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: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)
• North America: Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition (October 2025) and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)
• Europe: Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition (October 2025) and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)

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! I was browsing the plants growing in the parking strip and saw this wild violet hanging out among the iris. This little guy was the only one around, and I knew it wasn't my handiwork! I'm not sure yet if it is friend or foe; the general consensus on the internet is that the plant is a weed, but to someone who enjoys dandelions, my opinion seems to be the opposite.

I'm about to wrap up with the latest project I've worked on for several weekends - bagging and tagging all the loose Ninja Turtle action figures I collected during the late 1980s and 1990s. I counted a little more than 280 action figures, now labeled by name and year of release and packaged into poly bags. Found some rare treasures during this endeavor, too!

I still have a pile of loose accessories to match with a figure. Thirty years ago, there wasn't an easy way to find where a random plastic bit came from, so weapons and whatnot were tossed into a bag for safekeeping. Because all that stuff is now documented online, it is easy to snap a picture and learn to which figure set it belongs. Even the really vague accessories without labels, dates, etc., pop up using Google Lens. It has been an adventure in "Is it Turtle?" with some of these remaining figure accessories. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is a piece of a Power Rangers or GI Joe figure set. Why do I have a leg piece from the Red Ranger's Phoenix Thunderzord when my collection is all Ninja Turtle? /shrug. I'm also finding random parts to TMNT sets I don't possess. lol.

Cottonville - New Farm'n Kickstarter

Fashion and farming come together in a new game from RedDeer Games called Cottonville. Move from the busy city to a seaside village to grow textile crops and forage for dye ingredients that will become materials for hip-and-stylish designs.

Players can customize their character with various options, such as hair style and color, skin tones, eye styles and colors, and more. Even your eyebrows! Then, get your threads dirty by growing cotton, linen, and bamboo to convert them into cloth for creating fashionable outfits at the sewing machine. Flowers can also be used to change the color of clothes. Wear the outfits yourself, including accessories like hats, or chat with the other fashion-forward folks of Cottonville to help design an outfit just for them.

It doesn't look like there are any animal care or other types of crops, so it's not much of a farming game, but there's a lot of farmers who enjoy cozy dress-up games. There are also in-game achievements to unlock for completionist-style farmers. RDG hopes to launch the game on Steam/PC later this year, with a Switch version planned in the future. The crowdfunding campaign ends on May 10, and you can wishlist the game now on Steam:

• Cottonville - A Cute Dress-up Farming Game | Kickstarter
• Cottonville | Steam Store

SoS:GB Updates

This week, Marvelous released the first blog article showcasing their upcoming Nintendo DS remake, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. The Youkaze Town Walker will be publishing information about the game as we make our way towards its August release date.

Much of the info repeats what is being shared on the publisher's official Twitter/X profile. One bit of new information was an introduction to the five Nature Sprites:

• Ivy (Jp: Kakaporo) - This nature-loving sprite is the de facto leader of the group.
• Finley (JP: Kikiporo) - The cheerful, fish-loving sprite.
• Honey (JP: Kukuporo) - The energetic and curious sprite of honey production.
• Webby (JP: Kekeporo) - The well-read and mushroom-friendly sprite.
• Penny (JP: Kokoporo) - The insect fanatic who loves to play.

Left to right: Honey, Finely, Penny, Webby, and Ivy.

I'm 80% sure about Webby's and Penny's EN names. Honey, Finely, and Ivy are definitely the correct names.

In a recent blog update, Igusa Matsuyama confirms that they're the game's character designer and lead illustrator. Grand Bazaar is one of their favorite game, as they reminisce playing the skateboard mini-game and doodling on other player's farm boards via the Nintendo Network wifi connectivity system.

(Note that Marvelous has confirmed that the remake has no multiplayer support like the original. No bazaar booth setups or farming with your friends this time!)

Igusa notes that there have been some character changes that reflect better in overseas markets (I think this is most likely regarding the Hispanic bazaar merchants). While Igusa's handiwork was not used in the package illustration in their local region, they were requested to design the packaging for the game in the overseas markets (i.e., NA and EU).

Igusa Matsuyama also illustrated the box art for the Nintendo Switch limited editions in NA and EU. No LE is available in Japan, as they typically have retailer-specific preorder items.

Until next time!

- Cher
(Frost warning for Saturday night! A good reminder why planting before the last frost date is a gamble..)

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