Last July, Marvelous Inc. announced that it is developing a Switch remake of the classic Game Boy Advance title, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. However, after Marvelous' publishing partner XSeed Games took over the English translation and distribution from Natsume in 2014, the series was rebranded under the name Story of Seasons, and the remake will be known as Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.
Now, the Switch remake is already available in Japan and China last October 17. Unfortunately, there is still no word on when the English version of the game will be released apart from the official website saying "The North America launch date will be confirmed at a later time." The Switch version is a full-on 3D remake that will retain the original game's location and most of its supporting characters and storyline. It will also allow players to choose between a male and female protagonist in one game, as opposed to before where the choice is split between two games.
The Switch remake will also introduce revamped designs of the protagonists and the NPCs in the game. Apart from character redesigns, the Harvest Moon dedicated website Ushi No Tane, who also has played the game, reported that the remake introduced changes to some aspects of gameplay, most notably in the relationship system. Heart Events for both bachelors and bachelorettes will now be available to the player regardless of their character's gender. Players interested to see the game can check out the first 40 minutes of gameplay below:
It is currently unknown why XSeed Games is holding off the release of the English version of Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town. Several data miners reported on various gaming forums that the English translation is already embedded within the game. So why the delay? Is the international version at risk of being scrapped altogether? Probably not. But hopefully, XSeed games will release a statement soon to clear things up, especially since farming simulator games are getting traction once again after the successful release of Stardew Valley.
So if Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is still releasing worldwide, when can we expect it? Hopefully, the English version of the remake will release sometime this year. Better yet, before Nintendo launches Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March of 2020.