Developers: Marvelous, Brownies inc.
Publishers: Bandai Namco Entertainment, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America
Platforms: PC, Switch
Tested on: PC
Doraemon Story of Seasons – Review
Collaborations between two franchises are a hit or miss, but for Doraemon and Story of Seasons, it certainly is the first option in this case. You’ll be able to enjoy the different characters from this popular Japanese anime together with the farming activities of Story of Seasons. Are you ready to dive into a world of wonder and gadgets?
Story
Nobita Nobi, or mostly known as Noby, was doing a project for school when things went haywire. After planting a mysterious seed, which sprouted and became a huge tree in mere seconds, a sudden storm kicked up quite some dust. Noby, together with his good pal Doraemon and his friends Sue, Big G and Sneech, are sucked up in a weird vortex. After everything has settled, something feels off. The scenery looks different and after some investigation, the group is stranded in a whole different area. Doraemon lost almost all his gadgets so he isn’t able to help much, so they have to look around for clues.
Not too long after they find Harmon, a young bloke who runs a farm in the lands of Natura. it seems that it will take some effort to get home again, as there are no leads whatsoever at this point and all youngsters need to have a job. Eventually, Noby has the opportunity to start at a desolated farm, which he can bring back to life. This is the start of an adventure where farming, fishing and other (harvesting) activities are the keys to finding a way back home.
As always, Story of Seasons has a story where you need to use your hands to get progress by farming and becoming friends with the locals. The only difference now is that you get a magical touch to it as Doraemon and his friends are the leading characters in this tale.
Graphics
The first thing that comes to mind when watching the game is ‘beautiful’. You’ll be venturing green forests and dark mines or enjoy a walk at the seaside, all looking hand-drawn and absolutely stunning. The combinations of colors and shading work so well, it looks like you’re walking around in a painting. Characters pop on your screen as they are more defined, making it easier to spot your neighbors in the scenery.
Even the different menus, sprites, conversations and cutscenes match so well with the whole concept. The developers really outdid themselves on this part by creating a visually appealing game without losing the spark of the characters of the Doraemon universe.
Sound
Just like the graphics, this section has received a lot of attention too. During the gameplay, your movements are guided by some classical tunes that fit perfectly with the setting of the game. The only downside might be that it feels repetitive rather fast, especially if you’re playing for a longer time. Don’t take it wrongly, as there are different tracks that will play through your speakers, but as it all gives the same kind of feeling, it might come over like that.
Next to the tracks, there are also a lot of sound effects that make the game more interesting and give it another level of depth. The same can be said about the conversations and cutscenes. Although the voice acting isn’t actually voicing the whole conversation, the Japanese lines do give it a nice touch and make it feel like you’re creating your own anime.
Gameplay
Doraemon: Story of Seasons is a farming simulation RPG where you take control of Noby, taking on all different kinds of tasks in an attempt to get back home. The game has many options and elements, that only the basic parts will be explained.
The biggest part of the time, you’ll be spending time on your farm and doing all sorts of things there. You’re able to equip several working tools like an axe, hammer or fishing rod, which are needed to perform these tasks. To plant seeds, you need to tile the ground, then plant the seeds and water them daily. After several days and taking good care of them, you’re able to harvest the fruits of your labor and ship them to make some cash. Next to the obvious, you can also take care of your livestock, catch some fish or bugs or just go foraging. Do keep in mind that a lot of these actions require stamina and you only have a limited amount available per day.
In other Story of Season games, the villages are important but they’re more on the background. In this title, it feels like the people have a more prominent role as they will help you get the necessary gadgets back. This means talking to them daily, giving them gifts or enter in festivals or other events. You can track the status of all your relationships in the overview menu, where you have a lot of different tabs with info. For example, you can see all the available quests and you have a mini-map where you can see the movements of everyone.
Next to your own work, you can ask other villagers for help to build or create certain parts or buildings on your farm. If you want, a new and bigger house is just at your fingertips (if you have the materials and cash of course), giving you the chance to start cooking. Fancy to go deeper into the mine? Just provide the right amount of ore and the upgrades are done in a flash.
Progress will come eventually, although it’s always nice to know you’re getting closer to your goal. Whenever you trigger an event, you know you did something right and are always a joy to look out for. Mostly these will lead to quests, where you need to find/provide something or do a certain task which results in something good. When you get access to some of Doraemon’s gadgets, life becomes a lot easier as you can just ‘teleport’ to certain locations on the map, and so much more.
One particular aspect that is fun to see, is that the developers added the possibility to nap. Noby loves to sleep and whenever you’re low on health or waiting for a shop to open, you can just pop down on the ground and take a rest. This will pass time and you will have some stamina back. Win-win, right?
Conclusion
Doraemon: Story of Seasons certainly is a worthy game in this franchise. The combination of the funky robotic cat Doraemon and the elements of farming might seem far-fetched but it all blends well. The graphics are utterly stunning, just like the whole sound design of the game. Gameplay-wise a lot of the elements are similar to previous titles of this series but the addition of the gadgets and the usage of them certainly gives it a nice touch. Definitely a game to check if you like either the Japanese series, the Story of Seasons franchise or both.
Doraemon Story of Seasons - Review,
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[…] DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS will be released on the 4th of September for the PS4. We have reviewed the PC version of the game previously, which you can check out here. […]