A Farmer's Aspirations

The first real-time gameplay video for Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has released via the weekly radio show! It shows the opening bit of the game, with character creation, meeting the townsfolk, and later on there's a bit of a timeskip to some married life!

Via ONE PR Studio, XSEED has revealed that Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life will be available for preorder shortly, and feature two editions: A standard edition and a Premium bundle. Each retails for $49.99 and $59.99 respectively. The game will be launching simultaneously on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch.

The premium edition will include a retail copy of the game packaged with an adorable 3.5” tall by 4” long pocket goat plushie and a large cloth poster in a custom box, both of which will share an original illustration by series illustrator Igusa Matsuyama. Information on the digital versions of the title will be announced at a later date. Fans can keep their eyes on the official STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life website for the latest updates and where to pre-order retail editions.

London, United Kingdom – 28 October 2022 – Marvelous Europe today announced that STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life will release for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Steam as well as the Nintendo Switch™ system in Summer 2023 across Europe and Australia.

STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life brings players to Forgotten Valley, a tranquil community where they will begin their new carefree life growing crops and raising animals surrounded by family. Returning fans will find plenty of exciting updates to Forgotten Valley, while newcomers to the series will discover the joys of cozy farm life and the extraordinary characters that make the series shine.

The STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life Limited Edition, the perfect companion for every player’s new life in Forgotten Valley will retail for €49.99/£44.99. Players can keep a record of their best moments in the 140-page, A5 notebook, and adorn the pages with charming chibi stickers of their favourite animals from the farm. The Limited Edition also includes an A3 poster and a collector’s box, both featuring exclusive artwork celebrating this latest STORY OF SEASONS entry.

Physical pre-orders are also currently open for the STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life Standard Edition across Europe and Australia for all platforms.

Further details and updates regarding additional retailers offering the two Editions will be available via the official game page or through the Story of Seasons Twitter channel @storyofseasons.

ABOUT STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life Put down roots on your new farm in the peaceful town of Forgotten Valley and tell your own generation-spanning tale in STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life. Bring life to the land, find love among the town's friendly folk, and make lasting memories with a family of your very own in this reimagining of a beloved farm sim. Whether this is your first STORY OF SEASONS adventure or you’re returning to Forgotten Valley, a wonderful life awaits you.

KEY FEATURES

Befriend the residents of Forgotten Valley - Find new friends among the charming cast of characters in the tranquil town of Forgotten Valley and get to know them through all-new events!

Establish your homestead - Live a carefree life on the farm growing crops and raising animals. Raise even cuter animals, new hybrid crops and build upgradeable facilities.

Your Story, Your Way ‒ 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, you can truly be who you want to be.

Fall in love, start a family and build precious memories - Watch your child grow into adulthood as the years pass! Will they inherit the farm? Or will they find their calling somewhere else?

A Wonderful Life for a new generation - Revisit a beloved story as never before, with reimagined visuals, animations, and additional updates to bring A Wonderful Life to a new generation.

STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life is scheduled for release for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC via Steam and the Nintendo Switch™ system in summer 2023. Published in Europe and Australia by Marvelous Europe and in North America by XSEED Games, this title is not yet rated.

More information about STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life can be found on the official Twitter channel @storyofseasons or on the Marvelous Europe website at www.marvelouseurope.com or @marvelouseurope across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

For folks curious about the NA version of Rune Factory 5′s special edition, those details were announced today too!

The Rune Factory 5 ‘Earthmate Edition’ has a suggested retail price of $79.99 and includes the following contents:

Custom outer box featuring artwork from series illustrator Minako Iwasaki

Rune Factory 5 Nintendo Switch™ game card in an exclusive SteelBook® case

Large 5.8” by 8.2” softcover artbook with over 70 pages of character illustrations, concept art, and more

‘Melodies of Norad’ soundtrack CD featuring 15 songs specially selected from across the entire Rune Factory series

13 exclusive in-game costumes based on the marriage candidates (+ Dolce’s ghostly companion Pico) from Rune Factory 4

Revealed on yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, Marvelous Europe Limited are thrilled to announce that Rune Factory 5, the long-awaited sequel in the beloved simulation RPG series, will launch on 25th March 2022 for the Nintendo Switch within Europe and Australia.

As revealed in the brand new gameplay trailer, Rune Factory 5 will feature same-sex relationships. This allows players to develop relationships, and eventually marry, any of the marriage candidates as either the male or female protagonist. Same-sex relationships have been a long time requested feature within the Rune Factory franchise, and so we are ecstatic to finally reveal its inclusion within Rune Factory 5.

In Rune Factory 5 players will choose between male and female protagonists, Ares and Alice, and embark on an adventure from the town of Rigbarth in a quest to recover their lost memories and restore peace within the town, as part of the peacekeeping force known as Seed. As part of this adventure, players will be able to explore vast dungeons, defeat vicious monsters, nurture nearby farmland and develop relationships with various characters to find true peace and happiness within the town of Rigbarth.

Newcomers and fans alike will be able to experience refined action-RPG combat, with eight different weapons, including Dual Blades, Spear and Axe, available to master, alongside iconic features such as farm management, town quests and festivals. Whether you decide to fight off monsters around town, aid the townspeople with their troubles, or embrace your green thumb dreams, Rune Factory 5 will offer an adventure like no other when it launches on Nintendo Switch.

About Rune Factory 5

Set off on a grand adventure in a fantasy world with the latest entry in the Rune Factory simulation RPG series. After losing their memory, the hero lands in a small town blessed by nature. There, they are recruited into a band of peacekeeping rangers, and their new life begins. In addition to their normal duties, the hero can farm the land, cast a line into the nearby river, and so much more! Team up with townsfolk to battle monsters and unleash powerful combination attacks—just one of the features new to the series. The stage is set, and the curtain rises on an exciting new adventure in Rune Factory 5!

Key Features:

● Tame monsters or team up with townsfolk to explore a massive world ● Defend the frontier and support your community as a peacekeeping ranger ● Unleash uniquely powerful combo attacks with your teammates ● Cultivate crops in the fields ● Find friendship, love, and family with a colourful cast of characters

Developed by Marvelous Inc. and published in Europe and Australia by Marvelous Europe Limited and in North America by XSEED Games / Marvelous USA, Inc. Rune Factory 5 is scheduled to launch physically and digitally on 25th March 2022 on the Nintendo Switch within Europe and Australia.

You can keep up with all Rune Factory 5 news through the newly launched Rune Factory Europe Twitter channel and on the Rune Factory website.

XSEED has released a second localization blog for Rune Factory 5! This isn’t all however, as in addition to the March 22, 2022 release date, they also confirmed same-sex marriage will be available day 1 for all territories outside Japan, with Japan also getting a patch in the coming months. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Our second announcement is something that we’ve been working toward for many years: Rune Factory 5 will be the first game in the series to include same-sex marriage. This means that from the start of the game you can marry any of the 12 wonderful marriage candidates as Ares or Alice without avatar-swapping or other conditions. This feature was not present in the Japanese release of the game in May of this year, but will be added to that version in a future patch. It will be included in our game from launch.