Story of Seasons: details about the latest entry, Staff messages, screenshots/artworks

Last week, the latest entry for the Story of Seasons series was announced for the Nintendo 3DS. Called Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi (lit: “Story of Seasons: Precious Friends from the Three Villages), the game takes place in three different villages. They each have their own culture and lifestyles, and different characters live in each one.

Here’s some details about those villages:

• Westown: a village with wooden buildings, which gives off a Western atmosphere. It used to be a mining town, and you can see relics of that past everywhere. The people of that village are said to be really friendly and cheerful.
• Tsuyukusa Village: a village with a small river, a bridge, and houses with tiled roofs, which gives a really nostalgic feel. Thanks to the nearby water sources, agriculture is thriving. People who live there wear kimonos.
• Rurukoko Village: a really exotic village, located right by the beach (you can hear the soothing sound of waves), where you can find some mysterious ruins. If you’re looking for exotic fruits and seafood, this is the village for you! People who live there wear really colourful clothes.

Next, we have some details about the gameplay systems, starting with one called “Farm Circle”. In Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi, you will be able to place “facilities” next to the fields (such as scarecrows), in order to improve the growing of crops. As a farmer, you will have to pay particular attention to the placement of these facilities in order to improve harvest.

And as mentioned the other day, you will be able to get a pet (cat or dog), and live with it. It looks like you will be able to take part in festivals and go to town with it, too. Just like most other titles in the series, Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi isn’t only about farming or raising animals: you can also take part in various activities, such as fishing, festivals, or part-time jobs.

Of course, you will be able to fully customise your characters:

• gender
• hair colour
• facial expression
• and more…

There are plenty of characters for you to meet in the game, and you will even be able to marry some of them (and have children). Here’s some of them:

• Richette: a very bright young girl, who works at a flower shop. Due to her parents’ work, she herself has taken a liking to plants and flowers, and knows quite a lot about them. She’s said to be a bit on the naive side, due to having been raised in a comfortable home. In fact, she still enjoys fairytales a lot, and she hasn’t ventured out of Westown very often. Her hobbies? Knitting and handicrafts.
• Wayne: a postman, always smiling and very talkative. He likes to make fun of other people, which may make him seem dishonest, but he’s actually someone you can rely on when it counts. By meeting the protagonist, he will gradually change his view on women. He does a wide variety of jobs in the village.

Next, we have the inhabitants of Westown:

• Frank: your uncle, that you finally meet up with after several years. He will serve as your mentor when it comes to farming. He’s a pretty cheerful fellow, who’s said to love nature, and is always looking out for others.
• Megan: an old woman who may seem scary when she’s angry, but in fact, she’s pretty cheerful (even though she’s not afraid to say clearly what’s on her mind). She’s often traveling to Tsuyukusa Village, due to her health.
• Miranda: a plump woman who runs the General Store. She used to be a singer when she was younger. She likes pretty things, and is a valuable source of information due to her always making sure everybody knows when she stumbles across something interesting)
• Noel: Miranda’s daughter, who is not shy in the slightest (because she’s talking a lot to the customers at the General Store). She dreams of becoming a singer, just like a mother (in fact, it’s by looking at pictures of her mother when she was younger that she came to have that dream). While she is usually at home, she often goes to a quiet place in order to practice singing on her own.

Finally, here’s a message from two staff members:

• Yoshifumi Hashimoto (Producer): he starts by thanking fans for their support. He notes that lots of people play Story of Seasons games nowadays: mothers, fathers, boys, girls, young children… Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi will be released as a celebration for the 20th Anniversary of the series, so they decided to have three different villages this time around. Players will be able to enjoy the game like they did with the previous entries, or discover the new villages (Japanese and Tropical). He believes players will really enjoy the increased level of customisation.
• Igusa Matsuyama (Chara-designer): when it was announced that a game would be released for the 20th Anniversary of the Story of Seasons series, they were asked for colourful designs, using primary colours. And in this game, the characters are indeed quite colourful: this is due to the mix of the various cultures and lifestyles of the three distinct villages. It’s especially noticeable with the Rurukoko Village, where people wear clothes with bright colours. For this village, they looked at places such as Samoa and Tahiti for inspiration. Isugasa Matsuyama hopes that players will enjoy the new features included in this game.

Here’s some screenshots and artworks for the game:

The official website of Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi was opened, but it’s still pretty empty. However, there’s a special campaign running until March 28th, where fans can tell the developers what character or animal from the series they love, or what’s their favorite memory with the Story of Seasons / Harvest Moon games. The best entries will apparently be featured on the website itself, and those who answer will get Twitter icons.

To participate, all you have to do is:

• click the orange button
• give your nickname
• say if you’re a man or woman
• give your age
• say which was the first Story of Seasons / Harvest Moon game you played
• give a short messages to the developers

Obviously, this campaign is only for Japanese users, but nothing prevents you from participating if you know a little bit of Japanese! For more details, please click here!

Bokujou Monogatari 3-tsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi (3DS), the latest entry in the Story of Seasons series, comes out in Early Summer in Japan.

Source: 4Gamer.net
Thanks PushDustin (Source Gaming) for the translation of the Staff messages.