The farming sim Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is the remake of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition, originally released in 2003. Since then, it’s seen several reimaginings, including A Wonderful Life Special Edition for the PlayStation 2 and Another Wonderful Life. In the original games, stories were gender segregated, and several mechanics were left unpolished. Still, the newest iteration for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox, and PlayStation recreates the world in a way that everyone can enjoy.
While the game has overhauled many systems with major quality-of-life improvements compared to the originals, a lack of tutorials and information can make this game an intimidating Story of Seasons title to jump into. Because of this, we have compiled an extensive set of guides to help you on your journey through Forgotten Valley.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Complete Guide
- All Crops & Hybrid System Farming Guide
- All Farmstead Facilities
- Animal Care, Breeding, & Product Guide
- All Tools & How to Get Upgrades
- Cooking Tips & All Recipes
- Complete Fishing Guide
- All Forageables & Where to Find Them Guide
- Complete Mining Guide & All Archeological Dig Sit Expansions
- All Festivals & How They Work
- All Romance Candidates, Marriage & Childcare Guide
- How to Buy Children Toys
- All Friendship Rewards
- Is There Same-Sex Marriage in Story of Seasons A Wonderful Life Remake?
- Bulletin Board Request Guide
- All Mini-Games & How to Play Them
- Complete Outfits Guide
- Complete Records Guide
- Van The Merchant Guide – Schedule & Items for Sale
- Does Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Remake Have Multiplayer Co-Op?
When Did Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Release
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life released across all NA platforms on June 27, 2023. The game has already been available in Japan for several months.
Players can purchase and play the title on the Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox, and PlayStation at launch. This is exciting news for those who prefer to play Story of Seasons games on something other than Nintendo handhelds, as past all-console releases have been delayed by up to a year after the Switch launch.
SoS: A Wonderful Life Beginning Tips & Tricks
Getting started in A Wonderful Life requires some careful planning. Players will want to take their first year slowly and focus on growing base crops as well as building relationships with the townsfolk. Our recommendation is to farm as many of the basic crops and fruits as possible but don’t sell them. This is because you will need them for Hybrid farming in Chapter 2.
Additionally, buying a large number of cheap livestock early is a bad idea in this game. Saving up for higher quality animals like Star Cows and Goats is worth the wait and allows more time during the day to dedicate to exploring. In our playthrough, we kept the single free cow and a pair of male and female chickens that were bred for more free chicks through the first year instead of immediately purchasing many basic cows.
Forgotten Valley is packed with secrets, making exploration particularly important. Examine everything if there is the option to do so. This will offer tips about townsfolk, recipes, or other secrets that will help with gameplay later in the story.
Our biggest tip for getting started is to mine every day the dig site is open. This is a key aspect of getting the money early and costs nothing for the player to engage in. It is especially important in the first few seasons of Chapter 1, as every dollar earned on a trinket funds seeds or tool upgrades.
What is the Best Way to Make Money Fast in Story of Seasons: a Wonderful Life?
To make money fast in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, players should focus on mining for as much treasure as possible to sell it, sell the milk from their starter cow each day, sow as many crops as possible, and get the fishing rod early so they can sell fish. There are many ways to make quick cash in the game, but it’s best not to ignore the basics. Start each day by feeding the cow and milking it. Milk can be sold for 100G per unit at the farm, so it’s well worth collecting it twice a day and selling it on.
While saving up for the fishing rod, players should go to the mine and dig as much as they can. The items there can be sold to Van or at the player’s shop when they have enough. Then, when players have managed to buy the fishing rod, they can mix in fishing each day between mining and tending to crops. This will allow them to amass a huge supply of fish that the villages and Van will buy at a decent price. After a few days, players will have enough to buy a new animal or expand their farm with a new facility, and the routine can begin again.
Do You Have to Get Married In Year One During SoS: A Wonderful Life?
Unlike many other Story of Seasons games, players must get married before the end of the first year.
While this sounds like a daunting task, characters are fairly easy to form relationships with, and as long as they are talked to daily and offered gifts, getting married won’t take a lot of extra effort. In our playthrough, we were engaged to Nami by the middle of Summer in year one.
Is there Same-Sex Marriage in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Like Pioneers of Olive Town and Friends of Mineral Town, A Wonderful Life does include same-sex marriage in its gameplay. Additionally, players can select “They/Them” pronouns for their main characters for the first time.
Thanks to the inclusion of diverse marriages, players can marry any romanceable character regardless of their pronoun selection at the start of the game.
Do You Have To Make Friends In SoS: A Wonderful Life
It’s very easy to pass up the townies in A Wonderful Life in favor of farming, parenting, and animal care. However, players must befriend everyone in town to get the full benefits of the game.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life locks recipes, items, and even the future of the player’s child behind friendship requirements. To speed the process along, try to offer a gift to everyone once a day, and talk with every character players see. This is especially important for characters like Nina, though this complete guide will start spoiler-free.
How Long Are Seasons in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Players will need to manage their time wisely, as seasons only last ten days. Additionally, many of the major chapters of the story are a single year in length, making gameplay feel as if it is flying by.
An interesting fact about the way the years progress is that on the 7th or 8th day of each season, the appearance of the outside will start to change. For example, the grass gets greener and more lush near the end of spring, while you can watch the snow melt and the flower bloom near the end of winter.
Do You Age in SoS: A Wonderful Life
One of the key features of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is that all characters age. Throughout the story, the playable character, the townsfolk, and the children all grow and change.
This aging occurs at each new chapter, with some characters aging noticeably and others doing so more gradually.
How Many Chapters Are In SoS: A Wonderful Life
In this remake, it appears the game will have six chapters, following the same narrative path as A Wonderful Life Special Edition and Another Wonderful Life. Each chapter highlights an important timeframe in the main character’s life. Below are all the chapters we have unlocked so far.
- Chapter 1 – Beginnings – 1 Year
- Chapter 2 – Branching – 1 Year
- Chapter 3 – Blessings – 1 Year
- Chapter 4 – Blooming – 1 Year (first noticeable change in character and NPC ages)
- Chapter 5 – Transversal – 1 Year (decrease in energy bar)
- Chapter 6 – Twilight – 1 Year (second decrease in energy bar)
- Chapter 7 – Beyond – At the start of this year, the game reverts to Year 1, Spring 1. All character ages revert to that of the beginning of the game. The player remains married to their partner, regain their stamina, and keeps all progress on the farm. The only marked difference is that the children of the town, including the player’s, are still grown adults. This game mode is eternal, meaning no further aging or story content will trigger. It is the perfect way to complete any missing wonders, wrap any Hybrid crops, or finish any remaining business.
Published: Dec 4, 2023 02:52 pm