The Ushi No Tane websites specialize in information, FAQs, and guides about the Nintendo console versions of the Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Legend of the River King video games. These game genres are created and published in Japan by Marvelous (JP). In other regions, you'll find Natsume, XSeed Games/Marvelous (USA), Marvelous (EU), and Rising Star involved in the series' release.

The latest version of the mainstream farming series that have been released in various regions of the world are:

• Japan: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (January 2023)
• North America: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (September 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)
• Europe: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (October 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)

The latest version of River King, in all regions of the world, is River King: Mystic Valley (JP 2007, NA 2008, EU 2009).

Since 2000, Ushi no Tane has been run by a grouchy old lady who happens to be fond of video game agriculture along with two feline helpers: Intern Captain Bootu and Intern Hondo Mewnaka. The website is not officially affiliated, sponsored, endorsed, or employed by the developers of Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or River King. This is simply a fan site.

Latest Farming Video Game News

Happy Farm'n Friday! While last week I was glad to see the rain come and wash away the smoky air, it's now been raining all week. The rain has also brought cooler temperatures, and now it's like a switch has been flipped weather-wise. All the leafy trees have switched from green to shades of orange and brown. So many leaves to rake! It looks like we'll have a rainy Halloween night, too. The weather may discourage the usual trick-or-treaters, but that just means more leftover candy for me! Bwa ha ha!

SoS:AWL Weekly Recap

Whew, lots happened this week! First off, the official Marvelous JP website updated with new information about the upcoming A Wonderful Life remake.

• The farm starts with two crop fields - the barren field and the fertile field. The site implies that improving the farm can improve the fields, but I can't tell if it means the existing fields will become improved or if a new, improved field will become unlocked.
• The site clarifies that a cow pregnancy requires "seeding" (heh) or the ownership of a bull. The baby cow can be fed Mother's Milk, and then the baby cow becomes an adult and produces milk in 10 days. Based on the images posted last week, I was super-wrong in assuming there was still a 20-day calf->junior->adult growth cycle. If the Marv website says that image is of an adult cow, that's what it is! Sorry about that. Shortening the cow growth cycle is a welcome improvement, for sure.
• Van still visits the valley two times per season. While he's gone, or even if he's around, players can still set up their outdoor market booth to sell goods to those walking by. This was also in the original game.
• The number of recipes has increased from 89 to 121. Besides cooking based on a known recipe, you can experiment and combine ingredients to discover new meal dishes.
• Errand tasks will be posted by the valley residents on the new bulletin board next to the "Lei-Over Inn." An errand will tell you the name of the villager making the request, the number of days before it expires, the item the villager is looking for, and the reward you'll receive in exchange. For example, the Marv website has a screenshot of Chris' 9-day task asking for 1 Egg Soup in exchange for 5 Rank B Potato Seeds.
• Griffin is confirmed to be a normal 'ol villager and not a marriage candidate.

Marv JP and Marv US released updated game trailers today. They're similar but a little bit different, too:

The Marvelous EU trailer is basically the same as the Marvelous US video, but with a European voiceover.

Marvelous JP's video contains some scenes of Celia's son and short clips of Rock's daughter and Lumina's daughter. The Marvelous US video has scenes of Celia's daughter and short clips of Nami's son.

Marvelous US's video contains more images of the character creation screen, showing the skin tones that can be picked by the player. There are also a variety of face types and hairstyles to choose. The character creation screen contains two tabs that weren't covered in the video - perhaps eye color and hair color.

We also see the goat in both videos, but the JP video has multiple goats between 00:43 to 00:45 (the same scene is from 2:09 to 2:11 in the EN video). Oh my, so many goats!

The scene with Lumina playing the piano has an adult Kate in the JP video and a kid Kate in the EN video.

The major takeaway from the EN video is the announcement of a multi-platform release. While the JP video states that the game will be released on Nintendo Switch, the EN video confirms Switch, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam/PC. I need to get a Steam Deck someday...

The Marvelous EU website also confirmed the multi-platform release on their website as well as announced the EU Limited Edition bundle. The EU special edition contains a physical copy of the game, an A3-size poster, a 140-page empty notebook, and a sticker sheet within a collector's box. This LE will cost €49.99/£44.99.

Marvelous in Japan started a Retweet-and-Win contest this week, where 20 fans in Japan can win a Wonderful Life tote bag. Participants have until November 13 to follow the official Twitter account and retweet a specific tweet from the above news article.

Kickstarter Updates

A big Early Access update was released for Pathea's My Time at Sandrock. The Builder Bonds Update added a pet system to the sequel to My Time in Portia, allowing players to adopt a cat, dog, and birds. These cute animals can be petted, walked, and even tasked with going out and collecting materials for players. The Builder Bonds Update also made a lot of in-game adjustments, fixed many bugs, and added new features such as the ability to reply to mailbox letters, a two-person sledding mini-game, and interactions with people like hugging. Steam Early Access to Sandrock is also 20% off until November 1.

You can learn more about the new pet system on Pathea's Youtube channel:

• Secret Cat Raising Tricks From The Devs | My Time at Sandrock

The farming-in-the-sky relationship game, Sally, is still working towards its crowdfunding goal. The game is 80% funded, with about 20 days left in the campaign.

Doraemon2 Preorders

The Nintendo Switch edition of Doraemon: Story of Seasons - Friends of the Great Kingdom is now available to preorder on the Nintendo eShop in North America in preparation for the game's November 2 global release date. The game costs $49.99, with a separate season pass for $14.99. The season pass contains access to the three upcoming DLC sets and a premium crop seed set as an added bonus. The eShop also has a game + season pass bundle for $59.99.

The title screenshot on the NA eShop says there is a "Demo Available," but the demo hasn't been available for download for the past few days. A demo IS available on the Steam Store page and on the Japan Nintendo eShop. The JP eShop demo does support Japan, English, Thai, and Bahasa Indonesian languages, so you can download it from there if you really want to play the demo on Switch.

Only Japan will have a physical release for this game. North America and Europe will have digital editions for purchase.

Doraemon:SoS2 is not available for preorder on the EU or AUS Nintendo eShops as of today (October 28). The Bandai Namco website in Europe has the Standard and Deluxe editions for preorder, but are only promoting it for PC/Steam and makes no mention of a Switch or Playstation release.

Indie Highlight - Everdream Valley

Spending the summer on grandma and grandpa's farm is the story of Everdream Valley, a farming simulation game with a unique overnight twist. During the day, the player is a chirpy kid, running through meadows, catching bugs and fish, and taking care of their grandparent's farm. But at night, a magic hat turns the player's dreams into their own animal adventure with barnyard drama and mysteries to solve! Players only have 2 months (i.e., their summer vacation time) to unravel the secrets of their grandparents' farm.

Alas, I only recently learned about this cute farming game that has been in development by Mooneaters since last year. How did I miss it? This farming game is planned for a Steam/PC and Switch release sometime in the future. A free demo is available on the Steam Store page if you want to check it out:

• Everdream Valley on Steam
• Evergreen Valley official website

Until next time!

Cher
(Don't forget to VOTE in your local elections if you can!)