Happy Farm'n Friday! The weather here appears to have skipped over springtime and jumped into an early summer. The outdoor temperature is already in the 80's! The snow peas are loving the warmer temperature! Even the thriving tomatoes are trying to produce flowers already, which have been snipped off because the plants are still really small. The bent-stem tomato mentioned in last week's Farm'n Friday did indeed wilt despite my effort to brace it upright. That's okay though. It can be replanted!

Go Peas, Go!

I'm also trying Broccoli Rabe this year, which is the leafy green guys just below the snow peas. It's a mix of plants grown from seed and store-bought starter plants. They've vigorously grown within the past week too. Even the bunching onions have finally sprouted. Though I grow these every year because it seems like such a waste to buy scallions at the grocery store only to have them wilted within a few days of purchase.

So, progress in Rune Factory 3: I located the uni-horned village in the desert area, though the residents don't seem to do anything but hang out inside of their tents. Maybe the dwarven fellow can help me build a forage for crafting my own weapons? For now I'm trying to complete a request posted by Blaise for either Boiled Pumpkin (don't have the recipe yet), Boiled Spinach (not strong enough for the fall area to grow spinach, hey there buddy Marjorie!), or Pickle Mix (winter area is a definite no-go for turnips). I will complete the request! No canceling! Adventure awaits!

DoraeBokuMono Update

This week on Bandai Namco's official Japanese website for Doraemon Bokujou Monogatari, known as Doraemon Story of Seasons in English, the areas of Siezen Town were detailed. The main area of Siezen Town is divided into two sections, East and West, with a larger area to the south.

West Siezen Town

• Just to the north of the farm entrance you'll find Lanch and Patsy's house. Lanch is the first person Noby will meet, and he'll show you around town for the first time.
• Nearby is the Animal Shop where Yuu and Blu live with their granddaughter, Ram. You can buy cows and sheep at this shop, which you can collect milk and wool from. Ram will explain to Noby how to care for animals.
• To the north of the Animal Shop is the poultry farm, Cokekko House. It is managed by a family that hasn't been introduced yet. You can buy chickens and any necessary chicken-raising tools there. After you buy a bug-catching net from the general store, the town's greatest bug catcher, who apparently is one of the boys who lives at the chicken store, will teach you how to catch insects.

East Siezen Town

• Near the exit to West Siezen is the general goods store, Knick-Knacks. Managed by another family that hasn't been introduced yet, this shop is where Noby can buy seeds to grow on the farm. Our farmer can also buy fertilizer, tools, and rucksack upgrades here.
• Just to the south of Knick-Knacks is the blacksmith shop where tool upgrades can be crafted. The ore will come from the Siezen Town mine, which may also contain fossils to discover. This shop is run by a non-introduced duo.
• To the north of Knick-Knacks and up the grand staircase is Mayor Yamei's house. This is where Doraemon has been assigned to help. You'll find a ledger of the shipped items here, and a picture book that keeps track of the insects and fish that Noby has discovered. The mayor's house also contains the mysterious What-if Phone Booth (Moshimo Box) that allows Noby to replay scenes in the game and pick different choices from what he initially experienced. An interesting Doraemon gadget, for sure!
• On the other side of the grand staircase leading to Yamei's residence is the town restaurant, managed by Toran and Chef Lester. This is where Doraemon character Sneech (Suneo in Japanese) will help out. Noby can order food here to restore his stamina. Once the farm house has been expanded, a kitchen will be added to allow Noby to cook meals at home. Ingredients, utensils, and recipes can be purchased from the restaurant.
• Next door to the restaurant is the town health clinic managed by Doctor Rokod and Nurse Serena. This is where Sue (Shizuka in Japanese) will take up the call for help. The doctor will sell medicine to recover both human health and animal health. The site also reveals that Noby will automatically end up in the clinic if he stays awake until 6:00 am or if his health is exhausted.

Southern Areas

• Just south of East Siezen Town is the plaza where festivals take place such as the seasonal crop contest, the winter season cooking contest, and fall season hot-pot harvest festival.
• To the south of the plaza is the coastline, where Noby will find the fishing shack. Seafie will sell fishing poles and bait at her tackle shop, and will teach Noby how to use these tools to catch fish.
• To the west of the plaza (and south of West Siezen Town) is the farm space that Noby has agreed to manage for poor-footed Lanch.
• And finally, to the west of the farm space, is the carpenter shop run by Penta. This is the place where Big G (Gian in Japanese) will help out. Penta can expand your house and construct farm buildings. Interior furniture and themes are also ordered here at the carpenter's shop.

Doraemon Bokujou Monogatari for Nintendo Switch is scheduled to be released in Japan on June 13, with an English adaptation later this fall in North America and Europe. Bandai Namco's game is currently not available as a pre-order digital download on the Nintendo JP eShop. Since it is expected to be released in English a few months after its initial Japan release, I'm probably just going to wait for my region's release. We'll see!

4-Column Comic

Here is the translated 4-col Comic from the February 2013 issue of Nintendo DREAM magazine! (As for the Christmas theme, they publish their editions two months in advance, so this initially was released in December 2012).