Welcome to the latest installment in our nostalgia column, Memory Pak, where we’ll dive into some of the most memorable moments from the gameplay – the good and the bad. Today is the 5th anniversary of the release Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns in Europe, and Kate has some fond memories of a certain character…
I played almost everything Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons games, and what I’ve learned from those hundreds of hours of play is that they all, like any good boy band, have a prominent marriage candidate.
My all-time favorite series still hold a place in my heart: Story of Seasons‘Raeger, a sweet and handsome cook; New beginingthe prince’s shy assistant, Sanjay; and Will, a gentleman living on a boat in Sunshine Islands. I guess you could say I like nice guys, which makes me a bit boring.
But in all of this, my number one will always be the muscular, blue-haired carpenter Ludus from Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns – a game that I bought exactly five years ago when it was released in Europe.
As is tradition in all Story of Seasons games, Trio of Towns features marriage candidates that slowly emerge as you grow your farm and friendships. Often, later characters are more interesting than those available at the beginning, and Trio of Towns’ harder-to-find romantic scenarios include a pink-haired carnival host, a man who dressed as a dog mascot, and a literal god.
he’s not even hard to flirt – his favorite gifts include tree branches
Ludus – a blue-haired resident of Lulukoko, a tropical Hawaiian-themed beach town – is not one of these hard-to-get spouses. He shows up early in the player’s third week in the game, as part of their introduction to Lulukoko, and he’s not even hard to flirt with – his favorite goodies include bough.
However, while he may not be flashy or rare, Ludus is the best partner in the game. He is calm and gentle, but his romantic scenes betray a passionate, emotional side to him; he cares about everyone in his small town, and ultimately your kids; and above all, he interesting. For me, it’s rare that I find characters appealing in Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons games, because character portraits are often “cute anime boy” or “angry dad“(that’s definitely some people’s stuff, but not mine), or even some combination of the two.
In contrast, Ludus did not look like a child. Or a father. He looks age appropriate, and he’s got something that looks like a rock, looks from under his eyebrows going on. His cutscenes at first often revolve around him secretly thinking you’re cute and getting a little flustered if you show interest, because he’s trying to hide his own feelings. so as not to upset you. What a gentleman!
It is difficult to describe the romance and affection in the dialogue that is limited by a number of factors
I actually do a bit of work writing video games myself, in addition to my work here at Nintendo Life – and one of my current projects involves writing dates for writable characters. data in a farm and life simulation. So it may come as no surprise when I think about this type of writing so many. It’s hard to portray romance and affection in a dialogue that is limited by a number of factors, especially the size of the text box. It’s even harder to portray an entire relationship in just a handful of cutscenes – everyone, of course. would like to write more, but not viable on deadline!
Ludus’ sweet, yet unapologetic cut-scenes conveys a lot with a little, which is the goal of any writer with limited resources. He can tell you about his insecurities and fears, his passions and his pre-existing relationships at the same time. He messed up by letting his insecurities get to him, and tried to hide his feelings, but it all worked out in the end – and he got over it. with friend. Best of all, he’s a total flirt, which is something you don’t see much of in these pretty PG games.
It helps that Trio of Towns is also better written than many other Story of Seasons games. The film’s characters are motivated, flawed, and complicated to them, and their friendship and romantic scenes are real and warm. Very few Story of Seasons games really make me feel like I’m an important part of the town’s ecosystem, because I’m usually just “eccentric farm,” cut off from the rest of town or is someone who actually builds someone else’s house and keeps the economy going no thanks for anything.
But in Trio of Towns, three typical towns exist before you even get there, and they still work fine without your help. In fact, in a rare twist of Story of Seasons, you actually have life your parents move out without you, instead of having a deceased relative give you a farm, and your goal is to prove to your parents that farming is a viable career option. Sure, you can help those towns grow by revitalizing the economy, but that’s mostly just so you can buy more stuff from their stores. It’s a pity that no Story of Seasons game has succeeded in doing otherwise.
Ludus was really resurrected in the Pioneers of Olive Town DLC, which makes it a great point of comparison – is he anything like the original? And how have things changed between the two games?
[ToT] proved that series can be brilliant and surprising, including a nod to its history and player expectations without being weighed down by tradition.
Well, his 3D model is definitely more detailed, but players seem to think he’s a bit let down, especially since he lives on an island with only three other people. Like Reddit user Tobegi in discussion of his comeback says, “Ludus only shines when surrounded by his community.” He doesn’t like flirting either, and just short romantic cutscenes in contrast to Ludus from Trio’s much longer cutscenes. In short, he’s a bit flatter, and a lot less likable.
i know me about the failures of the games Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons a lot, but that’s because games like Trio of Towns – games that have proven the series can be excellent and surprising, including a nod to its history and player expectations without being burdened by tradition.
It’s been a long time since I cared about one of the bachelors the way I did about Ludus 5 years ago – and while a negligible part of that is due to the latest game, The Pioneers of Olive Town, remove emotional portraits of characters in favor of 3D models, I imagine it’s also the usual culprit of reduced budgets and tighter deadlines. Like I said before – it’s hard to do something great when you’re under pressure for time and money.
It feels like a pretty big step from the immersive, immersive world of Trio of Towns in 2017 to Pioneers of Olive Town in 2021, but remakes aside, that’s what the Story of Seasons series has been. look like for the past five years – and the next game, A wonderful lifealso a remake, this time of Favorite GameCube game. Don’t get me wrong – this next remake looks pretty good, and A Wonderful Life is a really lovely game, but I have to wonder what’s gone after Trio of Towns… and if it’s possible. return or not.
Do you agree that Ludus is the best boy? What is the last story of the bachelor or bachelorette story that you really like? Let us know all your superficial/romantic thoughts in the comments section below!
