Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale Launches Today

North American 3DS owners be alert! The Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale launches today in North America. I have already played it for a few hours, and things are looking pretty good. Here are a few of the things I’ve noted early on.

Since the announcement of this title, Marvelous and XSeed have been touting this as a turn based RPG with farming elements. Perhaps it is my own fault for assuming it would be a fairly equal split, especially with the Story of Seasons tag line in the title. However, early on at least, Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale focuses more so on the RPG elements and less on the farming aspects. This could change, and from the story I feel like it will. But don’t be surprised if your first few hours are 90% questing and 10% farming. It is just how it is.

The story is interesting enough, with a few early plot twists that even I wasn’t expecting. However, the early game pacing is pretty slow. While its a knock on the game, it won’t be a knock on the overall score, because once you get out of the first few hours, things really pick up, and quickly. Very random, VERY strange characters will join with you as you begin exploring the decently sized world that is available. You will get a farm, get a ‘pet’ and form alliances with unlikely individuals, but the goal remains constant: return to your homeland and save the day.

Typical of an RPG? Perhaps, but the writing is still fairly good, and I was surprised to find most of the dialogue was actually voice acted. This is a huge plus for me, because while I enjoy good stories, I often skip too much of the text without someone voicing it to me. It is a more immersive experience, in my opinion.

It is no secret that I loved Story of Seasons when it came out, and even wrote numerous diary entries detailing what I was doing each season in the game. I assume we will produce a lot of written content for this title as well, although it might be portrayed in a different way. For what it is worth, consider this an early “review in progress.” The current score for myself? A solid 8.0 out of 10. With many hours of game play ahead, there is still room for improvement.

For more on Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale, stay tuned to Games Reviews.