HomeTown Story

 3DS
  • Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Oct 17, 2013
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
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  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, 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,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!… Expand
  2. 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. 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.
  3. 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. 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 isSerious 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.… Expand
  4. finalcrucible
    Oct 23, 2013
    6
    This game throws you right into the mix of owning your own shop without any sort of guidance on how to exactly do that. You are in a tough place trying to decide if you want to sell your product or develop your relationship with others, and evemoreso how to go about helping the town grow and flourish. If you are diehard Harvest Moon fan, you will find this system a bit clunky compared toThis game throws you right into the mix of owning your own shop without any sort of guidance on how to exactly do that. You are in a tough place trying to decide if you want to sell your product or develop your relationship with others, and evemoreso how to go about helping the town grow and flourish. If you are diehard Harvest Moon fan, you will find this system a bit clunky compared to the series, but with a little paitence it fufills the same needs of relationship development and shopkeeping maintence that makes the series warm and fun.

    Give it a chance, but do not go into the game with too high of expectations. This is a new series, and it has minimal simularities with the farming counterpart. Having an open mindset will help you to enjoy this new gameplay adventure that has expanded from the farming fun of Harvest Moon.    … Expand
  5. jakethesnack
    Oct 26, 2013
    7
    This is definitely a game for people who have patience because there isn't much to do in the game. But doing "missions" while exploring the area and owning a shop is just enough fun to be considered a good game.
  6. JOSHDILISI
    Jan 31, 2014
    6
    its not as good as the harvest moon games, but it's still fun and addicting. The only problems i have with it is that you'll find yourself running out of things to do and get bored of it, and like everyone else says, the camera really sucks.
    other than that i feel as if it's a very solid game! with a great map and fun characters.
  7. faloop
    Jul 8, 2016
    3
    It's just boring, interaction is minimal, who befriends people by selling them things?! There is no point in talking to them. The only good thing is the art, that is the thing that made me buy it but is just plain bad.
  8. JayLightBar
    Mar 10, 2015
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is what hell looks like. Poorly drawn characters, that a seven year old could have done. Terrible, ear destroying 'music' that loops forever. Boring as hell characters that show none of the usual interesting quirks you get from a Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. This is literally, one of the only games I have ever played that was completely deserving of a two out of ten rating. When the whole games purpose is done as a usual side feature in most other games, you best build a lot of extras around it. Disgusting. I'd rather play the 3DS port of Duck Dynasty. The game could have only been worse, by being completely broken.… Expand
  9. darkriku094
    Oct 1, 2015
    6
    Este juego es divertido, a principio pensé que era npc simulator y si, este juego es para pasarlo poco a poco y disfrutarlo, mecánicas sencillas y con una historia predecible, hacen de este juego algo disfrutable.
  10. TJ_of_Carolina
    Jan 31, 2019
    4
    A very empty game. There is an option to leave your store, but you can't have it be closed while you're out, so customers will show up anyway and be dissatisfied. There is no dating option like HM (Although the Blue Feather is still here) only friendships, and the characters aren't actually that interesting. To get certain events requires specific conditions that you're going to need aA very empty game. There is an option to leave your store, but you can't have it be closed while you're out, so customers will show up anyway and be dissatisfied. There is no dating option like HM (Although the Blue Feather is still here) only friendships, and the characters aren't actually that interesting. To get certain events requires specific conditions that you're going to need a wiki pulled up to know. Other than stocking your store with a small variety of inventory there's not much to do and you will get bored fast… Expand

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Cubed3
    Jul 15, 2014
    40
    Hometown Story is charming on first glance, but there are a lot of problems that overshadow it.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Jun 28, 2014
    40
    Shows some potential, but ultimately uninspiring. [Issue#149, p.122]
  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.
    Read full review
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