplay is seriously lacking. Weird camera angles and controls can get a bit frustrating. AIt is fun and strangely addicting, but the gameplay is seriously lacking. Weird camera angles and controls can get a bit frustrating. A general lapse in interesting characters and dialogue can make this game boring and repetitive. That being said it is charming, and as a die-hard Harvest Moon fan I still happen to enjoy it. However I hope to see improvement in the future if this series keeps up.… Full Review »
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