Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Reviews
20 years later, Trio of Towns fits nicely into the mold that the series has made for itself. Failure to break out of it in the next entry, though, could be a great misstep for this farming franchise.
We are fortunate enough to live in an era with more video games being released than ever before. Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns pays tribute to is spiritual predecessor, Harvest Moon. Unlike Harvest Moon, however, this title isn't breaking new ground (pun definitely intended). Fans of the farming-sim formula will likely be pleased, but not surprised. While it was a fine way to pass the time, I don't think this title has enough gameplay variation to hold my interest until the long winter.
Trio of Towns offers a wide variety for players to enjoy, but is marred by a few technical weeds in the garden.
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns might not be perfect, but it's still a wonderful game in many ways.
The clash of cultures in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is a refreshing addition to the Harvest Moon formula.
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns improves upon its predecessor significantly by adding tons of content and many new features and mechanics. While the title comes out slow, it quickly picks up to a nice, steady speed which serves to relax the player and keep up a gentle atmosphere. Presentation issues aside, Trio of Towns with its plethora of content is certainly an enjoyable timesink.
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.
From fishing to livestock to love interests to raising pets and chatting up locals, Trio of Towns is loaded with things to do. It's wonderful how feature-packed and loaded with things to do that this game is.
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?
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.
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.
The frustration with its emphasis on mining gems aside, Story of Seasons is still a lot of fun as a cute and leisurely game.
If you have the patience to see your farm grow and mingle with the various interesting characters then Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns could be for you.
All in all, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons game. It doesn’t really add a whole lot to the game that wasn’t already there and as such the series has slightly stuttered. Sure, fans of the series will love the game no matter what and if you are looking for a decent simulation game then you can do much worse. Having said that, unfortunately for Story of Seasons, other games in the genre have come along and been better. The tutorials are bothersome and you do need to be able to give the game time to grow on you, but once it does it somehow finds a way of gripping its teeth into you and making you addicted. It just won’t keep you addicted for a great length of time.
At the end of the day “Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns” is a marvelous game to celebrate the series 20th anniversary, and truly exceeded all my expectations. Long time fans will truly get a lot out of this game, and for newcomers I can easily recommend this game to you if you want to dive into the series for the first time.This game is easily one of the best games in the series to date.
"Farming has never been this relaxing."
Review in Finnish | Read full review