I’m a HUGE Harvest Moon fan. I’ve played all the original HM titles, every Story of Seasons remake, plus games like Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria. Since the SoS remakes started, I’ve had pretty mixed feelings. Friends of Mineral Town and A Wonderful Life were fun for the nostalgia hit, but they didn’t add much beyond that. Pioneers of Olive Town tried to push forward, but it felt messy and overloaded, like Marvelous was chasing expectations instead of making something with intention.

Grand Bazaar feels different. It feels right. This game takes the heart and soul of what makes a Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons game special, learns from the issues of PoOT, and creates something truly beautiful. The VOICE ACTING adds so much personality, there are tons of QoL improvements (storage and inventory management especially is miles better), and the new mechanics feel purposeful and fun instead of just “because other farm sims have it.” The fishing is actually enjoyable, the gameplay loop is incredibly addictive, and the bazaar system is brilliant.

I never played the original Grand Bazaar, so there’s zero nostalgia bias here. This is just flat-out the best SoS game I’ve played so far. The romance events are super charming (though I’m still crossing my fingers for rival marriages to return someday), and after only a few hours I can already tell I’m going to sink a ton of time into this.

If you’ve been waiting for a Story of Seasons game that feels both true to its roots and fresh in the right ways, this is it. Please support it. And Marvelous, if you’re listening, Animal Parade or Tree of Tranquility remakes when?!