How do we feel about some of the redesigns?

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.
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guilmon
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first post proper post, woo!
how we all feelin' about some of the redesigns for the game? i see a lot of people saying that they "yassified" gustafa and marlin and i agree. marlin just doesn't look as?? unique?? anymore. and i liked how gustafa was in the old games. while the games themselves have been lovely, some of the redesigns in story of seasons have sort of just made characters look a little generic in my eyes. like gray! i loved his original design. but in the FoMT remake, he just looks like Some Guy. nothing more and nothing less.

just thought i would share my thoughts seeing as i have little place else to share!!
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fancypurincup
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Marlin/Mathew also just looks like Some Guy now. Which I get is the point, that he is just some guy. Just a dude. A grumpy dude with a chronic illness. Except this time he looks less like Elvis, sadge :( Which I feel was like the only reason that he stood out a little before, was just the pompadour lmao.

Gustafa I was feel was hit the worst so far. I LIKED his big snufkin hat. And his beard, and his pointy nose, and according to this concept art, his receding hairline. And his SHIRT. Give him the vest back, I want the SHIRT!!! But this I feel is more of a problem of like, Marvelous trying to make every bachelor they can be some cleaned up pretty boy, and doesn't wanna let anyone look kinda grungy or -gasp- "old" anymore. Stop being cowards, Marvelous!!

I'm mixed on Cody's redesign, whom I like 99% sure that is. I get why they switched him out from the hulk that he was, and in the one screenshot with him and Pony and the town during the winter festival?? He's still clearly the tallest out of everyone. Not as stacked as before, but still pretty beefy. Definitely still not a conventional bokumono bachelor.

Nami's updated look is 20/10, somehow they improved upon perfection :heart:

As for non bachelor/ettes, I'm really disappointed with how they slimmed down Vesta. :( Like she looks strong still, got muscles, but she can do that while also just being a big fat woman!!! Just let her be fat! It wasn't a problem before, so why is it now? I think out of all of them, that's the one that bothers me most.

I'm a little sad about the son at the very least not dressing himself up after (mainly) the male PC anymore. And that I understand, because of customization, but it was cute watching him grow up and incorporate pieces of his outfit that were clearly inspired off you, his farming parent. Hopefully the older daughter doesn't look too different, I've noticed we haven't seen her yet so :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:
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guilmon
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fancypurincup wrote: Sep 21, 2022 7:05 pm Marlin/Mathew also just looks like Some Guy now. Which I get is the point, that he is just some guy. Just a dude. A grumpy dude with a chronic illness. Except this time he looks less like Elvis, sadge :( Which I feel was like the only reason that he stood out a little before, was just the pompadour lmao.

Gustafa I was feel was hit the worst so far. I LIKED his big snufkin hat. And his beard, and his pointy nose, and according to this concept art, his receding hairline. And his SHIRT. Give him the vest back, I want the SHIRT!!! But this I feel is more of a problem of like, Marvelous trying to make every bachelor they can be some cleaned up pretty boy, and doesn't wanna let anyone look kinda grungy or -gasp- "old" anymore. Stop being cowards, Marvelous!!

I'm mixed on Cody's redesign, whom I like 99% sure that is. I get why they switched him out from the hulk that he was, and in the one screenshot with him and Pony and the town during the winter festival?? He's still clearly the tallest out of everyone. Not as stacked as before, but still pretty beefy. Definitely still not a conventional bokumono bachelor.

Nami's updated look is 20/10, somehow they improved upon perfection :heart:

As for non bachelor/ettes, I'm really disappointed with how they slimmed down Vesta. :( Like she looks strong still, got muscles, but she can do that while also just being a big fat woman!!! Just let her be fat! It wasn't a problem before, so why is it now? I think out of all of them, that's the one that bothers me most.

I'm a little sad about the son at the very least not dressing himself up after (mainly) the male PC anymore. And that I understand, because of customization, but it was cute watching him grow up and incorporate pieces of his outfit that were clearly inspired off you, his farming parent. Hopefully the older daughter doesn't look too different, I've noticed we haven't seen her yet so :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:
i understand cody's redesign too, but i DO wish they kept how big he was! this game series definitely isn't known for having big buff bachelors so that would of been nice! i don't think we seen daryl yet either? so i am VERY curious if they are going to leave him close to the original or try to pretty-fy him too. i HOPE they leave him the unkempt mess that he is because he is. oddly charming to me? he's just a weird lil' man! love that for him.

AND RIIIGHT LIKE. i'm glad they didn't make vesta skinny, but they definitely could of made her the same size. she still gives off good ol' 'girl boss' vibes though so that's good!! i always liked her design wise. mom energy.
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Anna_Lynn
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When it comes to Matthew, I think for me it's the hair...his new hairstyle makes him look a tad bit different, and it's not like his original hairstyle was that bad. I do like his new face though, and his outfit is more fitting to farm life. Either way I could care less since I liked the way he looked in the original, I liked the way he looked in DSCute, and I like the way he looks now in the remake.

And I actually really like Gustafa's new look. I mentioned before how his "glow up" reminds me of how the developers made Rick more attractive in the Mineral Town remake lmao. My prediction is that as the chapters progress, Gustafa might end up looking closer and closer to his original look. Maybe his nose will grow longer, maybe his stubble will grow out into a beard. Didn't people joke about him being immortal in the original game because he never aged? Well that could be their opportunity to age him in the remake.

I guess I'll just do a rapid-fire for the others so far.
Spoiler:
Cecelia: Looks extra derpy now. I think it's the eyes. Otherwise 10/10 for sticking EXACTLY to her original outfit, I don't even think anything was changed.

Rock: Looks slightly more Asian now. Which I suppose makes sense because his parents are Asian...although I'm still not fully convinced he was ever their biological son. :shifty:

Nami: Her design felt off at first...until I realized that they just flip-flopped her color scheme. She went from an orange shirt and white bottoms to a white shirt and orange bottoms. I guess people have been saying that her hairstyle is different now too, but I didn't even notice.

Lumina: Looks the exact same, but taller.

Molly: Probably the redesign I'm the most bothered by??? She's hands down the most generic looking one imo. Muffy was canonically 30 years old in the original and now in the remake she doesn't look a day over 22. One thing I did notice, is that they gave her a beauty mark below her left eye. You can see it both in the trailer, and her new official 2D artwork. If I recall, she never had that birthmark in the original.

Cody...?: Not my favorite redesign, so I'm hoping that my theory for Gustafa is the same for my theory on Cody, aka as chapters progress they potentially look more close to their original design as they age. Because personally I think Cody looks almost too different. I just liked his original hairstyle and muscles more.

Takakura: same as ever.

Gallen/Gari: less scary I guess?

Nina: looking fabulous with her new lipstick.

Vesta: Love her redesign! Especially her 2D official artwork. She was always a favorite of mine in the original game.

Wally: Love that they kept his iconic eyes.

Chris: Looks good in brunette. I'll miss her ginger hair though.

Hugh: Soooo cuuuute!!! Although as a westerner, the choice of shoes they gave him is a little strange, but I'm sure many children in Japan probably wear shoes like that. I think I prefer the sneakers he used to wear, but that's just me.

Tei: He now has eyes. Nice!

Sebastian: super suave now! He looks great in his new butler attire. Romana looks the same as ever too, and I love how they one-for-one recreated her umbrella cane thingy.

Mukumuku: Adorable! Which is well needed since his original look was a bit terrifying.

Tartan: Absolutely horrifying. I'm going to have nightmares for weeks. :eek:

Pui: He's gorgeous idk what anyone says. The man deserves clothing. I was replaying the original game today, and I never realized that when Murrey used to beg for money, the mat he sits on was his friggin shirt. All these years he was always beggin for money butt « Mr.Gourmet's hat » naked and I never noticed.

Nik Nak and Flak: Very iconic and they've appeared in many games in the franchise, right? I saw them in the trailer, and all three of them are super cute.
Also when I was rewatching the trailer to double check that I didn't forget anyone, I never noticed how skinny and bobble-headed the male MC looks now. He just looked so...off, and I couldn't really figure out why for awhile. I think I need to stop playing the original because it's making me judge everybody's new proportions, lol.
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infel
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I don't think the redesigns are that bad, but I get why some may not like them. Overall, I miss the older designs because of the uniqueness and life they had, but the new ones aren't awful. For me, the ones looking a bit weird for me are Cody and Marlin(Mathew). For Cody, he doesn't look bad, but as some have pointed out, he looks more like a jock than an artist. Granted, from the videos I've seen, we don't have a full view of him and so I can't really make a far opinion on him. As for Marlin (Mathew), I like and dislike his design. I like it in the terms that it's okay on it's own, but dislike it because that's not Marlin honestly. I do miss his Elvis look and slouching, along with looking grumpy. I'll be honestly though he wasn't really approachable in the gamecube game and I prefer him in the DS Cute game, but even his DS version looked like him. Here, he's clearly more bishonen. At the same time, they did keep the whole older grumpy guy look. I just hope they make it seeable how he has an illness.

As for Gustafa, I have to admit, I like this design a little more, but I admit it's because he reminds me of Shaggy Rogers from Scooby Doo, a guy I use to have a crush one XD. Still, I miss his more unique look. As for the girls, they look okay. I'll be honest though they kind of bore me, at least Cecilia and Muffy. With Muffy, I really wish they kept her more mature look. She seems to much like Lumina now...or Cecilia. Cecilia is the same yet at the same time a bit odd. Lumina is the best of the three in terms of looks, but not too interesting. Now Nami is the overall best. I'm not sure if she'll be female, male, or non binary, but she looks amazing. Very handsome/beautiful and I can understand anyone who gets a crush on her :heart: .

Everyone else is okay. I admit, Vesta is thinner, but Ruby has kept her chubbiness. Same with Tim. Vesta I admit looks a bit scary in this version =(. I'm really curious to see how Flora, Carter and Daryl look though. Anyway, overall I like the designs decently, but prefer the old ones. They had more like to them. Let's just hope this game is better than PoOT in terms of characters.
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fancypurincup
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Anna_Lynn wrote: Sep 21, 2022 9:08 pm Molly: Probably the redesign I'm the most bothered by??? She's hands down the most generic looking one imo. Muffy was canonically 30 years old in the original and now in the remake she doesn't look a day over 22. One thing I did notice, is that they gave her a beauty mark below her left eye. You can see it both in the trailer, and her new official 2D artwork. If I recall, she never had that birthmark in the original.
I think she looks exactly the same but also?? Her looking very "youthful" is like, the whole point of her character. In AnWL, she has her own plotline dedicated to how she keeps getting dumped by guys, or being cheated on. But she mentions during these that she gets dumped frequently for being older than she appears. Like, you the player character end up looking older than her in later chapters, and you're younger than her!!

So Muffy was just already so perfect they needed to just make a few tweaks and voila~ My wiiiife~ :lala:
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I'm not as bothered by the redesigns for this game as I was with the FoMT ones, but it might just be because I was expecting it this time. The type of redesign I hate the most are the ones that make the older bachelors look younger. I seriously don't get it. I played the original as a little kid and married the ~30 year old characters but now as I'm approaching that age myself they all get babyfied? The young looking bachelor(ette)s just keep getting less and less appealing to me as the years go on. At least I can marry Nami as a girl now so an improvement overall.

I'm interested to see Daryl for sure, he's a favourite character of mine and I just hope he keeps his mad scientist hair and still looks like he is running on 3 hours of sleep a night.
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retroberrii
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I'm kind of bothered that the girls basically look exactly the same but they drastically changed Matthew, Gustafa, and Cody tbh. They looked fine before, and honestly they just look generic now. Especially Gustafa, they removed every single ounce of personality from his design and now he just looks basic.

I know this probably wasn't what they meant by it, but it feels like they think the women fans are so shallow that we only want guys that are generically pretty.
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Kikki
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I don't think it's that they think females are shallow...I think it's that the bachelorettes were fairly conventionally attractive to begin with in the originals, so there wasn't much they thought they had to tweak. To me, it's more like they've now decided to give women the opportunity to be as shallow as they felt men were back then. Now that they're in the same game, it'd look weird if only the girls were pretty and the guys were all...filled with character.
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I always took it that the entirety of Another Wonderful Life was an afterthought. As a kid I didn't like any of the bachelors, but this was the first game in the series (in 3D anyway) I got to play as a girl, so I didn't care.

Speculating, I would bet that it took till at least part way through development for the director and (more likely) the publishers to realize there was interest in having a female protag. It was probably too late to add a second protagonist in, but once the first game was out it wouldn't have been THAT much effort to make a female protag, write/animate some more cutscenes, and release what amounts to a brand new game. WAY cheaper than a new game, anyhow. (I know HM3 had the first female protag, but it was such a shoddy attempt I figured they gave up for a while rather than complicating things for the jump to 3D.)

As for the redesigns, I was disappointed at first, but they make sense. It evens things out, in a way. AWL is already approaching 20 years old, I would guess MOST people who pick this title up will never have touched the original. They don't have the nostalgia. So for them, this is much better. It's in line with all the other modern entries. These changes are a little less jarring than the Mineral Town redesigns, imo, because the chibi portraits made everybody look cute enough already. Not really sure what the logic on those was.
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infel wrote: Sep 22, 2022 12:11 am Now Nami is the overall best. I'm not sure if she'll be female, male, or non binary, but she looks amazing. Very handsome/beautiful and I can understand anyone who gets a crush on her :heart: .
Lmao just because a girl dresses more masculine doesn't make her a man. No offense
Source: I am a woman who dresses exactly like Nami irl :lol:
Last edited by JayDucky03 on Sep 23, 2022 12:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JayDucky03
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retroberrii wrote: Sep 23, 2022 7:08 am I'm kind of bothered that the girls basically look exactly the same but they drastically changed Matthew, Gustafa, and Cody tbh. They looked fine before, and honestly they just look generic now. Especially Gustafa, they removed every single ounce of personality from his design and now he just looks basic.

I know this probably wasn't what they meant by it, but it feels like they think the women fans are so shallow that we only want guys that are generically pretty.
Right? Gustafa is too pretty now :( :( :( I'll still pick up this game as I have the most nostalgia for it but I'm mildly annoyed by the male redesigns.
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infel
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JayDucky03 wrote: Sep 23, 2022 12:12 pm
infel wrote: Sep 22, 2022 12:11 am Now Nami is the overall best. I'm not sure if she'll be female, male, or non binary, but she looks amazing. Very handsome/beautiful and I can understand anyone who gets a crush on her :heart: .
Lmao just because a girl dresses more masculine doesn't make her a man. No offense
Source: I am a woman who dresses exactly like Nami irl :lol:

I didn't mean that because she dresses masculine that she may be a guy. I was saying this because on the Japanese website if you use google translate, it will refer to Nami as a he. There has been some talk because of this on whether Nami will be female, male, or non binary (even though it's likely a translation mistake). My claim on her gender has nothing to do with how she dresses though.
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fancypurincup
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infel wrote: Sep 26, 2022 2:54 pm
JayDucky03 wrote: Sep 23, 2022 12:12 pm
infel wrote: Sep 22, 2022 12:11 am Now Nami is the overall best. I'm not sure if she'll be female, male, or non binary, but she looks amazing. Very handsome/beautiful and I can understand anyone who gets a crush on her :heart: .
Lmao just because a girl dresses more masculine doesn't make her a man. No offense
Source: I am a woman who dresses exactly like Nami irl :lol:

I didn't mean that because she dresses masculine that she may be a guy. I was saying this because on the Japanese website if you use google translate, it will refer to Nami as a he. There has been some talk because of this on whether Nami will be female, male, or non binary (even though it's likely a translation mistake). My claim on her gender has nothing to do with how she dresses though.
I think that's because it takes an in-game quote where Nami refers to herself with the more masculine associated pronoun "boku", or it's something that can loosely read as "male". But I think, given some of the pre-order stuff, that Nami will still be female, and she's still listed with the bachelorettes. As cool as transmac or non-binary Nami would be, she's just still our gender non conforming queen.
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fancypurincup wrote: Sep 26, 2022 5:35 pm
infel wrote: Sep 26, 2022 2:54 pm
JayDucky03 wrote: Sep 23, 2022 12:12 pm
infel wrote: Sep 22, 2022 12:11 am Now Nami is the overall best. I'm not sure if she'll be female, male, or non binary, but she looks amazing. Very handsome/beautiful and I can understand anyone who gets a crush on her :heart: .
Lmao just because a girl dresses more masculine doesn't make her a man. No offense
Source: I am a woman who dresses exactly like Nami irl :lol:

I didn't mean that because she dresses masculine that she may be a guy. I was saying this because on the Japanese website if you use google translate, it will refer to Nami as a he. There has been some talk because of this on whether Nami will be female, male, or non binary (even though it's likely a translation mistake). My claim on her gender has nothing to do with how she dresses though.
I think that's because it takes an in-game quote where Nami refers to herself with the more masculine associated pronoun "boku", or it's something that can loosely read as "male". But I think, given some of the pre-order stuff, that Nami will still be female, and she's still listed with the bachelorettes. As cool as transmac or non-binary Nami would be, she's just still our gender non conforming queen.
I recall that Nami called herself "boku" in the original HM:AWL games as well. It's a slightly masculine pronoun (Japanese has spectrum of pronouns that range from very feminine to very masculine, and "boku" is towards the middle facing the masculine side), and, if my memory serves correct, it's most commonly used by boys (specifically, male children) and tomboys, such as Nami. There has been a thing where translators change the gender of non-gender conforming characters lately in other media, so we will see if X-Seed decides to change Nami to something else. I hope not.
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