Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
English-language cover art
Developer(s)Marvelous
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Takahiro Yura
Producer(s)Yoshifumi Hashimoto[1]
Artist(s)Igusa Matsuyama
SeriesStory of Seasons
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: June 23, 2016
  • NA: February 28, 2017[2]
  • EU: October 13, 2017
  • AU: October 14, 2017
Genre(s)Farm simulation, role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Mittsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi (牧場物語 3つの里の大切な友だち, lit. Ranch Story: Good Friends of Three Villages), is a farming simulation role-playing game developed by Marvelous for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in June 2016 in Japan, February 2017 in North America,[3][4][2] and in October 2017 in Europe and Australia.[5] In this installment, in addition to the usual farmland which the player owns, the player is able to visit three towns, each with their own distinct culture and lifestyles.[1]

Like the previous installment, Trio of Towns features a Super Mario collaboration. However, instead of crops, it's in the form of costumes.[6]

Gameplay

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns puts players in control of a person who moves out of their parents' home in order to become a farmer, moving in with their uncle. The game has multiple towns that the player can interact in. Gameplay, like previous Story of Seasons games, involves various tasks, primarily planting, growing, and harvesting crops. This is done using various tools, including a hoe and watering can. These crops can be used in cooking, given to townspeople, or sold. Additionally, other tools are used to clear out things like branches, weeds, stones, and tree trunks. These include a hammer, axe, and sickle.

The player can choose to play as a man or woman. Depending on which gender is chosen, they may either marry one of multiple bachelors (as a woman) or bachelorettes (as a man). In order to marry one of these characters, the player must increase the relationship meter. This is done by talking to them and giving them gifts, which can also be done with non-romantic relationships. The player may also adopt a pet, which mostly consist of dogs and cats, but also includes animals like capybara.

Plot

The story begins with a flashback that shows the player (male is by default named Henry and female is by default named Holly) visiting a farm with their mother Marlene. The flashback ends when Lynn, the player's younger sister, interrupts them from their thoughts. When Daryl, the player's father, reveals that they are moving to a new home because of his trading business also moving, the player reveals that they desire to be a farmer. Daryl is furiously against this, as he doesn't think they are ready for that, but after a long argument, he agrees to let them follow their dream just so he can be proven right, and has them sent to a town called Westown to live with his brother Frank so they can learn from him on how to be a farmer. As soon as the player begins their task, they interact with the locals and pay visits to two other neighboring towns: Tsukukusa and Lulukoko, and also interact with the locals in both places. Lynn and Marlene also pay them visits, and with every success in their progress, Daryl gets more and more furious. The player also meets the town's deities: Dessie, a young Harvest Goddess; Witchie, a young witch; and Inari, a half-fox being (whose gender depends on the player's). During contests, the player faces off against a mysterious competitor named Mr. D. In the end, Mr. D is revealed to be Daryl, who was testing the player all along. He reveals that he too wished to be a farmer, but was forced to give up his dream when his father got ill and continue his trading business. He finally respects the player's wishes and they head inside to celebrate.

Development

Because it was the 20th anniversary of the series, the designers aimed to do something new with the series, leading them to include multiple towns with different styles. The three towns - Westown, Tsukukusa, and Lulukoko - are each based on different real-world regions. Westown is based partly on North America, Tsukukusa on Japan, and Lulukoko on tropical island countries. The designers made a point of not including references to previous entries in the series, as new players wouldn't get anything out of such references. They also aspired to change the visuals to not be too similar to the first Story of Seasons game, as they wanted to give players the feeling that the two are visually distinct.[7]

Release

People who pre-ordered the game received a capybara "pocket plushie", a stuffed doll that stood 3.5” tall.[8]

Reception

The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[9] IGN said that the game was a fun farming simulator with a "low-pressure approach and gorgeous 3DS graphics."[15] All four reviewers for Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game an 8/10, totalling to a combined score of 32/40.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Lite_Agent (January 18, 2016). "Story of Seasons: details about the latest entry, Staff messages, screenshots/artworks". Perfectly Nintendo. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Romano, Sal (January 20, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns launches February 28 in North America". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  3. ↑ Romano, Sal (March 1, 2016). "Story of Seasons: Good Friends of Three Villages launches June 23 in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ Romano, Sal (June 7, 2016). "Akiba's Beat, Fate/Extella, and Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns coming to North America". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  5. ↑ Nintendo of Europe [@NintendoEurope] (June 29, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns crops up on Nintendo #3DS on October 13th!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 29, 2017 – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ McFerran, Damien (April 5, 2016). "You'll Be Able To Dress Up As Mario And Peach In The Next Story Of Seasons Game". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ Sleeper, Morgan (June 29, 2016). "Interview: Yoshifumi Hashimoto talks us through Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ Bischoff, Jens (October 12, 2017). "Test: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". 4Players (in German). 4Players GmbH. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  11. ↑ Andriessen, CJ (February 28, 2017). "Review: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Romano, Sal (June 15, 2016). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1437". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  13. ↑ Kemps, Heidi (February 28, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ Estrada, Marcus (February 28, 2017). "Review: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  15. 1 2 Macy, Seth (March 16, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ Vogel, Mitch (February 28, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns Review [Import]". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ West, Matt (February 28, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS) Review". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  18. ↑ Wachter, Sam (April 4, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns - Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  19. ↑ Ransbottom, Nicholas (March 2, 2017). "Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
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