Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town was one of the greatest Harvest Moon games and farm simulators of all time. This was one of the games that laid the groundwork for modern genre titles like Stardew Valley. And now the classic game will be coming back to the West in a Nintendo Switch remake.
Friends of Mineral Town was first released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance by Marvelous Entertainment and Natsume Inc. The older Friends of Mineral Town, while not being the first Harvest Moon game, was the one that paved the way for the future of the genre. Now it’s getting a remake for the Nintendo Switch in Japan. And, perhaps more importantly, we have also received official word that the game will be released in the West as well—although developers have declared no official date for the drop.
The latest Friends of Mineral Town game will be released in North America and Europe under a new title, Story of Seasons. But make no mistake, the game is a remake done in homage of the 2003 Harvest Moon GBA game.
Almost everything about the game has only been released to Japanese audiences. The drop date in Japan is coming up soon for October 17th. There has even been a new trailer, although it is also entirely in Japanese. We do know that the game will feature 3D graphics instead of the older cartoon style prevalent in both Stardew Valley and its earlier counterpart.
Although all of the information about the game remains in Japanese, fans will be reassured to note the heart and core of the game remain entirely unchanged. (It is a remake, after all.)
There’s been a lot of talk about whether or not Friends of Mineral Town will have as much pull in a post-Stardew Valley era. Stardew not only took the Harvest Moon genre from the originals but it really made it shine—maybe even better than the originals ever could.
Another new reveal at this week's Famitsu magazine: Marvelous to release a full remake of GBA's Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town for Nintendo Switch in Japan on 17 October 2019.https://t.co/kuyTVGjr02 pic.twitter.com/WXPkvJ5lB5
— 黒凧 BlackKite (@bk2128) July 2, 2019
Still, the remake of the old 2003 game might wind up gaining a lot of traction for its potent nostalgia hype alone. And yet, also, there has always been a lack of Harvest Moon-style farm simulators. Fans of the genre may very well have no problem picking up any new title—even if it seems inferior—just to get some diversity in their lives.
Keep an eye out for when Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town gets its release date for the US and Europe on the Nintendo Switch.
