sovandefarm

[sovandefarm]

I started this Haley piece like a Long time ago and Im never really gonna finish it so... Have it in its wip state :v

#stardew valley #stardew valley haley #haley #sw haley #sw #my art #mine #yall really liked this one huh #i lost this piece bc my laptops hardware died but maybe i should draw up some more sw

[sovandefarm]

Listen... Yuri is super cute

#harvest moon #harvest moon a new beginning #a new beginning #hm #hm anb #anb #mine #anb yuri #yuri #redraw #my art #art

[sovandefarm]

I started this Haley piece like a Long time ago and Im never really gonna finish it so... Have it in its wip state :v

#stardew valley #stardew valley haley #haley #sw haley #sw #my art #mine

[sovandefarm]

I started this Haley piece like a Long time ago and Im never really gonna finish it so... Have it in its wip state :v

#stardew valley #stardew valley haley #haley #sw haley #sw #my art #mine

[sovandefarm]

Ann and Mary from Story of Season FoMT (or for the old folks like me: Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town for the GBA!)

#friends of mineral town #story of seasons #sos fomt #mary fomt #ann fomt #harvest moon #harvest moon friends of mineral town

[sovandefarm]

guh

#not hm #not sos #me #listen i have a wip of haley from sw that i just Left #at like 70% complete lol #one of these days.... but not tonigjt

[sovandefarm]

Everyones faaaav mermaid

#harvest moon #hm #hm leia #hm ds #hm ds cute #ds #ds cute #my art #mine

[sovandefarm]

i’m trying to play this again but i’m so awful at it my girl always has a frowny face no matter what i do and i can’t even figure out how to order her a beer. shes not having a wonderful life you guys and it’s all my fault.

#harvest moon #harvest moon a wonderful life #a wonderful life #hm #hm awl #awl #plzzz

[sovandefarm]

Would a pregnant Flora be possible? Such a shame she's still not an AWL candidate even when she has lines about wanting to start a family. Love your work!

I learned when drawing this that you can marry her in DS and now im heavily debating on if I should start playing that game again just to marry her. But, like.... Keira.

Either way, here she is! ^^ She's such a sweet and mellow girl (appearance wise - I havent actually met her in any of the games fhdskfhds)

#sos #story of seasons #harvest moon #harvest moon ds #ds #hm ds #hm flora #flora #hm ds flora #ds flora #my art #mine #anon

[sovandefarm]

Great work! thank you for drawing my request! ^^

I'm so glad to hear! ^^ I'm always happy to draw some requestw, pregnant or not c:

#anon #mine

[sovandefarm]

Would a pregnant Flora be possible? Such a shame she's still not an AWL candidate even when she has lines about wanting to start a family. Love your work!

I learned when drawing this that you can marry her in DS and now im heavily debating on if I should start playing that game again just to marry her. But, like.... Keira.

Either way, here she is! ^^ She's such a sweet and mellow girl (appearance wise - I havent actually met her in any of the games fhdskfhds)

#sos #story of seasons #harvest moon #harvest moon ds #ds #hm ds #hm flora #flora #hm ds flora #ds flora #my art #mine #anon

[sovandefarm]

(Claire Anon from a few weeks ago)

She looks amazing! Thank you so much for taking that request!

Hi again! Im so glad to know you enjoyed her ^^

#anon #mine

[sovandefarm]

Small comic of an incident that happened in my game

#harvest moon #story of seasons #story of seasons a wonderful life #harvest moon a wonderful life #a wonderful life #hm #sos #sos awl #hm awl #awl #mooood

[sovandefarm]

Yall wanna guess who I ended up marrying in fomt-

#story of seasons #mine #my art #story of seasons friends of mineral town #friends of mineral town #harvest moon #harvest moon friends of minderal town #hm #sos #sos fomt #hm fomt #fomt #elly fomt #hm elli #sos elly

[sovandefarm]

One week left!!!

#story of seasons a wonderful life #story of seasons #sos #sos awl #awl

[sovandefarm]

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Veteran’s Review

In a year littered with Gamecube-era nostalgia with remakes and remasters of games like Resident Evil 4, Baten Kaitos, and Metroid Prime, experienced farmers have been waiting for A Wonderful Life. The original iteration of the game, released in Japan during 2003, is a long-time fan-favorite game in the series but is also somewhat divisive for some of its game feel in spite of the unique features that make it stand apart from other games in the series, or even the entire genre. So, how does the new remake compare?

Presentation

Players familiar with Forgotten Valley will likely feel right at home in the remake. Nearly everything is left exactly where it was 20 years ago, with some small changes to superfluous or unused elements like the infamous locked shed. The color palette is brighter, but no less capable of providing moody or serene moments and it's still nice to take a moment and just look around as your surroundings shift from season to season. Beyond the art style shift, the male bachelors have also been given a makeover that may be divisive to some fans. Personally, I feel like I'll miss Matthew's incredible sideburns and chin, or Gustafa's pointy nose and more pronounced scruff, but overall I'm positive on the changes. Similarly, the new musical arrangements are also a welcome addition, though I do wish for the option to use the original or Special Edition soundtrack sometimes. Even if just for nostalgia's sake.

Playing on the Nintendo Switch and Steam versions, the Switch did noticeably have some pop-in for details, objects, or shadows. However, perhaps remarkably when compared to the launch experience of Pioneers of Olive Town or Rune Factory 5, there were no issues with slowdown or unstable frame rates even with a full field of crops and dozens of animals roaming around the farm.

Gameplay

Classic farming and socializing elements return more or less as-is, which is likely expected for the series that defined the genre. Compared to the original game however, it's far easier to keep track of details like who is befriended, what you've collected, what requests you're working on, and tasks you've accomplished thanks to a more robust menu system to help you keep track of everything. As a result, the game feels more cohesive than it did before. The quality of life changes even extend to character movement and animations while exploring and working in the field, with the entire game feeling less sluggish compared to the original.

Hybrid crops also return as a feature you unlock, with a sizable array of stage two and stage three crops to produce via mixing and matching existing seeds. From standard, real-life produce that isn't normally present in the series, like garlic, or even outlandish and fantastical crops that look and behave like disco balls or jingle bells. Hybrid crops are also essential to cooking, with many ingredients only available by producing hybrids. Producing new crops that can't be bought in shops and leveling up your cooking skill to learn more recipes will be essential to filling your encyclopedia, turning a higher profit by making meals that sell for more than their base ingredients, answering requests on the town notice board, or donating them to the local festivals.

For returning players, the festivals are probably the most asked-for change from the original game. Though similar to the somewhat forgettable events they've replaced, the New Years and Harvest Festivals will ask the player to submit their own offering, which can elicit some distinct reactions from both the host and villagers who attended afterward. The other festivals are more passive, like simply watching fireworks, but nevertheless I found myself looking forward to them in each chapter to see how they changed with each passing year.

Feeling that flow of time is, at its core, what makes Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life special. You'll get the opportunity to watch your neighbors grow older, your child age from a toddler to an adult, and each chapter (taking an in-game year) features several unique event scenes that accentuate the passage of time. Your child is also reactive to how you raise them, with their self-doubts, interests, and desires changing as they grow older and your influence leans them towards different career paths. Sometimes, doing things early or late can also result in those actions being noticed, like your full grown mid-20's to early 30's child wondering why on Earth you would buy them a weird teddy bear. As pleased as I was with just one full, 100 hour play-through, I'm tempted to jump in again to see what could've gone differently.

Closing Thoughts

Though some changes may be divisive, to me, this is without a doubt the definitive version of A Wonderful Life. The quality of life enhancements, the steadier pacing, dozens of new events, more things to spend money on, find, and create might even make it the best Story of Seasons experience this console generation by a pretty sizable leap.

Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer visiting the valley for the first time, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is, in fact, pretty wonderful. If there are still any doubts after reading our review, feel free to reach out to us with any questions. We will also be preparing a second review featuring a perspective of a newcomer to A Wonderful Life as well as a focus on the PC release and Steam Deck compatibility.

Review codes provided to Ranch Story staff by XSEED and Marvelous Europe.

#story of seasons #story of seasons a wonderful life #a wonderful life #sos #sos awl #awl #im not getting this game rn as i mentally cant handle more games but wonderful little review

[sovandefarm]

Yall wanna guess who I ended up marrying in fomt-

#it wasnt who i thought i was gonna marry at the start thats for sure lol #elly.... #story of seasons #mine #my art #story of seasons friends of mineral town #friends of mineral town #harvest moon #harvest moon friends of minderal town #hm #sos #sos fomt #hm fomt #fomt #elly fomt #hm elli #sos elly #tested some coloring stuff but im burned out from commission work lol