Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

 PC
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. KeenGamer
    Jun 23, 2023
    70
    Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is clearly the definitive version of the classic title. This remaster adds many much needed quality-of-life fixes to the 2003 game, from the updated UI to the remastered graphics. This time around it is much more approachable, enjoyable, and the focus on relationships makes the experience stand out among the sea of farming games. However, these improvements can only do so much because the remaster fails to address the underlying problems of the original game. The long, slow days eventually blur together as the lack of strong side activities and festivals hamper the end result.
  2. Attack of the Fanboy
    Jun 21, 2023
    70
    All things considered there are some really great aspects of this game that make it a fun play. I highly recommend STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life for both beginners and experienced farming RPGs as it is its own unique experience. It is a little slower-paced than others like it, but this may make it a less overwhelming experience."
  3. Dexerto
    Jun 21, 2023
    60
    Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a classic cozy farming game with few repercussions and plenty to experience. It introduces brand-new elements to the genre in the form of longer-running storylines and tons of events to enjoy. However, for me, it just fails to add anything particularly exciting to the already successful genre and left me wanting much more.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. TheKillerFries
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    This is a strange remake - and not exactly in a bad way. After all, the original Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life was a strange game, thoughThis is a strange remake - and not exactly in a bad way. After all, the original Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life was a strange game, though that's partly where the issue lies. As someone who put many, many hours into the original game growing up, I can personally say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the remake. However, it's hard not to feel as though this is a remake made almost exclusively for fans of the original.

    In this sense, it actually caters to those fans pretty well. Those who have played the original to any extensive degree will know that the game has no shortage of quirks, hidden mechanics and esoteric unlockables to find over the course of its story. I had wondered whether they'd keep these in the remake given how vague the game can be in pointing you towards these objectives, but I was surprised to find that they've seemingly embraced that aspect of the original.

    It remains unlike any other game in the series, and really the genre. The game hearkens back to the original Harvest Moon games by getting upgrades more often through relationship-building than resource gathering, and still has many time-gated rewards that can straight-up be missed if unaware or unprepared. Whether or not this appeals to you really depends on your preferences, but it's hard not to call the remake "faithful" in that regard.

    Adding to the fact that this is really more of a game for the fans is the expanded character development. While the original had no shortage of story, the remake keeps practically all of that and adds a substantial amount of further character development and cutscenes for each of the locals. While the writing definitely feels different than the loosely-translated Gamecube original, it feels more like a celebration of Forget-Me-Not Valley (renamed to Forgotten Valley) and its residence than anything else.

    Because of this, its hard to recommend it to anyone who hasn't played the original, or at least to anyone who doesn't know what they're getting into with this installment of the series. In a time where games like Stardew Valley exist, it's difficult to overstate just how bizarre of a farming/life sim A Wonderful Life is; whether that fits your appetite is extremely subjective. At the very least, there are still tons of quality of life improvements to the base mechanics that do make the game at least somewhat accessible to new players, so I'd say it's at least worth a shot.

    Maybe not for $50 of course, but I'd consider it a solid buy at $20-$30.    … Full Review »
  2. HumanoidGREY
    Aug 2, 2023
    6
    In a world where feel good farm sims are not a niche anymore, A Wonderful Life doesn't do enough to stand out. I noticed from the beginningIn a world where feel good farm sims are not a niche anymore, A Wonderful Life doesn't do enough to stand out. I noticed from the beginning that there is no challenge at all to anything in the game. Farming speaks for itself, raising animals couldn't be more easy, fishing is nothing more than pressing a single button, mining is also nothing more than pressing a single button and there is barely anything to explore. The world is extremely small, even for these kinds of games. I really want to like this game but it sadly just bores me. For a beginner in this genre it might not be a bad start, but for experienced players this game offers nothing interesting. There are better options out there, even from the same franchise!… Full Review »
  3. Awkylold
    Jul 25, 2023
    4
    While the game improved in many ways such as new events, crops, and animals, it came with a cost.
    This more of a watered down version of the    While the game improved in many ways such as new events, crops, and animals, it came with a cost.
    This more of a watered down version of the original game. It makes it less of a challenge if none of your animals can die and that you don't even have to feed them. I get that the gameplay was changed to be easier on new players, but this was a core mechanic in the original. At least give an option to change it back with a difficulty.
    If you're a casual gamer, you might be fine. But play the original Gamecube version if you can.    … Full Review »
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