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Famitsu recently held an interview with Doraemon: Story of Seasons developer Brownies, as well as staff from Bandai Namco and Marvelous, where they talked about how the game came about, the themes of the game, and what makes this game different from other Story of Seasons games.
Here are the highlights:
Please tell us how this project got started.
Kouji Nakajima, Bandai Namco producer: “I am part of the generation that grew up watching Doraemon, and after becoming an adult and a parent, I once again began to appreciate the series and wanted to spread the wonderfulness of the series with a game. Also, I’ve always liked Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, as I played it a lot. I thought it would be nice if there were a game that had the sort of gameplay in Story of Seasons where your effort is rewarded, and the messages and type of story Doraemon tells, so I created the proposal for this project. On top of that, if we were to make a Story of Seasons game, I wanted to ask Marvelous to handle development, which is how this partnership happened.”
What sort of place is Shizen Town like?
Kasumi Sugita, Brownies development planner: “Shizen Town is a town overflowing with nature, and one of its landmarks is the giant tree near town. It is said that the tree was grown long ago by a Goddess.”
Will the tree and the legend of the Goddess play a part in the main story?
Nakajima: “Why did Nobita and the others come to Shizen Town? As you progress through the main story, the reasons will become apparent. The original Doraemon is all about unrealistic things in a realistic world, and I wanted to recreate that in this game. The feeling of adventure, and a linear main story, are things that are quite different from the Story of Seasons games up until now.”
Were there any other themes you focused on in the story?
Sugita: “The biggest theme is “family”, and the focus is on familial love. The sub-stories will also be related to familial love, such as between siblings or for family pets.”
Shouhei Yamashita, Brownies development planner: “We’ve got lots of sub-stories. The volume of sub-stories is around 5 times as much as the main story.”
Really! Are there sub-stories for every character?
Sugita: “There are lots of family-run shops in town, and each shop will have its own sub-story. It’ll be connected to the relationship system, and their stories won’t proceed if you don’t get closer to them. Shizue, Gian, and the rest are helping out at the stores too, so you’ll see familiar faces during the events.”
Doraemon: Nobita’s Story of Seasons releases for Nintendo Switch in Japan on June 13, 2019. The game has only been announced in Japan, but recent Taiwanese ratings suggest a possible English localization.
