Review for Doraemon: Story of Seasons. Game for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 13/06/2019
In recent years, the farming simulator genre has increasingly carved out its space. In this category we find titles such as: Stardew Valley, Story of seasons and the same Farming Simulator, without forgetting the long-lived saga Harvest Moon. Some more or less, it is a genre that has managed to conquer audiences and critics, thus succeeding in renewing the game formula. A game formula that needed a breath of fresh air, because it is now too anchored to the past.
If you too love nature and want to immerse yourself inside a farm experiencing a fantastic adventure, all in the company of Doraemon and his friends, the title of Marvelous may be for you. Marvelous offers a particular crossover between the Story of Seasons saga and the Doraemon anime; thanks to the collaboration with Bandai Namco gave life to Doraemon: Story of Seasons.
Doraemon: Story of Seasons, landed on PlayStation 4, will it be a fun and innovative title? Read on and find out with us.
A space cat lands on PlayStation 4
Doraemon: Story of Season tells the story of Nobita and his friends who, after finding a particular magic seed, find themselves teleported to a different world than the one they know. Everything can be solved by the Doraemon, but there is a small problem: the ciuskys - the sci-fi gadgets that the robot cat always carries with him - are gone, so Nobita and his friends have to find them. Here the player takes over who, playing Nobita, will thus find himself cultivating a vegetable garden, making friends with the characters in the game and finding a way to reach his home. The title begins with a substantial tutorial that serves as an introduction to the events just mentioned, at the end of which the real game will finally begin.
The Marvelous and Bandai Namco video game is structured as a “sim farming simulator”; in this case the player finds himself managing an ever-expanding farm, without neglecting human relations with the people of the city. After the full-bodied tutorial, the player can start sowing and watering his field; later you can look after animals, useful for unlocking ingredients that can be used to create new items or increase your loot. The economy within Doraemon Story of Season is key to buying better tools and improvements of various kinds. To increase his loot, Nobita must deposit the materials to be sold in a box by 18:00 pm of each day; At that point, Doraemon will pick up the material for sale.
What an effort country life is!
Doraemon: Story of Seasons places the player in front of several crucial choices: depending on how the situation is handled, certain results can be achieved. Loot can be spent to speed up growth times and get to the end of the game quickly; Furthermore, the earnings allow the player to purchase seeds, materials and tools that can facilitate the adventure.
Doraemon: Story of Seasons, compared to other titles of the genre, offers a small game world, but that we at EpicTrick on the whole have found perfect. The exploration of the surrounding environment is essential if you want to have access to certain materials: just think that within the game world there is a cave that releases essential minerals for the development of the city. This cave increases its size according to Nobita's equipment: the more well equipped the player is, the easier it is to access all the game areas of this title.
Simple but profound
Doraemon Story of Seasons is a simple but profound title, because it forces you to constantly monitor the time: going to sleep late, for example, Nobita will lose precious hours managing the farm and this can be a problem. What surprised us a lot is certainly the attention to the smallest detail, in s and in cultivation: each season has its fruits and vegetables, while the interaction with the game's inhabitants is fundamental for the development of the plot. Indeed, including the importance of the economy, the game does not lead the player to aim only to accumulate money, but it encourages him to develop social s. Nobita can increase the degree of friendship with the other inhabitants by giving them objects: in this way the game narrative evolves and both the playful and the narrative sector are deepened.
With the evolution of the narrative, the first events begin and then repeat themselves every month. These events challenge the player with fun activities - some involve Nobita's cooking skills, while others spur the player to seek the best possible resource management. All this makes each session fresh and full of activity. Sometimes it may happen that you play a few days in the game without advancing in the story, but we assure you that you will never feel the sense of boredom, because the game will always be able to entertain you.
The Adventures of Doraemon
Doraemon: Story of Seasons is the perfect title for those who love both the adventures of the space cat and the genre in question. Compared to other titles of the genre, we note how Doraemon: Story of Seasons suffers from very long dialogues, which can often be heavy. After all, including the nature of the game is a factor to be taken into account. The title is not suitable for everyone: the extended times and the effort required to continue in some situations can displace those who think they are faced with a linear and immediate game.
Graphically, Doraemon on PlayStation 4 it is a real gem. The title reaches the highest peak of the series, offering a graphic style with attention to the smallest detail, correcting the canonical defects of the saga such as the woody controls or the dancer framerate. The game settings look like real paintings, embellished with delicate touches of watercolor and pastel. The character design is perfectly integrated with the game environments without ever disfiguring. The care taken can also be seen in the dialogues, always diversified and brilliant, and in the sound sector. The latter offers melodies and songs perfectly integrated with the game situation; excellent sound effects, with for example the sound of footsteps that changes according to the trampled ground.
Mah… Doraemon!
Unfortunately, even Doraemon has its flaws. First of all we reiterate the amount of dialogues present in the game, an aspect that may or may not please depending on the type of player; we at EpicTrick found the narrative a little too pressing, especially in the early stages. Compared to other titles of the genre, we have found that the backpack and the resistance can be an obstacle for novices, an aspect that however is resolved with the first expansion of the backpack. If on the one hand we found the crossover between Doraemon and the Story of Seasons saga interesting, on the other hand, the central presence of the space cat is missing.. Finally, the title takes for granted the knowledge of certain details, which however may not be understood by those who do not know the adventures of Doraemon. Overall these are flaws that do not spoil the gaming experience, but we believe it is correct to point them out.
Doraemon: Story of Seasons is proposed to the player as a simple but profound product. It offers solid gameplay taken from the Story of Seasons saga but refined and improved in every respect. The title, despite some superficial plot problems, is enjoyable and accessible by all thanks to a slow approach but capable of constantly evolving. Compared with the Nintendo Switch edition, we find ourselves in front of an identical product but finished in terms of graphics. The innovations introduced thanks to the DLC present in this PlayStation 4 version are purely aesthetic: gadgets and ciuski that do not upset the gaming experience.
Doraemon Story of Seasons managed to entertain and delight us for several hours. It fully meets our expectations and is proposed as a modern title, accessible and able to amaze when needed. Although the news - compared to the Nintendo Switch version - are minimal, it is an excellent title that can make PlayStation 4 owners happy. A title recommended for lovers of the genre and for all those who love the space cat anime.
► Doraemon: Story of Seasons is an RPG-Simulation game developed and published by Bandai Namco for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 13/06/2019
