The Story of Seasonsvideo game series was originally produced by
Victor Interactive Software (acquired by
Marvelous Entertainment in 2002), with
Natsume Inc. handling the
English translation and distribution in
North America. The series debuted in
Japan on August 9, 1996 with Bokujō Monogatari (牧場物語-, lit. "The Farm Story"), which later was released in the North American and
PAL regions as Harvest Moon.[1]Story of Seasons is a series of
farmsimulation/
role-playing video games where the main objective is to maintain a farm over a period of time, tending the crops and livestock throughout the seasons, while befriending the nearby townsfolk and getting married in some games.[2]Story of Seasons titles have been released on numerous different
video game consoles and
handheld game consoles. Several titles have been re-released on multiple platforms as special editions which include an updated gameplay.[3] Fourteen
spin-off titles have been released, featuring related elements. One of these titles, Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the Story of Seasons series.[4] One reason the Story of Seasons series has remained popular is because of the unchanged core system of the games. According to Yasuhiro Wada, Story of Seasons' lead designer, it has been the development team's response to the audience's requests which has allowed the series to maintain its popularity.[5]
Due to Natsume Inc. keeping the rights to the Harvest Moon name when Marvelous decided to have their own American division,
Xseed Games, take over North American distribution, the newer titles in the series had to be renamed to Story of Seasons[6] while Natsume Inc. took the opportunity to start their own Harvest Moon series of similar games starting with Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley. This has reportedly caused some degree of confusion among players and fans of the series.[7]
Known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Wonderful Life[31] (牧場物語~ワンダフルライフ, lit. "The Farm Story: Wonderful Life")[32]
An updated edition was published for the PlayStation 2,[3] Known as Bokujō Monogatari: Oh! Wonderful Life (牧場物語Oh!ワンダフルライフ通常版, lit. "The Farm Story: Oh! Wonderful Life")[33] in Japan and Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition in English-speaking countries[34]
Release years by system: 2003 – Game Boy Advance[35]
Notes:
Known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Mineral Town no Nakama Tachi for Girls[35] (牧場物語ミネラルタウンのなかまたちforガール, lit. "The Farm Story: Companions of Mineral Town for Girls")[36]
"Female version" of Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town[37]
Known in Japan as Innocent Life: Shin Bokujō Monogatari (イノセントライフ ~新牧場物語~)[90] and in Australia as Harvest Moon: Innocent Life[88]
It is a futuristic Harvest Moon spin-off, in which the game takes place on a relic-filled island which can be explored by walking or biking[91]
A special edition was released for the PlayStation 2 known as Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (Special Edition) in North America and in Japan[92]
On October 15, 2009 it was released for the PlayStation Portable via the PlayStation Network[93]
In August 2012 it was released for the PlayStation Vita via the
PlayStation Plus service[52][94]
A spin-off series featuring fantasy and
dungeon crawl components[4]
Described as "Harvest Moon where you wield a sword" by producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto[4]
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is the last Rune Factory game to be affiliated with the Harvest Moon series as Rune Factory will now work as an independent series[104]
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon was originally intended to be released without the Harvest Moon subtitle[104] in order for Rune Factory to grow into an independent series, however Natsume Inc. applied the subtitle A Fantasy Harvest Moon for its North American release[105]
A spin-off/crossover with
Doraemon, gameplay follows the mainline Story of Seasons games, but features characters and special items from the Doraemon series.
Another spin-off/crossover with
Doraemon, gameplay follows the mainline Story of Seasons games, but features characters and special items from the Doraemon series.
^MacDonald, Keza (April 19, 2007).
"Man on the Moon".
Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-05-04. listening to the voices of the audience, to what the audience wants, responding to their requests.