Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Reviews
However, if you’re more used to modern farming sims and want one that will give you more to do on a daily basis, AWL might be too simplistic for you. There’s just not a lot happening in Forgotten Valley. Regardless of your preference, the in-game marriage being pushed within the very first chapter felt way too rushed and forced. If you were hoping to have fun, interesting characters to spend your in-game life with, you’ll again likely be disappointed.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a nostalgic plunge into the farming sim classic, successfully offering engaging gameplay and dynamic character interactions despite some narrative shortcomings. While its strong focus on the social aspects and improved game mechanics breathe life into the series, the somewhat bland character development and repetitiveness can hinder the immersive experience it aims to provide.
Personally, I have enjoyed my time in Forgotten Valley and the experience of building a little family. While years can feel like they crawl by slowly, the progression you get to see as kids around the village get older and new people arrive in the valley is nice and satisfying to experience. I look forward to spending a lot more of my time in this sleepy little village.
Compared to newer farming games Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is somewhat slow. This can lead to some frustrations, yet at the same time it gives you a sense of peace, something which is very welcome in today’s often rushed society. If A Wonderful Life had added more things to do, this slowness would’ve probably been a lot less noticeable. The characters, who are the heart and soul of the game, are the saving grace. They make you want to keep returning to Forgotten Valley.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
After the recent success of the Story of Seasons Friends of Mineral Town remake back in 2019, it made nothing but sense to see Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life receive the same treatment. It’s a well-revered entry in the Harvest Moon franchise from the PS2 and GameCube days, and expectation has been high ever since its announcement.
Ultimately, STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life wasn’t as charming as I had hoped and imagined it would be. It did get some more charm added in when I got to the second chapter and started my family. Still, I don’t think this Bokujō Monogatari game aged as well as some others, it ended up being super average. It’s not at all a bad game, I enjoyed my time with it. Nonetheless, I think this is mainly one for fans who have that nostalgia for it and will be going back to an old fave. If you’re new to it like me and really want to try it out, I’d suggest waiting for at least a small sale.
Marvelous Inc. recreated a great remake of the 20-year-old Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. While there are some things that make it feel outdated, there are also plenty of quality-of-life changes that make this a worthwhile farming game.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful life is an adequate remake, but its lack of modern trimmings makes for a game even former fans might find empty and antiquated.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life streamlines old elements of the most unique entry in the franchise and offers improvements to a game with plenty of focus on not just farming but also on family.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life likely deserves the praise it received back in 2004, but in 2023, bad decisions prevent history from repeating. Fortunately, a patch or two can address the bulk of my qualms. While I’m bewildered by the price increase, I reckon putting it on par with its former edition will bring the fun factor to its former self.
A Wonderful Life is the first that's properly forced me to settle down and I've found its focus on slowly and carefully tending my farm isn't defunct; it's a different strain of sim that deserves to bloom again after being left fallow for so many seasons.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is still unique in what it offers to the farming sim sub-genre: it's a slice of life, but you live the whole life. It's a shining example of worthwhile risky choices, and how genre-defining features only come through experimentation over imitation.
This meter is somewhat emblematic of my overall experience of this game. Ideas that were once novel are outdated or uninteresting by today’s standards. While Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a welcome update to a classic farm sim, stripping away nostalgic fondness leaves you with an experience that feels lacking in the genre's modern landscape.
Story of Seasons is a good game for relaxing. There's plenty to do and discover, but given the length of the game, these various tasks can become monotonous and repetitive. The game has an addictive feel to it, and the hours spent playing are hard to miss. Still, I would have preferred more events and interactions to develop relationships with the inhabitants. If you like games like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley or even FarmVille, you'll have a great time in Forgotten Valley.
Review in French | Read full review
Returning to A Wonderful Life after 19 years is a comforting, warmly nostalgic experience. The colorful characters and climactic moments in Forgotten Valley stand the test of time, even if the mechanics and gameplay possibilities compare unfavorably to modern takes on the farming/life simulation model.
Back then and today, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is a wonderful game that takes farming seriously while not getting on my nerves with our stuff. That's exactly what I like about it.
Review in German | Read full review
Marvelous have worked their magic to give us another stellar remake from the high points of the series. A Wonderful Life puts forward a charming and unique tale that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anybody who never got to experience it all the way back in 2003.
I think it's a very good production because it has a basic goal of starting a family and owning your farm to manage this family. However, if we look at today's alternative games, it doesn't offer a different perspective and innovation. Especially for gamers who are sick of the genre, it is a production that can get bored quickly because they will not see innovation after a while.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Twenty years since Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life first released on the GameCube, it’s disappointing that this modern reimagining is such a half-baked effort that’s considerably grind-inducing and disappointingly lacking in meaningful social interactions. Yes, A Wonderful Life has a beautiful and welcoming heart and presence, and the remake does do a serviceable job of updating a two-decade-old game for modern standards, and it can be a worthwhile and relaxing time if you aren’t so demanding for change. But there’s so much tedium to endure it’s hard to remain interested, especially when there are far more inviting alternatives out there.
While it will delight fans of the genre, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life can be a somewhat slow experience despite all the virtues that accompany the title.
Review in Spanish | Read full review