Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns

It’s still the same cosy time and resource management simulation we fell in love with decades ago, but Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns stands out from the pack in understated ways. Its gentle but omnipresent plot functions in tandem with a broader perspective of agriculture to serve up one of the more distinct entries in this long-running franchise.

Story of Seasons: A Trio of Towns can start off a bit slow, but it picks up rather quickly after the first week or two. Between raising crops and livestock, improving friendships, and starting relationships, there’s no shortage of things to do and the game will help make sure you know how to do it all. Newcomers to the series and veterans alike should enjoy this entry in the long-running franchise.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a relaxing and charming experience full of heart that improves upon its predecessors in a lot of ways while still remaining accessible.

The game removes the stress of time limits and boss battles and instead presents itself as an easy going simulator that can be played at the pace of the player. I am happy to say that Trio of Towns is a game that I plan to continue to return to over time and become the best farmer I can be.

It’s quirky and charming in the way that the best installments in the series are beloved for, and I’m still plucking away at my farm today. Plus… Mario costumes. Seriously, what more do you need?! Go give Trio of Towns a look, folks, it’s a winner.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns could have been a repetitive and tedious experience, and indeed the first few days playing it seems to deliver exactly that, but this breaks expectations in the long run. It manages to keep a steady flow of new gameplay elements and mechanics to continually keep the action interesting. This is the perfect title to chill out with after a long stressful day, and thanks to its addictive gameplay and huge amount of things to do, it's one to keep returning to again and again.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a thoroughly traditional and thoroughly fun entry in the franchise. It sticks to what makes it work and doesn't rock the boat. There are improvements, but most are so minor that they're unnoticeable unless you're a die-hard fan. It's the kind of game you can pick up for five minutes and end up playing for an hour, eager to finish just one more chore. If you're looking for a relaxing and enjoyable way to waste time on your 3DS, Trio of Towns is a lighthearted farming sim. What more can you ask for?

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns doesn’t reinvent the tractor wheel, but it does change it out for a more durable model. This game is built to last many, many seasons, and if you can get behind its quiet pace and an overabundance of content, you’ll find one of the most complete farm sims to ever hit a handheld device.

With an outrageous amount of content, tons of characters and freedom to manage your farm as you see fit, few will be able to resist the allure of Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns.

All told, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a relaxing yet surprisingly deep farm game. Though it takes some time to pick up speed right out of the gate, once the game establishes a rhythm it can be relatively hard to put down. An in-game day passes by so quick in real time, you'll find yourself going for just one more day, and this naturally makes the game a good fit for quick bursts of play on the go. When you take a look at all the content on offer — three distinct towns, dozens of unique NPCs, multiplayer options, and more than enough farming chores than can be handled in one day — you have a game that offers an incredible amount of bang for your buck. We would strongly recommend that you pick this up even if it only mildly interests you; the mechanics here are quite easy for newcomers to pick up, and the game does a great job of deepening things and leaving much of the path forward open to player choice. For the 20th anniversary of Harvest Moon, fans couldn't have asked for a better game, even if legal matters mean that it's not - officially - part of the celebrations.

Despite the simplistic part-time job mini games and the randomization of being able to upgrade tools, Trio of Towns hits all of the main points to have a successful daily game loop.

Since there's never any feeling of the grim spectre of Father Time looming large and there are enough random events to shake up the daily routine, doing my virtual chores in these charming and beautiful towns and unlocking a steady stream of rewards is relaxing, despite some annoyances with unnecessary travel and unskippable animations. And since the only requirement of Trio of Towns is to prove that farm life is a noble life, the pressure to succeed is never daunting.

It has all but perfected the farming mechanics, and its cast is colorful and cheerful; but ultimately, there's not enough innovation to make it stand out against recent entries in the series.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns brings few innovations compared with previous installments, but its three towns and the vivid style of the game deliver a good experience for those who can relax farming. Some issues need to improve, but this new game is great for fans of the genre.

Trio of Towns offers many elements from earlier titles and improved them. The strongest improvement is the many villages with different traditions.

Trio of Towns needed something more substantial than just "furmiliars" to make it worthy of being the series' 20th anniversary title. [Issue #27 – May/June 2017, p. 70]

Trio of Towns offers a wide variety for players to enjoy, but is marred by a few technical weeds in the garden.

The frustration with its emphasis on mining gems aside, Story of Seasons is still a lot of fun as a cute and leisurely game. However, this sequel took more steps backwards than forwards and I'm hoping it remedies these poor decisions in the next installment.

Story of Seasons Trio of Towns is a game that's fun for a while. That is until you get enough money to basically do anything you want. After that, it will get bland.

Thanks to its good depth level, it's possible to have a long and involving experience which will reward the time and effort that the players invest on the game, redeeming its lack of groundbreaking features.

While Trio of Towns has more structure — and more “stuff” in general — than I’m used to, it’s still the same farming simulator I know and love.

While there's tons of new, little things to enjoy in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, I wish more had been done to innovate the series. We've seen newer games go onto the market that offer so much more, and it feels like Story of Seasons does need to catch up. While this is a great instalment with tons to offer the player, there is a part of me that wanted to see this series grow and change. Trio of Towns is a solid entry into this long running franchise, but this series needs to get with the times and stop playing it safe.

Story of Seasons has a wealth of addictive and detailed gameplay mechanics, and the focus on a strong gameplay loop with plenty of wiggle room is executed flawlessly. What it boasts in gameplay, however, is lost when it comes to bland writing, ho-hum visuals, and music that I often found myself muting. There’s some fun to be had here if you’re interested in romance and characters, despite these flaws. If you’re more interested in the farm management and agricultural gameplay, though, there’s an endless amount of fun to be had here.

Trio of Towns is an installment that does justice to the legacy of the series, and hopefully one that's on the road of better things to come. I loved the characters, and the art style certainly ranks up there as one of my favorites yet. The tell-tale sign I enjoyed any Harvest Moon game is that I’ll pick it back up after months of neglecting my farm. I think I can safely say, Trio of Towns will be one I revisit. With planned DLC, recipes to be made, and the overwhelming need to pet every dog in this game, I’ll be back to it soon.

But even with some annoying interface issues and a handful of other frustrations (why am I failing delivery quests when I know I put the right items in the shipping bin in time?), Trio of Towns manages to deliver a fun, relaxing experience that's engaging and charming. Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns might not be that revolutionary step forward for this little sub-genre just yet, but it's a pleasant little diversion in its own right that's well worth your time.

In the end Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns might not be perfect, but it’s still a wonderful game in many ways. There’s tonnes of stuff to do on your farm, what feels like a million side quests, and even adorable postmen to woo if that’s something you’re interested in *wink*. It’s a shame that it does get quite repetitive, there’s no huge overarching goal, and the tutorial made me want to punch Uncle Frank in the face, but all of the good surely outweighs these minor points. The game design is gorgeous, the dialogue and story are very well written, and overall the game is just really great fun.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns appeals more to the younger audience with its simplified mechanics, but it clearly falters in adding enough depth and satisfying progression to make the repetitive day to day cycle feel worthwhile.

Ultimately, Trio of Towns is a typical Story of Seasons game, no more and no less. It fails to offer longtime fans anything new or interesting, yet still manages to provide the addicting core elements that attracts many to the series. Its heavy tutorials and minor annoyances often get in the way of that fun, so enjoyment often relies on a heavy dose of patience and acceptance. If you can get past these inconveniences, you’ll find a solid farming sim here, but I can’t help but feel like you’d be better off spending your time with other, better games in this genre.

Charming, but in the end nothing more than a routine run-of-the-mill farming adventure from the makers of Harvest Moon.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is out-done by other farming games on the market and even games from its own series. Not exactly a low-point in the franchise, but not worth playing over other titles.