Doraemon Story Of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom Review

 I really enjoyed the first Doraemon Story of Seasons game so I was delighted to see there was a sequel with Friends of the Great Kingdom. The story starts with Noby, Doraemon, and friends on their Summer vacation. Noby has an argument with his parents over the fact that he hasn't finished his homework so he decides it's a perfect time for him and all his friends to take a trip in a rocket ship to another planet to play which is a very Noby thing to do. 

Noby admires the stars.

Everyone thinks the planet is uninhabited and they can have fun exploring until they find an injured boy. They patch him up and the boy introduces himself as Lumis and offers to show them around the planet. 

Everyone meets Lumis.

As Lumis shows them around, eventually they come to a farm and Lumis offers for them to stay and work on the farm during the Summer. This gives a good introduction to the farming tutorial and how the game menu works. This also shows where Friends of the Great Kingdom improved some things such as Noby being able to choose a friend to help with the farm work. The AI is pretty good as the friend helps with watering plants, taking care of animals, and foraging. It eases a lot of the time crunch too in the game and allows an easier time of managing your daily activities. 

Noby and friends learn about farming.

There are the usual fun things to do from the first game like fishing, catching bugs, and chatting with the townspeople. The artwork like the first game is in the same beautiful style looking like watercolor paintings. There are different cutscenes with the people Noby meets as well as requests for different items from them that you can fulfill for rewards. There is mining and woodcutting too so that you can expand the farmhouse and the animal buildings. The game also added an extra room in the farmhouse that you can decorate however you wish which adds another fun layer to the game. 

The artwork is lovely. 

Farming and exploring aren't the only things to do. There are festival events during each season like a Summer watermelon smashing contest. These are a great time and there are trophies you get if you win that can be displayed in your house. It also gives you plenty of time to talk with the townspeople and increase friendship with them. 

Watermelon smashing contest! 

That's not to say the game is not without its flaws. The full thirty day calendar can make things feel like they drag a little. Sometimes, it's very easy to get lost on the map and I found myself getting turned around. Once you get Doraemon's fast travel door it makes things a lot easier. The energy bar drains really quickly which can be frustrating because in the beginning the only way to work around this is to have Noby take a nap for a couple of hours. Later, when you unlock cooking you can make some meals that replenish his energy, but that adds another bit of frustration because you have to buy cooking utensils and you have to experiment with cooking because you don't have recipes. You can buy some from one of the shops, but you have to have made the dish at least once in order to make it. There were times when I got so irritated by it that I just bought dishes from the local diner. 

Other than that, the game is wonderful with its whimsical charm with a relaxing musical soundtrack that lets you just chill and vibe at your own pace. It's a nice addition to the Doraemon Story of Seasons crossover and a lovely farming sim. 

Enjoying the beautiful view. 

*Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS5, and steam

*Join our community on Twitch as we play games and discuss mental health: https://www.twitch.tv/mothergamer