Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life – 9 Essential Tips and Tricks to Get You Started

by Fernando Diaz / Articles, Misc. Guides / 27 Mar 2021

Do you remember the simpler times, the moments when we joyfully collected cows and nurtured children in the old game Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life? A beloved classic, this game has withstood the test of time. However, its re-release in 2023 as “Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life” highlighted the evolution of farming simulation games over the years.

Yes, the charm of building a family amidst the tranquil landscape of the Forgotten Valley remains, but it’s hard to deny that the farming and socializing aspects of the game doesn’t quite measure up to modern farming sims. Despite these changes, the game continues to offer a breadth of activities due to its unique aging process and fast-paced day-to-day gameplay, all within the lifetime of your in-game character.

In A Wonderful Life, the journey begins with you inheriting your father’s farm, and soon transitions into a tale of friendships and bonds. Interestingly, the game prioritizes relationships over mere farming achievements, with a unique condition: you must get married within the first year or your farming venture ends abruptly. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the game is its aging system. Time passes, townsfolk age, new furniture and upgrades become available, and the village continues to grow – all adding a layer of realism and progression to the gameplay.

In this guide, we will share with you 9 essential beginner tips and tricks to get a better start in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life.

Engage With Everyone Daily

The first crucial tip is to converse with everyone in the game daily. Relationships are vital in “A Wonderful Life.” Not only do you need to get married in the first year, but you also receive rewards from most characters based on the strength of your friendship. These rewards can range from music records to new outfits, and even assistance in getting last-minute upgrades for your tools. Aim for 90 friendship points (halfway through the red bar) with each character to make sure you don’t miss out on anything.

Daily interactions with the characters you meet can boost your friendship points. You can also speed up the process by giving them gifts. Most villagers appreciate gifts like flowers, eggs, milk, and fish, and some will accept more than one gift a day. However, be sure to start building relationships early to avoid scrambling later in the game.

Interact With the Sprites Daily

There are more than 120 cooking recipes in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. While you can discover some by exploring people’s houses, befriending them, or accepting requests, the Sprites can teach you all of them. Visit the Sprites daily to learn a new recipe each day. Note that at first, you can only make soups and salads. Still, by leveling up your cooking once, you’ll unlock desserts and sweets, and leveling it up again will unlock main dishes.

Keep in mind that some recipes require an oven, which you won’t have until the second year. Also, it’s worth noting that you can experiment with ingredients and make a dish even before learning the recipe. If the combination is correct, you’ll successfully make the dish and unlock the recipe.

Fish Every Day

While fish make great gifts and are useful for cooking, they aren’t a substantial source of income. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to catch about six fish every day. Your fishing rod can be upgraded, like all other tools, to catch new species of fish. To acquire the gold fishing rod, you need to have caught a minimum of 500 fish, so make fishing a daily habit.

Regularly Donate to Pui

The final upgrade for the sickle requires you to have donated at least 2,000 G to Pui. Pui, a character in the game, begs intermittently, and you can only give him money once a day when he does. Therefore, if you see Pui begging and have extra money, it’s a good idea to give him some and keep track of your donations.

Sell Your Items to Van

Waiting for Van to visit the valley can get you better prices for your goods, even though selling items through Takakura is convenient. Van visits on the 3rd and 8th of each month, and you can negotiate prices with him. Also, unlike Takakura who only pays for farm products, you can sell almost anything to Van.

Be Sure to Water Your Plants Twice Daily

To increase the grade of your crops in A Wonderful Life, be sure to water your plants twice a day – once in the morning & once in the evening. This routine can help improve the quality of your crops significantly.

Rotate Your Crops

With time, the quality of your soil decreases as you grow crops. To counter this, plant your crops in different areas in rotation and fertilize the soil that’s not currently in use. This practice ensures a healthy soil quality and high-grade fruits and vegetables.

Purchase the Fertilizer Machine as Soon as It’s Available

Once you unlock the fertilizer machine for purchase, get it as soon as possible. With this machine on your property, you won’t have to buy fertilizer from the store anymore saving you a substantial amount of money & helping to improve your farm.

Care for Your Animals Before Selling Them

Eventually, you’ll need to sell your animals due to limited space in your barn. But before you sell them, make sure to care for them every day. This can be done by talking to them, brushing them, and allowing them to graze outside. These actions will ensure that your animals produce high-quality products, making them more valuable.

Controls for Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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