Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar, the upcoming farming and simulation title from developers Marvelous and published by XSEED, could be the perfect game to close out the summer. The latest entry in the storied franchise is relaxing yet captivating. It grabs you and pulls you in to its chill ebb and flow, settling you slowly into its systems and story. It’s cozy and bright, with the new bazaar focus adding a new meaningful layer of focus. If it can keep up the surprise and fun it consistently offers, this will be a great way to ride out the last warmth of summer.
Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar brings the player as a new farmer to the streets of Zephyr Town. A small, tight-knit community, Zephyr Town used to be home to a titular grand bazaar, now dilapidated and empty compared to its glory days. There are hints of mystery here—what caused such disrepair? Who was the mysterious farmer from years past? It’s an interesting hook as players set out to bring life back to the town and make the bazaar something truly wonderous again.
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To do so, your new farmer has to build up a farm to be able to sell products at the weekly bazaar. The traditional mechanics of any cozy farming simulator are all present here, from growing crops to raising animals to mining and fishing. Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar does a fantastic job of rolling out new systems slowly, introducing each one over a matter of days and weeks to let the player acclimate to each one. As soon as you feel like you have a grasp on one, a knock at the door the next morning introduces something new to get lost in.
Familiar cozy farming mechanics get players acclimated before experiencing what’s new.
The initial farming plot is small but mighty, allowing for different vegetables, fruits, and flowers to grow depending on the seeds you invest in. Watering them every day is essential, along with using fertilizer frequently to raise the quality of the crops. You quickly start with a number of tools, including a watering can for watering crops, a sickle for collecting crops and cutting weeds, and a hoe for digging up plots.
The farmer has a certain amount of stamina that can be upgraded along with their farming tools. Each action chips away at the bar. You can eat different meals to restore your stamina, but for those looking for a cheaper alternative, you can also take a bath that requires 30 minutes of your in-game time. Run out of stamina, or stay up too late, and you’ll pass out, losing time the next day.
The farmer can also do several other activities in addition to farming. Fishing is a simple yet fun mini-game, where you must hit directional inputs correctly and quickly before the timer runs out. Breaking rocks can yield ore and other minerals for crafting. Animals can be bought and kept in a barn attached to the house. Caring for them can yield different wares, such as eggs from chickens or milk from cows.
Preparing for the weekly bazaar is built into the various activities featured in the game.
It all culminates in a flow that the player settles into quickly, preparing for the upcoming weekly bazaar, taking place every Saturday. Here, the farmer’s stall awaits, upgradeable in different ways to boost sales. The actual mini game here starts out simple enough, but as you make your table bigger and layer on different boosts, it gets frantic quickly. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar runs on its own in-game clock, with a second in real time being roughly a minute in game time, so the next bazaar day is never far.
At the bazaar, you need to set out your wares, lure prospective buyers in by ringing a bell as they walk by, make the sale, and replace empty slots with new sellable items. Customers walk over and indicate interest, meaning you need to run over and complete the sale quickly. Take too long, and they’ll leave. Sometimes, a potential customer will have a thought bubble pop over their head with an item they’re interested in, but it may not be displayed. Moving fast is essential here, quickly swapping out an item that has no interest with the indicated item.
This is the main way to generate income in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, but it’s also where players will do most of their own shopping and upgrading. Balancing sales while ensuring you have enough time to do what you need to is important. If you miss your window, you’re left waiting until next week’s bazaar. There are a few stalls at the start, but helping townsfolk and completing requests will bring in new business and make the bazaar busier than before. This also opens up new upgrades for the player, allowing them to buy new decorations for their stall, among others.
The goal is to bring the bazaar back to its former glory. Every week, after the bazaar, new conditions are outlined that must be met before it can level up. So far, the focus has been on getting new stalls and making a certain amount of money total at the bazaar. Once you do, the bazaar gains a new rank, and new objectives are outlined. I’m curious to see how these conditions change as the bazaar levels up and expands.
Building up relationships in Zephyr Town is equally as important in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar.
Zephyr Town and its inhabitants are also integral to the experience beyond the bazaar. As important as farming is, it’s also essential to spend time with the townsfolk. The cast here is colourful and kind, feeling very cozy and comfortable in each interaction. From the socially anxious June, to the bubbly and kind Maple, each one is memorable for their own reasons. Talking to them every day, giving them presents, and fulfilling requests for specific items raise their heart meters and build their relationships, along with interacting with them on special event days.
In its first month, there were already multiple special event days that helped change up the flow. The Flower Festival is a frantic flower-giving experience, competing to give the most flowers to the other townsfolk in 24 hours. Honey Day, on the other hand, focuses on the player giving honey to those they care about and want to build relationships with quickly.
So far, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar has me hooked. The promise of what new seasons can bring has me excited to see what’s around the corner, from new crops to new fish and new events. The narrative is simple yet has a strong core mystery, one that I’m curious to explore. There are other systems I haven’t even been able to engage with yet, including marriage and other farming techniques.
I feel integrated into Zephyr Town and its community. The goal of bringing the bazaar back to greatness has motivated me to help bring it to fruition. If the rest of the experience is as strong as its first month, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar will be the perfect cozy experience to welcome the fall.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar releases August 27, 2025, on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam.
