REVIEW: ‘Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar’ Is Better Than Just A Remake

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar, the cozy farming and life sim game developed and published by Marvelous, is everything a remake should be and more. Building on the foundation laid by the Nintendo DS original, Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar, it takes everything that made the original special and amplifies it, while adding in plenty of new. The graphics look better than ever, there’s new content that genuinely adds to the experience, and it’s just an all-around fun and cozy game to play. It’s the perfect game to close out the summer as the chill of autumn rolls in. 

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar puts you in the shoes of a fully customizable farmer, laying new roots in the quiet streets of Zephyr Town. The town was once known for a weekly bazaar, but since the old farmer left, it has become dilapidated and forgotten about. The mayor has giant ambitions, looking to you for help to bring the bazaar back to its glory days, reinvigorating the town in the process.

The narrative is fun and light, with hints of depth and mystery throughout. More important is the big cast of characters that call the town home. Each townsperson is memorable and unique in their own right, and getting to know them is a lot of fun. The characters are now fully voiced, breathing life into these fan favorite characters in new ways. You can also marry and have kids with specific townsfolk, with the kids even sharing characteristics between parents. 

Story of Season Grand Bazaar adds new characters, mechanics, and more.

From watching the quiet, gothic June find her passion, to helping the book-smart but melancholy Jules come out of his shell, each character and interaction is special. Character portraits return as well, a welcome return that adds even more personality to each individual.

There are new characters compared to the original as well, offering not just new people to get to know, but new mechanics, as well. Arata, the mountainous outdoorsman, unlocks a new mountain area that is filled with ore, eventually further unlocking beekeeping and mushroom growing.

Diana, on the other hand, helps with bazaar growth. Each Saturday, you’ll take everything you’ve worked for throughout the week and sell it at the bazaar. It’s the main way you’ll make money. It’s also a fantastic place to buy new things and upgrade your farm. There are two blocks of selling time, and once you start one, a fun mini game starts. You’ll need to set out inventory, attract customers by ringing a bell, and do your best to move as much product as you can. 

The core gameplay is simple but always filled with things to do.

Diana will set out specific objectives that need to be met to level up the bazaar and attract new attention. It’s usually a mix of making a specific amount of money while also helping townsfolk develop a certain number of new stalls.

As the bazaar upgrades, new folks come to build new stalls, and it gets busier, with more potential customers passing through. You can also upgrade your actual market stall with new items and decorations that can add new buffs like increased crop sales or higher bulk sales. 

The core gameplay is simple but filled with things to do, making each day a satisfying loop. Farming is the first thing to worry about, as you need to till the fields, plant and water crops, and protect them from occasional environmental incidents.

The changing seasons bring new crops and different weather to account for.

Summers bring hurricanes, while winters bring blizzards. Not preparing for them properly will lead to decimated fields. Each season brings new crops to plant and grow. You can upgrade plenty across your farm, including soil quality and storage space. 

Every action costs stamina, with a bar depleting with each thing you do. You can refill it with food and eventually permanently expand it. You can also take a bath at home, restoring a generous amount of stamina in exchange for time. The clock runs quickly, with each second in real time basically being a minute in-game, making each day a flurry. 

Animal care is also major in Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. You can have multiple barns filled with cows, chickens, alpacas, and more. Taking care of them leads to benefits, as each offers something to sell at the bazaar. Chickens produce eggs, which can also be used for cooking, while alpaca fleece can be spun and sold.

Pets can help take care of them, as you can own multiple dogs and cats. Training them is also important so you can enter competitions throughout the year. You also eventually unlock a horse to travel around even faster than before.

Building relationships with townsfolk is just as important as farming in Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar.

Once you’ve taken care of the farm each day, you head out into town. Talking to and gifting townsfolk raises your relationship meter with them. As you raise the meter to new levels, they’ll ask for help. Sometimes it’s as simple as watering your crops enough, while other times, they’ll ask for recipes that you’ll need to find and cook up.

Some will even want to open up stalls in the bazaar, offering new things to buy and upgrade. Lloyd’s stall, for example, will sell ore and unique gems, which are essential in upgrading your tools. 

One of the cutest new additions to Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar is the Nature Sprites that call Zephyr Town home. There’s one associated with each major activity, including farming, fishing, and beekeeping. You can give them their chosen items to raise their levels, increasing the quality and star ranking of their associated items.

They also reward you with happy points that you can spend at their own stall at the bazaar. You get happy points by just completing actions, making them a helpful way to get new upgrades and items, including seeds and storage boxes that connect a location to the farm storage. 

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar constantly introduces new things to keep you busy as the game goes on.

The Sprites can also help at the bazaar. As you sell, a meter at the top left of the screen fills up. You can call in the Sprite Cheer Squad once it reaches a specific level, entering a quick-sell mode where you mash a single button to sell. Depending on how full the bar is, more Sprites will join in, each offering different benefits. Some raise prices, while others sell even more stock. It’s a fun and fast way to move product that may be struggling to sell. 

Rounding out the daily tasks are fishing and mining. Fishing is a simple and quick mini-game. You hit specific button prompts before a meter runs out. Mining gets more complicated as the seasons pass, as the locations for each mound change and new ones are introduced that you’ll need to upgrade your tools to crack. When the horse unlocks, you’ll also be able to race at the track, plus so much more.

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar is constantly introducing new mechanics and events to partake in. The pacing is a perfect mix of fast and chill, adding new things just as the others get older. Events can also disrupt the daily flow. An early Flower Festival had me running around collecting and gifting flowers as much as I could. The Crop Festival, on the other hand, can permanently raise the quality cap of an item, making what to enter an important choice. 

Even the wind plays an important role in Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. You quickly get a glider that makes getting around the town much faster and more picturesque, as long as the wind is heading in the right direction.

Windmills serve as your crafting mechanics, as windy days cut down on production time and make new items even faster than calm days. One windmill unlocks fairly early on, with a total of three being unlockable as you go. Each offers a different product, with higher-quality tool upgrades and items being found in later windmills.

The overhauled graphics are beautiful, adding a cartoonish style and color that brings the world alive. Zephyr Town has tons of charm in its design, along with its inhabitants, now realized in full 3D. It’s bright and a joy to look at. Each season looks and feels different, from the windy sunny days of summer to the snow-covered winter. It all runs and looks amazing on the Switch 2, a fantastic addition to the early life of the console. 

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar meaningfully expands and evolves its original game.

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar is the rare remake that takes the base game and expands and evolves it meaningfully. From the new graphics and characters, to added areas and mechanics, there’s so much to dive in to. Each day is a fun and well-paced run to the weekly bazaar, and seeing the town grow and change over time is satisfying.

There’s a lot to love in Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar. It’s the perfect game to snuggle under a blanket with a hot tea, a welcome addition to the incoming fall and beyond. 

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is available August 27th on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Steam.