How Story of Seasons Improved Harvest Moons Marriage System

How Story of Seasons Improved Harvest Moon’s Marriage System

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Story of Seasons has improved the marriage mechanics of Harvest Moon, making it a better, more inclusive and more enjoyable game for modern players.

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How Story of Seasons Improved Harvest Moons Marriage System

Farming virtual crops in games like Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon is a relaxing way to get away from the struggles of day-to-day life. Fans who enjoy these slice-of-life farming simulators can build homes, care for livestock like chickens and cows, and engage in digital romance with the marriage candidates of the towns they settled in. However, Harvest Moon’s marriage system was very different before the series rebranded to Story of Seasons after splitting with Natsume, restricting gameplay options and who players could select as the protagonist of each game.

When the first Harvest Moon game released for the SNES in 1996, players could only play as the male protagonist, Pete. This was also the case for many other games, like Harvest Moon 64, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and Harvest Moon DS. The first time a player could select a female protagonist was in Harvest Moon GB, and, unfortunately, the number of other early Harvest Moon games that included a playable female character was slim.

Even in titles that allowed it, though, playing as a female character came with limitations. In games like Harvest Moon GBC 3 and Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl, if a player chose to play as a girl, they would be in for an unfortunate surprise when they selected a bachelor and get married. While male characters could keep tending their farms and raising a family after marriage, the female character route abruptly ended when she got married. This created a situation where playing as a female character cut a large chunk of the game out, unfairly punishing players for their choice. Each route was even described differently, with Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl’s boy characters on a path to fulfill their “Destiny,” while girls were subject to their “Fate” instead.

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Why Story Of Seasons Inclusivity Is A Good Step Forward

Thankfully, modern games haven’t continued the gender biases that could potentially frustrate fans wanting to enjoy farming and getting married. More recent Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons titles have been well balanced and inclusive in both protagonist routes. The series’ handling of diversity, in general, has taken big leaps. Story of Seasons developers removed gender locks on specific appearances and clothing and added LGBTQA marriage options in the remake of Friends of Mineral Town and the upcoming Pioneers of Olive Town. These updates to gameplay have helped keep new titles relevant, as well as acknowledging the wider fan base that enjoys them.

Developer Marvelous has also updated and diversified the personalities and backgrounds of the Story of Seasons marriage candidates players can engage with, bringing in cultures from around the world and translating them into the region for the game. This made Trio of Towns particularly delightful for fans, as it pulled three vastly different cultures into one game. Because of these much-needed changes, Story of Seasons has been able to grow and change with Harvest Moon fans over the decades, allowing players both new and old to enjoy a remote farming escape.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/story-seasons-marriage-better-harvest-moon-lgbtq-sexist/

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