Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Mittsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi (牧場物語 3つの里の大切な友だち), is a farming simulation role-playing game developed by Marvelous for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in June 2016 in Japan, February 2017 in North America, and in October 2017 in Europe and Australia. In this installment, in addition to the usual farmland which the player owns, the player is able to visit three towns, each with their own distinct culture and lifestyles.

Like the previous installment, Trio of Towns features a Super Mario collaboration. However, instead of crops, it's in the form of costumes.

Gameplay
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns puts players in control of a person who moves out of their parents' home in order to become a farmer, moving in with their uncle. The game has multiple towns that the player can interact in. Gameplay, like previous Story of Seasons games, involves various tasks, primarily planting, growing, and harvesting crops. This is done using various tools, including a hoe and watering can. These crops can be used in cooking, given to townspeople, or sold. Additionally, other tools are used to clear out things like branches, weeds, stones, and tree trunks. These include a hammer, axe, and sickle.

The player can choose to play as a man or woman. Depending on which gender is chosen, they may either marry one of multiple bachelors (as a woman) or bachelorettes (as a man). In order to marry one of these characters, the player must increase the relationship meter. This is done by talking to them and giving them gifts, which can also be done with non-romantic relationships. The player may also adopt a pet, which mostly consist of dogs and cats, but also includes animals like capybara.

Plot
The story begins with a flashback that shows the player (male is by default named Henry and female is by default named Holly) visiting a farm with their mother Marlene. The flashback ends when Lynn, the player's younger sister, interrupts them from their thoughts. When Daryl, the player's father, reveals that they are moving to a new home because of his trading business also moving, the player reveals that they desire to be a farmer. Daryl is furiously against this, as he doesn't think they are ready for that, but after a long argument, he agrees to let them follow their dream just so he can be proven right, and has them sent to a town called Westown to live with his brother Frank so they can learn from him on how to be a farmer. As soon as the player begins their task, they interact with the locals and pay visits to two other neighboring towns: Tsukukusa and Lulukoko, and also interact with the locals in both places. Lynn and Marlene also pay them visits, and with every success in their progress, Daryl gets more and more furious. The player also meets the town's deities: Dessie, a young Harvest Goddess; Witchie, a young witch; and Inari, a half-fox being (whose gender depends on the player's). During contests, the player faces off against a mysterious competitor named Mr. D. In the end, Mr. D is revealed to be Daryl, who was testing the player all along. He reveals that he too wished to be a farmer, but was forced to give up his dream when his father got ill and continue his trading business. He finally respects the player's wishes and they head inside to celebrate.

Development
Because it was the 20th anniversary of the series, the designers aimed to do something new with the series, leading them to include multiple towns with different styles. The three towns - Westown, Tsukukusa, and Lulukoko - are each based on different real-world regions. Westown is based partly on North America, Tsukukusa on Japan, and Lulukoko on tropical island countries. The designers made a point of not including references to previous entries in the series, as new players wouldn't get anything out of such references. They also aspired to change the visuals to not be too similar to the first Story of Seasons game, as they wanted to give players the feeling that the two are visually distinct.

Release
People who pre-ordered the game received a capybara "pocket plushie", a stuffed doll that stood 3.5” tall.

Reception
The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN said that the game was a fun farming simulator with a "low-pressure approach and gorgeous 3DS graphics." All four reviewers for Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the game an 8/10, totalling to a combined score of 32/40.