Friends of Mineral Town was originally a Harvest Moon game on the Game Boy Advance in 2003, and was indisputably the best farming-life game around. But since then this genre has become improbably crowded. From Stardew Valley to My Time at Portia, Kynseed to Farm Together, there is no shortage of bucolic video game tributes to an idealised agricultural life, many of them made by developers who grew up playing this one. This Nintendo Switch remake feels like coming home: it’s warm, comfortable and familiar.
The game has been remade in an entirely new engine, resulting in a host of minor improvements to the controls and menus. But there has also been a move from charming 2D sprite art to slightly cheap-feeling 3D graphics. The character art, too, has been redesigned – and not for the better. But with that caveat aside, FoMT’s gentle appeal has been preserved. Where similar games such as Rune Factory involve a dash of fighting or crafting, Story of Seasons sticks to the basics: raise crops and livestock; mine, fish and forage; befriend your neighbours, and pick someone to date and marry.
In the early game, cash is limited, and you have to invest wisely in everything from chicken coops to cheese-making to make life on the farm easier and increase yields. This creates an absorbing rhythm where the next longed-for improvement always feels right around the corner.
But for me, it’s the game’s writing that still shines all these years later. It’s not exactly dramatic in scope, but the daily interactions in a small rural community are surprisingly entertaining, with some nuanced characterisation that unfolds as you stumble across scenes on your daily strolls.
There are some additions to this version of Friends of Mineral Town: a couple of new characters, some new livestock and crops, and same-sex marriage (though only in the English version). The improvements are incremental at best, but it’s still brimful of stuff to discover as the seasons roll. Friends of Mineral Town remains an engaging, warm and homey experience.
