Living in
the city ain’t where it’s at, and so you decide to take off and fulfill your
father’s dream of living on the farm. It just so happens that a good friend of
dear old dad lives on a farm, and evidently nothing would please him more than
that his friend’s daughter come and live on the farm, too. Hey, keep Manhattan
and give me that countryside!
Another
Wonderful Life is
exactly like the previous release A Wonderful Life, except that now the
protagonist is a girl, instead of a guy. Other than that, the essential plot
of marrying, raising kids, and then sending them off into the wide world is
still the same. Same characters, same animals, even the same dogs to choose as
pets.
At the start
of the game, Takakura, your dad’s old friend, explains the basic workings of a
farm. The first several days on the farm will be spent taking care of the cow,
which, besides the pet dog, is the only animal on the farm. Planting seeds and
tending the fields is a primary concern, as well. Soon, Farmergirl will be
selling milk, buying more seeds, and then buying additional livestock. Once a
fishing pole is acquired, fish can be added to the equation. There are also
items to be picked up around the town and farm. Romance soon blooms, and it is
time to pick the right mate! The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,
and these guys will love the special recipes Farmergirl whips up.
This game is
identical to the first in terms of graphics. Some things look great, like the
characters, and the running water, but other background items like roads are
blurry. As in the first game, buildings can be seen through.
The
interface is easy to manage, but again, the camera is hypersensitive. It’s
harder than it should be to till and water the fields, with the target square
hopping all over the place, instead of the exact desired field square. I wish
they would have fixed this when they remade this game.
A
Wonderful Life
was a good game, and Another Wonderful Life is also a good game.
However, they are practically the same game. Players who own A Wonderful
Life have absolutely no need to get this edition. If they don’t have the
first one, then either one will provide all the farming anyone could desire.
The choice only depends on the preference for a female or male character.
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Gameplay: 8.5
Farming is fun
with these games from Natsume. The pace begins slowly, but then becomes more
involved and challenging. A more linear and prescribed game than Animal
Crossing, which means more strategy is involved, but on the other hand, it
would have been nice to have more open-ended play, especially in the town
areas.
Graphics: 8.0
The graphics are
a mixed bag, but fairly good for the GameCube.
Sound: 6.0
Nothing special
here.
Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty is
of a medium level, easier in the beginning, then becoming tougher due to time
issues and task choices.
Concept: 6.0
Nothing new here,
except for the gender change.
Overall: 8.3
While nothing has
really changed, this game isn’t presented as a new version, but instead as a
different take on the previous game. As long as players know it’s the same
game, this is fine. While nothing major has been modified, the game as a whole
was good enough not to really need much fixing, except for a few minor tweaks
with the interface. The game was fun two years ago, and is thoroughly
enjoyable today.
