Story of Seasons: AWL remake announced!

What happened to Murrey!? A remake of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (2004) and Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life (2005) for Nintendo Switch. [ Game Guide ] JP release = Jan 2023. NA release = June 2023. EU release = June 2023.
User avatar
FarmingForDaysMan
Snazzy Sheep Sweeper
Snazzy Sheep Sweeper
Posts: 249
Joined: Jan 10, 2022 5:57 am

Post  Posted:

midnighttherabbit wrote: Nov 26, 2022 6:00 pm Maybe a little early to be thinking about it, but I wonder if there'll be preorder bonuses outside of Japan? I haven't seen any here in Europe, despite the special editions being available to buy already. ;.; I'm like 90% sure I'm not going to get the special edition at this point but I like to collect things lol
To answer your question:
TahoeMario wrote: Sep 27, 2022 3:08 am Also announced in the Famitsu article is... pretty much the most adorable thing as the pre-order bonus for the download version on the Nintendo Switch itself which is this in-game costume:
Spoiler:
Image
User avatar
TahoeMario
Wacky Weed Puller
Wacky Weed Puller
Posts: 142
Joined: Sep 03, 2011 4:23 am

Post  Posted:

midnighttherabbit wrote: Nov 26, 2022 6:00 pm Maybe a little early to be thinking about it, but I wonder if there'll be preorder bonuses outside of Japan? I haven't seen any here in Europe, despite the special editions being available to buy already. ;.; I'm like 90% sure I'm not going to get the special edition at this point but I like to collect things lol
So far, other than the Limited Edition set for EU and AUS that you were referring to, they haven't said anything about any other bonuses. That has some minor extra physical bits though, like stickers and a notebook. Nothing has been said about NA as of yet. And it's still not even actually available for order in AUS, among other areas advertised, from what I could tell... unless it was so limited that I missed it. But I'd imagine they'll want to release more versions with pre-order bonuses too, seeing as how they mentioned in that recent interview that the AWL games were very popular in the west. So, I have no doubt that they will want to milk us like a round cow.

There was a new pointy-eared dog plushie that the director, Rika Hoshina, was holding in a photo seen in said interview. It isn't a part of any of the long list of JP pre-order bonuses so maybe that'll come with one of ours but that's in no way confirmed yet. It's something that crossed my mind though and I believe Cher even brought it up as a possibility in one of her previous Farm'n Friday updates. Daiki Yamashita has also been posing with it on multiple occasions while promoting BokuMono Radio on the weekends too. So, if plushies are your thing then maybe...
Spoiler:
Image
Image
Image
...but if you're asking strictly about the in-game costumes as download bonuses then none of the EN PR teams have confirmed one way or the other what will be released outside of Japan yet.


Anyways. As for the updates: these past two days they've simply been showing off the same festival screenshots that I posted a couple of days ago, which came from the recent website update, so I decided not to post them here again. If anybody wants to see them that maybe hasn't done so already, you can go back to my last post on the previous page. But Monday was the New Year's Festival and, earlier today, they put out the Fireworks Festival.

One detail that I forgot to mention in my earlier post is that you're apparently asked to bring a cooked dish to Romana's villa for the New Year's Festival, almost like a Cooking Festival from previous installments. So, the Spring festival has you bring a dish, the Autumn festival has you bring an ingredient, the Summer festival is a family night out and the Winter festival is always a romantic date.

They'll likely continue to fill this week's updates with the remaining two festivals, so it'll probably end up being a pretty uneventful week. Unless it gets saved by that final fifth upload day or if the EN storyofseasons Twitter handle posts something, although their uploads are usually on Mondays and they seem to have chosen not to put any news out this week, unfortunately. They still might surprise us though so it's hard to say, really.
User avatar
Crystal Power
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Posts: 611
Joined: Jun 30, 2013 1:45 pm

Post  Posted:

I don't think Daryl can become a candidate since Flora isn't one, unless I'm forgetting another female npc that could also become a candidate, wouldn't it be odd to have 5 bachelors and 4 bachelorettes?
Guest
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

Crystal Power wrote: Nov 29, 2022 1:16 pm I don't think Daryl can become a candidate since Flora isn't one, unless I'm forgetting another female npc that could also become a candidate, wouldn't it be odd to have 5 bachelors and 4 bachelorettes?
I feel like if he became one they would have a 5th bachelorette. Maybe Flora after all? Or a new character? Flora doesn't have a bio yet, right? So maybe the pic of her on the villagers is a red herring. And then maybe they aren't showing Daryl cause him being hot would reveal that he's a bachelor?

But I'm also not holding my breath lol
Miko
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

PaleSunflower wrote: Nov 25, 2022 7:58 pm All these pictures of festivals are showing villagers and still no Daryl. I am really starting to think they cut him completely at this point and either left his lab abandoned or manned by another villager (or nameless NPC) at this point. The main other option I can think of for his strange absence is that Daryl has become a secret character instead, but I really don't know. The longer Daryl isn't shown, despite him originally being a regular NPC available at the beginning, the more conspicuous him not appearing in any screenshots becomes.
Oh no, they removed villagers?! I hoped for more. I get it if they do not want to add any more candidates but to cut him from the cast completely is so sad
User avatar
Crystal Power
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Posts: 611
Joined: Jun 30, 2013 1:45 pm

Post  Posted:

Guest wrote: Nov 29, 2022 5:28 pm
Crystal Power wrote: Nov 29, 2022 1:16 pm I don't think Daryl can become a candidate since Flora isn't one, unless I'm forgetting another female npc that could also become a candidate, wouldn't it be odd to have 5 bachelors and 4 bachelorettes?
I feel like if he became one they would have a 5th bachelorette. Maybe Flora after all? Or a new character? Flora doesn't have a bio yet, right? So maybe the pic of her on the villagers is a red herring. And then maybe they aren't showing Daryl cause him being hot would reveal that he's a bachelor?

But I'm also not holding my breath lol
She doesn't a bio yet. It is possible that the addition of her on the villagers section on that promotional image was a mistake. I don't want to get my hopes up though as well lol. At this point I actually think it will be more likely for two new candidates like Brandon and Jennifer from Mineral Town or just the 4 we've seen.
Miko wrote: Nov 29, 2022 7:16 pm
PaleSunflower wrote: Nov 25, 2022 7:58 pm All these pictures of festivals are showing villagers and still no Daryl. I am really starting to think they cut him completely at this point and either left his lab abandoned or manned by another villager (or nameless NPC) at this point. The main other option I can think of for his strange absence is that Daryl has become a secret character instead, but I really don't know. The longer Daryl isn't shown, despite him originally being a regular NPC available at the beginning, the more conspicuous him not appearing in any screenshots becomes.

Oh no, they removed villagers?! I hoped for more. I get it if they do not want to add any more candidates but to cut him from the cast completely is so sad
There is no solid proof that any villagers have been removed (only redesigned) and I don't think any will be as Murrey would have been the most likely to get axed and he just received a "makeover".
User avatar
PaleSunflower
Custodian of Corn
Custodian of Corn
Posts: 446
Joined: Jul 26, 2009 12:11 am

Post  Posted:

Crystal Power wrote: Nov 29, 2022 7:27 pm
Miko wrote: Nov 29, 2022 7:16 pm
PaleSunflower wrote: Nov 25, 2022 7:58 pm All these pictures of festivals are showing villagers and still no Daryl. I am really starting to think they cut him completely at this point and either left his lab abandoned or manned by another villager (or nameless NPC) at this point. The main other option I can think of for his strange absence is that Daryl has become a secret character instead, but I really don't know. The longer Daryl isn't shown, despite him originally being a regular NPC available at the beginning, the more conspicuous him not appearing in any screenshots becomes.

Oh no, they removed villagers?! I hoped for more. I get it if they do not want to add any more candidates but to cut him from the cast completely is so sad
There is no solid proof that any villagers have been removed (only redesigned) and I don't think any will be as Murrey would have been the most likely to get axed and he just received a "makeover".
Yeah, as of writing, whether Daryl is in the game, gone, or replaced is unclear. It's still strange how he's been completely absent from promotional material, unlike the other villages. Unless I'm forgetting someone, everyone else in Forgotten/Forget-Me-Not Village has been shown somewhere so far except Daryl. The whole situation with him is suspicious, but all I have are my (growing) suspicions so far. Nothing is confirmed yet.
User avatar
Burning Spear
Snazzy Sheep Sweeper
Snazzy Sheep Sweeper
Posts: 207
Joined: Jan 08, 2012 1:56 pm

Post  Posted:

PaleSunflower wrote: Nov 29, 2022 8:18 pmYeah, as of writing, whether Daryl is in the game, gone, or replaced is unclear. It's still strange how he's been completely absent from promotional material, unlike the other villages. Unless I'm forgetting someone, everyone else in Forgotten/Forget-Me-Not Village has been shown somewhere so far except Daryl. The whole situation with him is suspicious, but all I have are my (growing) suspicions so far. Nothing is confirmed yet.
I think it's a near-certainty that Daryl's situation will not be a positive development for those of us nostalgic about the original game. His creepy-but-loveable behavior has likely confounded Marvelous' current sensibilities. He'll be recast as a 20-something, clean-cut heartthrob with dry wit and unusually colored hair.
User avatar
TahoeMario
Wacky Weed Puller
Wacky Weed Puller
Posts: 142
Joined: Sep 03, 2011 4:23 am

Post  Posted:

I think he has more than likely been heavily reworked too, until proven otherwise. Because I can't disagree with much of that speculation, other than the fact that I don't think him not being at the festivals really means anything. I could be wrong but iirc, the only festival he was ever at was the Summer Festival and that's completely changed now anyway... unless it still starts at the yurt with a song and they just haven't shown that part of it yet. If that's the case, he could still be. I believe both Flora and Carter were at the Starry Night Festival in the originals too though and they're not there in the remake so.

His lab still being there at least implies that he's here in some form, albeit whether it's the same classic Daryl we remember from the originals or not is a different story... honestly, he probably is considered too troublesome for them to keep the same nowadays though. He stalked Flora, tried to kidnap Muku and spied on all of our kids lol. So, as to what they decide to do with all that, we'll have to wait and see. But Murrey can't be a dirty homeless guy, Cody can't be a... well, insensitive at the very least blending of cultures and Daryl most likely can't be an unhinged harasser. We're "positive" now. We're corporate now, we have to appease the shareholders lol.
fishifishie
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

TahoeMario wrote: Nov 30, 2022 11:00 am I think he has more than likely been heavily reworked too, until proven otherwise. Because I can't disagree with much of that speculation, other than the fact that I don't think him not being at the festivals really means anything. I could be wrong but iirc, the only festival he was ever at was the Summer Festival and that's completely changed now anyway... unless it still starts at the yurt with a song and they just haven't shown that part of it yet. If that's the case, he could still be. I believe both Flora and Carter were at the Starry Night Festival in the originals too though and they're not there in the remake so.

His lab still being there at least implies that he's here in some form, albeit whether it's the same classic Daryl we remember from the originals or not is a different story... honestly, he probably is considered too troublesome for them to keep the same nowadays though. He stalked Flora, tried to kidnap Muku and spied on all of our kids lol. So, as to what they decide to do with all that, we'll have to wait and see. But Murrey can't be a dirty homeless guy, Cody can't be a... well, insensitive at the very least blending of cultures and Daryl most likely can't be an unhinged harasser. We're "positive" now. We're corporate now, we have to appease the shareholders lol.
Well regardless of the "more corporate/friendly" direction of the series. I do think Cody's was very much needed as his original design was insensitive to say the least if not much stronger word.
User avatar
Crystal Power
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Posts: 611
Joined: Jun 30, 2013 1:45 pm

Post  Posted:

I probably shouldn't get myself into this but I strongly believe the backlash to Cody's redesign is driven by nostalgia and not what is more "ideal" and honestly I wish people would try to enjoy new things with a new mindset and perspective but when it comes to Cody's original design there is no way I'm going to believe it was justified unless the game had a wide range of characters that could be alluded to being Black as well to prove other wise, and it doesn't unfortunately like the newer games Pioneers of Olive Town and Trio of Towns so a redesign is welcomed to me and yes I do still think Matthew and Gustufa could have retained some of their original features like black curly hair and a thicker beard and more detailed nose without it being a problem. They could have given Cody bigger muscles but he does still look more built than the others..
User avatar
PaleSunflower
Custodian of Corn
Custodian of Corn
Posts: 446
Joined: Jul 26, 2009 12:11 am

Post  Posted:

I agree that Cody/Gordy needed an update, and I have yet to find anyone who disagrees with that. The disagreement is to whether he was changed too much from his original design, as his redesign barely keeps enough elements from his old design as to keep him recognizable. Quite a few people had trouble identifying the new Cody when his design was first shown because of how much was changed.

His original proportions (giant with proportionally long arms) in the original game were strange to say the least back then, and a change was definitely needed. I do think, however, they changed him too much. If they had more or less kept his old clothes and gave him a fohawk (or something else mohawk-ish with a defined point), then I would have been fine with the changes made, but even those had to go. He no longer has a round face and instead has a generic, pretty-boy face and hairstyle, and, like Vesta, he has been slimmed down. Not completely slimmed down, I'll give Marvelous that much, but enough to be notable. With that being said, I don't hate the new design. I dislike how far it went, but I don't hate it.

(Edit - I was checking Reddit and apparently some people on Twitter want the OG Cody design back. I avoid Twitter, so I won't confirm this comment from Reddit myself, but, everywhere else, seemingly everyone agrees that Cody/Gordy needed an update.

I also want to make clear that issue is that I'm talking about a redesign of a pre-existing character. If Gordy was a new character and not Cody's latest incarnation, then I wouldn't have anything particular about the design.)
User avatar
infel
Growing Garden Gnome
Growing Garden Gnome
Posts: 83
Joined: Jun 23, 2019 4:24 pm

Post  Posted:

As a black woman myself, I'll admit, I'm a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to Cody/Gordy. On one hand, his original design has always been a tad bit problematic for me because something seemed a bit off. I think it had had something to do with how he felt a bit like a stereotype to some degree. At the same time though, he had a unique design to him in a way, and I liked how he wasn't just super friendly to you. To see his true side, one had to befriend him and I liked that. With the new design, while it's not bad, I don't see Cody or even a loner artist character. As others have said, he looks like a body builder. I did read twitter comments a bit and saw one who saw his new design as black face. I don't see this. For me, it's just that he doesn't look anything like Cody except for the hair and skin tone. Still, I don't hate this new design of him, but really wish they did a better job with it. I do understand from both sides though. I too wish they had designed him better, but agree that he needed an update. At the end of the day for me, it's his character which will determine if I like him.

As for Daryl, I too am a bit worried about him. First off, I hope he's in the game. Second, I do hope they keep his original design, especially if he's not a marriage candidate. I don't see any reason to change him up like Cody if he's not a marriage candidate. However, if Daryl is a marriage candidate, he will highly likely be changed. I honestly hope he's not a marriage candidate honestly and that he just hasn't been shown yet. While I don't hate the redesigns of the characters, it would be nice to have some of the weirdness that the original games had.
User avatar
infel
Growing Garden Gnome
Growing Garden Gnome
Posts: 83
Joined: Jun 23, 2019 4:24 pm

Post  Posted:

Crystal Power wrote: Nov 30, 2022 2:31 pm I probably shouldn't get myself into this but I strongly believe the backlash to Cody's redesign is driven by nostalgia and not what is more "ideal" and honestly I wish people would try to enjoy new things with a new mindset and perspective but when it comes to Cody's original design there is no way I'm going to believe it was justified unless the game had a wide range of characters that could be alluded to being Black as well to prove other wise, and it doesn't unfortunately like the newer games Pioneers of Olive Town and Trio of Towns so a redesign is welcomed to me and yes I do still think Matthew and Gustufa could have retained some of their original features like black curly hair and a thicker beard and more detailed nose without it being a problem. They could have given Cody bigger muscles but he does still look more built than the others..
I'll be honestly, I don't really agree with this. While I think nostalgia does play some into the backlash, I also think a lot of it has to do with his generic design. While I don't hate pretty boy's, they could've done a better job with making Cody/Gordy more unique. He doesn't even look like an artist honestly, nor unfriendly. In my opinion, Marvelous has had a tough time when designing certain characters. For me the best example is Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town. While a decent game, I found a lot of the designs for the new characters to be very boring. While for A Wonder Life the redesigns are better, I still don't find them very unique. Heck, if you look at Marlin/Mathew for long enough, he starts to resemble Brandon.

I think people's problem is just how Cody/Gordy really doesn't look that unique. Sure he's handsome/pretty, but that doesn't make him special for some. While I agree it's good to have an open mind, I also get why some don't want to play a game because of the design choices. They are valid is why something might be problematic or just lacking in uniqueness over the original.
User avatar
Crystal Power
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Not the Eggplant Wizard
Posts: 611
Joined: Jun 30, 2013 1:45 pm

Post  Posted:

infel wrote: Dec 01, 2022 5:29 am I'll be honestly, I don't really agree with this. While I think nostalgia does play some into the backlash, I also think a lot of it has to do with his generic design. While I don't hate pretty boy's, they could've done a better job with making Cody/Gordy more unique. He doesn't even look like an artist honestly, nor unfriendly. In my opinion, Marvelous has had a tough time when designing certain characters. For me the best example is Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town. While a decent game, I found a lot of the designs for the new characters to be very boring. While for A Wonder Life the redesigns are better, I still don't find them very unique. Heck, if you look at Marlin/Mathew for long enough, he starts to resemble Brandon.

I think people's problem is just how Cody/Gordy really doesn't look that unique. Sure he's handsome/pretty, but that doesn't make him special for some. While I agree it's good to have an open mind, I also get why some don't want to play a game because of the design choices. They are valid is why something might be problematic or just lacking in uniqueness over the original.
While I do think the designs being "unique" does play into some of the criticism (I did mentioned Gustufa and Matthew could have retained some of their original features) however many of Gordy's unique features are better left in the past and yes they could have made him more buff and give him a mohawk, but beside vouching for all the characters to retain their "unique" flair including Murrey, Gordy would be the one I wouldn't act so upset about if I was going to complain about any of the redesigns..
Post Reply