Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is another remake in the long-running farming sim franchise. This time, it focuses on the Nintendo DS release of the same name. The remake is much larger in scope, featuring vibrant visuals and several changes from the original game, including the addition of new content.
As usual, the story puts you in the role of a farmer. It is gender-neutral, so you can choose whichever character you prefer. While customization is a bit limited, there are still plenty of options to adjust your character, including costumes, face designs, and other details. The game is set in Zephyr Town, which once had a thriving bazaar but lost its charm over time. To restore its former glory, the mayor hires a new farmer to take over the role and help bring life back to the bazaar.
The gameplay sticks to the familiar loop of tending your farm, interacting with townsfolk, building relationships, and uncovering the secrets of Zephyr Town. After cultivating crops, you can sell them, along with other goods, at the bazaar. The game also allows you to craft items, raise animals, and expand your range of products for sale. As the bazaar grows more successful, its rank increases, unlocking new services in town. This not only improves your farm life but also helps you manage a wider variety of products over time.
The remake adds full voice acting, a first for the series. It also expands the story content and introduces several new characters. The game is divided into seasonal settings, with each season playing a major role in what crops can be harvested, how the town is decorated, and what secrets can be uncovered. A new feature this time is the ability to harness the power of wind, using tools like a windmill or even a glider that lets you move quickly across town.
This is easily the most content-rich Story of Seasons game yet. Many of the drawbacks found in past entries have been fixed here. It feels like the best entry in the franchise so far, with developers not only remaking the original but also expanding it in meaningful ways. The addition of new characters brings more relationship options, letting players choose different routes as they start their own family. Even fans of the DS original will likely find plenty of reasons to spend time with this remake.
The first thing that stood out to me was how beautiful the game looks. I played it primarily on a Steam Deck, where it ran flawlessly at nearly locked 60 FPS with native resolution. Even when docked, the game held up with smooth performance and clean scaling. On my 1080p monitor, it looked great as well. The strong presentation really helps it stand out among other farming sims. While Stardew Valley is still the king of sheer content, this remake offers plenty of depth and hours of gameplay to sink into.
Now, do not get me wrong—tending to a farm for what feels like the umpteenth time can get boring fast. Thankfully, there are some new quality-of-life changes and gameplay upgrades that help the process move along more quickly. One of the most useful is the ability to jump. It sounds small, but being able to jump makes it easier to tend larger areas of the farm at once, which cuts down on the overall time. The stamina meter is still here, but there are plenty of ways to stay active, such as eating food, which also unlocks more recipes. You can even experiment with new variations of recipes that provide bonus stats.
When it comes to relationships, some fan-favorite characters make a return while new ones are also introduced. Building relationships is simple and straightforward. A new dedicated greeting button has been added, alongside the usual methods of gifting and chatting with townsfolk. The game is fairly open when it comes to romance options, too, so there are no restrictions on which characters you can pursue.
The presentation is another highlight. Talking to characters gives you a close-up view of their 3D models along with portraits. There are also plenty of cutscenes, though not everyone may enjoy them since they temporarily take control away. Character customization is included, but it does feel a bit lackluster. It was not a dealbreaker for me personally, but it is worth pointing out.
I was satisfied with the performance of the PC port, though it does feel fairly basic. The mouse and keyboard controls are not perfect, but playing with a gamepad worked flawlessly for me, as did the Steam Deck. I can see some players being let down by the limited outfit options available at launch, but since this ties into character customization, it was not something that got in the way of my overall enjoyment.
All in all, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is one of the strongest entries in the franchise this decade. Compared to the more recent games in the series, it feels highly polished and packs in a lot of new content. This is more than just a remake—it feels like a brand-new entry that can stand proudly on its own. As a fan of the series, I can easily recommend this game. If you were disappointed by some of the past releases, this one is definitely worth giving a chance.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Game Information
- Price: $49.99
- Publisher: XSEED
- Developer: Marvelous Inc.
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
