![]() ![]() For example, you have to work with someone in a town to craft new menu items for their restaurant or build a new structure. Early on, tasks are simple, like shipping some crops and completing part-time jobs, but as time progresses they become more complicated. Completing a set of tasks to move up a rank is about the closest thing to a boss battle there is in a farming simulator, and it works great. Watching every animation that appeared over a character's head was time spent not getting back to playing.Ĭompleting a set of tasks to move up a rank is about the closest thing to a boss battle.I really enjoyed the novel approach to building my good-standing with each town, in which you’re given tasks that must be completed in order to advance from one rank to the next and unlock more items to buy. The emote animations are cute, but I'm a fast reader and I like to blaze through in-game text as fast as I can. I would have liked an option to skip through them, but there just isn't one. They are either tutorial in nature, move the dull story forward, or play out during a festival or other event, and the whole time their interstitial animations drag on too long. The unskippable conversations have nothing to do with relationship building. ![]() That's not to say every conversation is a breeze. One thing I really liked about Trio of Towns, as opposed to its Harvest Moon forebearers, is the conversation shortcut: you don't need to stop and speak to every person who walks past because pressing the L-button on the 3DS triggers a quick greeting that increases your standing within the community without having to read a text bubble every time. It's fun to win prizes and get better stuff, and building relationships helps win more than just the treasure of friendship. Having better crops and critters gives you a better chance at winning prizes during competitive festivals. New items and animals lead to better farm products: your milk will be better and fetch a premium price, for example. Each area would fit right into a modern Pokemon game, but they push the limits of the 3DS' graphical capabilities to the point where the frame rate occasionally stutters.īuilding relationships helps win more than just the treasure of friendship.Building relationships by shopping in local stores, giving residents gifts, participating in festivals, and talking to people is a big part of Trio of Towns, and having strong bonds with each individual town is the key to unlocking new items and animals. ![]() Lulukoko is a Hawaiian town built on warm and inviting sandy beaches, with residents tossing out greetings like "Aloha" and "Mahalo." Finally, Tsuyukusa, a traditional Japanese village that borrows the color pallette of a woodblock print, unlocks through the simple passage of time. There's Westown, a Western-American themed town with rusty red deserts that’s unlocked from the start. The three towns from which Trio of Towns draws its name are each unique and colorful. Instead, you’re encouraged to create your own story by interacting with the nearby towns. Overall, they're a tiny portion of Trio of Towns’ content, and given that this game is called Story of Seasons I’d expected a bit more for a plot. Proving yourself is done by completing three simple challenges in the Farm Tips screen. That's the entire plot, and it's completely forgettable. The whole purpose of Trio of Towns is to prove to your father that your choosing to live the farm life was a good decision. The steady drip of new things to do is very well timed. I felt neither overwhelmed nor impatient. When my farm was starting to feel too full, more farmland opened up for me. Just as I began to worry I'd never make enough money selling crops and doing odd jobs, I got a hammer and began to mine valuable ore. New towns, people, and mechanics are introduced at just the right time, so I never had a chance to get bored with my initial set of tools, crops, and townsfolk before something new came along. When it comes to pacing, Trio of Towns nails it.When it comes to pacing, Trio of Towns nails it. Rainy days are just frequent enough to keep the dust from settling on gameplay. ![]() Free from my morning chores, I'd hit up one of the local fishing holes to bide my time until the shops opened in one of Trio of Towns'. When it rains, crops don’t need to be watered and animals are left inside. It sounds silly, but the simple change of weather acts as a great way to keep things from feeling overly rote. ![]()
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