![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Meanwhile, that same “rose-tinted” approach to a grass change makes sense in A Wonderful Life as we tend to more heavily weigh positive memories over the hard times, and therefore one of the reasons it is one of the more compelling titles in the series is that it has that authenticity and thematic cohesiveness to it that some of the others lack. That the Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons properties constantly frame farming as a utopic existence seems naïve to the point of insincerity (as wonderful as these games always are!), but it’s entirely plausible that a person reminiscing back on their lives would structure the memories to focus on the positive. Most farmers do not own private yachts for a good reason. It’s physically arduous work, and an economic nightmare to manage. Here’s the thing: actual farming is not an easy or pleasant existence. This quality means that A Wonderful Life handles the core thematic criticism that can be levelled at the series quite well. Over those chapters, you’re bombarded with a near-constant stream of little anecdotes about both your life and the lives of those in the quaint little village around you, and the game quickly leaves the impression that what you’re experiencing is, in fact, a metaphoric representation of the memories of someone in the last moments of their life, reminiscing through everything that their memories had decided was important. Then it tracks key moments in their life afterwards, from getting married and having a child, to watching that child grow and struggle with their place in the world, and finally the twilight and end of life. Taking place over just shy of a dozen “chapters” in a person’s life, it starts when they themselves make the big move to escape the city. It is this romanticisation that forms the core of where Story of Seasons (and Harvest Moon) come from.Ī Wonderful Life leans heavily into this even by the series standards. These people are then romanticised to a significant extent by that same Japanese mainstream society, with variety shows and documentaries constantly profiling those people that escape the city to find some beaten-up old house in some dying town to restore. Japanese culture meanwhile is immensely high-intensity, high-pressure and performance-based beyond what those in most other places in the world field, and so for a sizable number of people, there’s a moment where they “snap” and realise that they just need to get out and break as far from mainstream society as possible. ![]() It can feel like it’s hard to get back to nature from those centres, but the desire to get out goes beyond just that. Tokyo, Osaka, and to a lesser extent the next tier of cities – Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe, and Kyoto – are more than just massive concrete jungles of bustling energy. For an amazing alternative, consider the recent Doraemon one. Related reading: There are several Story of Seasons titles available on Switch. This remake has done that masterpiece fine justice. If this is true (and I believe there is something real to it), then Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is arguably the strongest execution of the idea. Once, many years ago, I read an argument that the enduring popularity of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons in its homeland in Japan has to do with a very real desire for a “sea change” or “tree change” among Japanese urban populations. ![]()
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