Developer: Marvelous
Publisher: BNE Entertainment
Platform: PC, PS5, Switch
Tested on: Switch
Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom – Review
We have seen some unusual crossovers over the years, but today actually won’t be the first time we’re looking at the farming simulator series Story of Seasons interacting with the robotic shenanigans of Doraemon. A couple of years ago the two already had a joined project, which was quite well-received and got a glowing review from our team here. Today we’ll once again see what happens when these franchises meet, in a new game titled Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom. It’s time to board a spaceship and set off to a whole planet of farming!
Story
The game opens with a short cutscene introducing our main character Noby. While it’s not strictly necessary for the player to have any familiarity with Doraemon and its characters, it will probably help you understand what’s going on. Noby is a preteen boy who lives with his family and his best friend Doraemon, the gadget-wielding time-traveling robot cat. One day while looking through his telescope, Noby discovers a whole new planet. He convinces his friends Sue, Big G, and Sneech to go with him and Doraemon, so the whole crew flies off in a rocket to explore this new world. What they find there is actually a rather mundane farming town. After helping a boy named Lumis, they are offered a rundown farm to fix up. Considering it a fun activity, Noby and his friends agree.
As isn’t unusual for Story of Seasons games, there’s not much plot here. The game focuses more on you expanding your farm, making money, and befriending the townsfolk.
Graphics
We praised the previous game for having a unique and pleasing art style, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the same can be said for this sequel. Every place you visit, every character sprite and animal, even the fully animated cutscene at the start, it all looks like it could come straight out of a picture book. The entire game has a sort of whimsical, colorful feel to it, without falling into the trap of looking childish. The 2D character profiles blend in surprisingly well with the 3D art of the game too.
Sound
The game also hasn’t changed much in terms of sound design. The music is nice and cozy, fitting the overall atmosphere nicely. The cutscenes and character interactions are partly voiced in Japanese, making the game feel almost like an anime at times, which is a nice touch. To make the town and the surrounding forests feel more lively, the game was spruced up with an assortment of sound effects as well.
Gameplay
Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is a farming simulator with nearly identical gameplay as the previous game since a lot of mechanics stayed virtually unchanged. You start out with a small farm that isn’t much more than an uncleaned plot of land, a simple barn, and a coop. After getting some free tools, you can start the slow but fun process of cleaning the farm so you can grow crops there. Other ways to earn some quick money are catching bugs, going mining, fishing, or gathering fruits from around the forest. If you play this game, you need to be prepared to grind a lot, especially at the beginning.
As you start earning money, you can look into keeping animals. Cows, sheep, chickens, and alpacas are all able to be bought and raised. Taking care of them is a bit harder than simply growing vegetables though, as they will need daily feeding, grooming, and quality time. You can also use your profit to upgrade your tools and buildings, slowly making your farm into more and more of a home. Basically, all the classic gameplay you’d expect from a Story of Seasons game is present here. This includes cooking, which is important because eating boosts your stamina. Another major focus of the game is building relationships with the villagers by talking to them daily and bringing them gifts, so you slowly get to know them better. The game has a map as well as a to-do list with quests both related to the main plot and to making friends, so you can always keep track of knowing what to do next.
Changing seasons and festivals around town keep things interesting. The game is not very hard, with the prices of animals and upgrades being lower than we’re used to from this series. There’s also a whole load of Doraemon’s gadgets you gradually unlock which makes farming ridiculously easy. It seems overall this game wants to be a bit more forgiving for a younger audience since it’s based on a Japanese children’s show. One big change from the previous game is a couch co-op mode where a second player can jump in basically at any time during gameplay. This second player controls Doraemon and can use tools so you can farm, fish, and mine together with friends.
Conclusion
If you played the previous Doraemon Story of Seasons, this game won’t bring that much new to the table, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The art is still wonderful, the gameplay relaxing yet rewarding in that you always have a goal to strive towards, and your connections with the villagers feel more thought out and heartfelt than ever because of the excellent writing. If you want to warm your heart, play this game.
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