Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life Development 99% Complete, New Bachelor, Design Changes & More

Japanese outlet Famitsu recently interviewed the producer Hikaru Nakano and director Rika Hoshina of the upcoming Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life remake, which is coming next year. In the interview, the developers mention a series of interesting facts, which I’ve compiled and translated below:

• Development is 99% complete. According to Rika Hoshina, the developers are making the final adjustments.
• One of the most significant reasons why they’ve chosen to remake A Wonderful Life is because fans requested it so much, especially on social media.
• Development talks started around the Spring of 2020 but only truly began in the Fall of 2020 due to time and schedule constraints.
• All of the in-game festivals have received changes in order to make them more interactive.
• Several new family events have been added, with a big focus on improving the already existing family-related events.
• A new bachelor, Gordy, has been added. If you’ve played the original, you’ll notice he looks like Cody, but his personality and profession (artist) are identical.
• Marlin’s design has also undergone a great change, though his events and personality have remained the same as the original. According to both the producer and director, this was done because his old design would conflict with how he would be portrayed nowadays. You can view both characters’ design changes in the side-by-side comparisons below:

In Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, players put down their roots on their new farm in the peaceful town of Forgotten Valley and revisit the iconic community with updated systems, character designs, and visuals that revitalize Forgotten Valley while maintaining the charm that made the original a classic.

With the option to play as a male, female, or non-binary protagonist, as well as all eligible marriage candidates available for romance, regardless of that choice, players can truly be who they want. So whether this is your first Story of Seasons adventure or you’re returning to Forgotten Valley, a wonderful life awaits you.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life will be coming to Japan on January 26, 2023, and in the Summer of 2023 in the West via XSEED and Marvelous Europe.