Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns

In the usual fast-paced world of action-packed video games, sometimes it's good to stop and smell the roses … and the vegetables, and the livestock. At least, that's the idea behind Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. If the gameplay seems instantly familiar to Harvest Moon fans, there's a good reason. Trio of Towns is the latest localized release of a popular Japanese franchise that was the source of the original Harvest Moon games until a licensing deal forced a rebranding of the series. Make no mistake about it, though; Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns doesn't just follow through on a tried-and-true formula; it's an expansion of everything fans have come to love in the popular life/farm-simulation series.

One of the great things about games like Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is that the whole point is to enjoy your virtual life. There's no real "winning," no end boss to fight, and no worries about running into a "Game Over" screen. You simply take each day as it comes, tend to your crops and livestock, enjoy the company of others, and kick back with a few relaxing activities. It's like a personal Zen garden with no time limit, which is great considering that the game takes so long to actually build momentum; to say the game is a slow burn is an understatement. Making matters worse, it's a pretty steep learning curve at the start, as you try to efficiently scrape by from day to day. Slowly but surely, though, players start getting into the swing of things, cycling crops and harvests with the seasons, upgrading their farms, improving the towns' shops, and building a strong community among the three titular towns. Much like running an actual farm, if you're willing to put in the time and the effort, you'll reap a lot of reward from Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns.