Story of Seasons for years now has been one of the most relaxing farming sims out there and no other spin-off illustrated that more than the crossover inclusion of Doraemon. The approach of the first Doraemon Story of Seasons was a surprise with all the mechanics fans known and love combined with an endearing art style and lovable cast of characters from the long-running children's anime series. It's also no surprise that its success would eventually lead to the sequel known as Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom. It seems once again we're joining Noby, Doraemon and his main cast of friends in a brand new farming adventure to see what awaits them and if their journey was worth the wait.

The story starts with Noby and friends on their summer vacation and all of them have been having a hard time with their parents being annoying or upsetting them in some way. Just the previous night Noby had seen a star and wondered if it was in fact a far off planet, so they decide to get away from their parents for and ride a rocket from Doraemon's fourth dimensional pocket off into the stars to see if they can find life on another planet. Before long they do just that and find themselves landing on an earth-like fantasy inspired planet filled with people of varying races from all over. After helping a young boy heal from an injury he explains where they are and offers his farm as a place to stay while they decide to work. After a few days of getting around and learning of the town, they're taken to the castle where they run into the Queen. She quickly confiscates all of Doraemon's unique gadgets and threatens to get rid of the children as well, but the young boy they saved steps up and reveals himself as the Prince and requests they be let go to work hard like the other villagers. They get released, but with no rocket home they're trapped on this planet. They decide their only option is to hope that growing their farm and working hard will unlock the Queen's heart and win back Doraemon's gadgets in order to get back home.

Farming is the core focus in Story of Seasons at the very beginning, and much like its predecessor, this Doraemon title does it well. Players get set up with their variety of tools from a hoe to till the ground, hammer to break rocks, axe to cut wood and watering can to keep the plants nice and cared for. It's up to a craft player to pick their crops and make sure to plan accordingly around caring for them as they grow across many days and seasons in order to earn money to better their life on the farm. Seeds for new crops or flowers can be bought from the main item shop and change depending on the season. There's familiar crops, but also new ones not seen in the previous Doraemon title. If simple crops aren't enough players can also plant fruit trees which offer fruit throughout the season they're best in once fully grown. Along with various plants players can also acquire the usual livestock of chickens, cows, sheep and the new inclusion of alpacas. Alpacas are like sheep whose wool can be sheered but cuter, although otherwise are much like the rest. Livestock requires regular food which can be grown or bought and they all must be taken outside on nice sunny days in order to keep them happy and healthy. Fortunately they never wander far, but the larger animals can take time to squish back in the barn night after night which is always good to keep in mind.

Perhaps the largest appeal of farming sims in general comes from overarching story and player interaction with characters around town. For obvious reasons there's no romantic element in Doraemon Story of Seasons, but instead fully-blossoming friendships with the wide variety of characters. These are always a delight and bring about the most interesting side of each character who may not always seem who they appear at first until Noby begins to learn more about them. Befriending them is also a simple task as talking to them daily earns friendship in addition to giving them presents from time to time. Befriending characters will open up new cutscenes learning more about them and progress their personal stories along which can help earn even better rewards along the way. A big way to earn friendship is also to do village quests which change daily and require Noby to collect certain items for select villagers. This also rewards money and depending on the required item is worth doing for extra cash.

When tools in Story of Seasons start to feel like they're under-performing or the farm is feeling small, it may be time to hit the mines. With a trusty pick in hand Noby can mine throughout the Quivering Peak in order to find copper, iron and even silver ore among many other goodies. It, like all other actions, will use up a bit of his stamina, but it's well worth the reward of these rare materials. These can used in a variety of different ways such as crafting upgrades for the farm, creating new items to decorate with and of course upgrading tools. Tools are perhaps the first and foremost important as this will allow them to become more useful over time in their efficiency. This includes watering can holding more water and the pick able to break stronger stones. There's of course a balancing act to be done, as with limited stamina Noby must choose where his goals for the day lie. That is, of course, unless he's also packing enough food to regain stamina or lies down for a nap in order to feel more in-shape for working.

Noby is, of course, a young adventurous boy who loves all sorts of activities and two of those involve little critters to collect. With a net or fishing rod in hand, players are able to head out and capture bugs and fish they happen to come across. Bugs can be crafty as many will run away if they are approached too quickly, while fish offer a challenge in patience and timing. Waiting for the fish to show up, lower the lure and pressing it in time to snag them! Between the two, bugs are most commonly used as gifts or just able to sell, with Honey Bees being the one important for gaining materials. Fish on the other hand are also used as gifts in addition to a variety of food dishes that can be made to increase stamina. Typically early on they're best to just sell, but it's good to keep stock of useful bugs or fish that may be worth saving for a rainy day.

Like the first Doraemon Story of Seasons title, the sequel has a lovely and charming art style. It feels akin to a watercolor story book for the characters and backgrounds which makes it pleasing to look at. The music is relaxing and calm, albeit not memorable, but it does do a great job setting a nice atmosphere while exploring and doing daily activities. The framerate has no issues and load times are quick and snappy without any issues. The only noticeable thing while playing is there were occasional typos made in the dialogue, but nothing egregious by any means. When it comes to farming it would be nice if there was a faster option for picking up crops and other items, as it can be slow having to pick up one at a time especially when going through a large amount of grown crops at once. It's additionally worth noting that much like the first title the voice acting is limited to Japanese with no English audio option. This isn't a huge issue, but still a shame it couldn't receive a dub.

Closing Comments: 

While some elements such as the lack of a romantic goal may be a turn off for some players, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is an absolute charmer much like the first title. Those who enjoyed the first may find this to be more of the same, but at the end of the day, that's what fans of farming sims often want. It's the variety of characters and new crops and little gameplay tweaks that make it fun to come back time and time again to work up to the ultimate farming experience. It's a must-have for Doraemon fans and those wanting a new light-hearted Story of Seasons experience will likely enjoy the change of pace that the crossover brings to the table. Hopefully fans of the genre check out Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom as it truly is an endearing delight and exciting to see this series get such a lovely sequel.