The History of Hometown Story
Feb 14, 2020 19:44:38 GMT -5
runetree, kiwibasket, and 1 more like this
Post by Admin Scarlet on Feb 14, 2020 19:44:38 GMT -5
Or as I'd otherwise like to title this thread: "Why you should check out Hometown Story"
As a Bokumono fan, I like to follow the personal works of those involved in the series. That said, when Yasuhiro Wada stepped away from Marvelous and left Hashimoto to take over the series, I wanted to see where Wada would take his endeavors next. He reopened Toybox inc., his old game studio, and thus a little something called Project Happiness was born. The original trailer (shown below) did not offer much beyond an initial concept.
At that time, Project Happiness seemed to be nothing more than a shop-running sim, which hinted at elements of townsfolk interaction, in a land deep in the rural countryside. This kind of setting, a life where you live and work hard in a rural area, was not a foreign concept to the games already made by Wada.
So, how did the project develop? Why was this IP created in the first place?
“I wanted to create something very different from Harvest Moon,” --However, as he worked through the development of the new title, he realized that much of Harvest Moon comes from who he is. “I like nature, animals, and caring for other people, so the atmosphere of this new game is similar to Harvest Moon, but gameplay will be very different,” he said through a translator. - VentureBeat
*Harvest Moon is Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) in Japan
Project Happiness became known as Hometown Story, and sought to capture the very feeling of one's hometown.
From the interview with VentureBeat (GamesBeat), it is noted that Wada also places Hometown Story within the same universe as Bokujou Monogatari, but identifies them as two very separate entities. They are not related although they share common elements.
The official trailer below shows some of the game's final mechanics in action.
Unfortunately, the game had a very poor (initial) reception due to its close relation to Bokujou Monogatari. It was released at an unfavorable time in the west (alongside Harvest Moon: A New Beginning and Rune Factory 4), and had been publicly advertised as "from the creator of Harvest Moon". Combining these elements, people ventured into the gameplay with a similar mindset as they would playing a typical Bokujou Monogatari game. This led to confusion for those expecting a game which would play in similar fashion, as the game is closer to a title like Recettear.
The ratings only dipped further as the gameplay itself does have its flaws. To see the game's events, you must utilize your shop's stock. Sometimes this means selling a certain number of an item will trigger an event. It can also mean selling a particular "special" item that someone is looking for. These events do not happen right away, as the process is to occur "organically", and it can take quite a few days or weeks in game for them to trigger. All the while, the items must be displayed in the store, or the process resets itself. There is no way to track the events and quests you've fulfilled easily, either.
Despite these downsides, as a shop-slash-life sim the game plays quite well.
When everything comes together and you're set up to progress properly, Hometown Story proves to be quite the memorable experience for sure.
