Doraemon: Four Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is a farming simulation game for the Nintendo Switch. It’s somehow both a spin-off and a sequel, bringing his second offbeat tale of a robot cat and his friends to the farming world of Story of Seasons.
For those unfamiliar with Doraemon, Doraemon is a popular Japanese manga and anime icon. If you’ve never played Story of Seasons, it’s simply a farming simulation similar to Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon (this is how the Story of Seasons series really came to be..but That’s another story).
The plot involves Doraemon, a blue robot cat, and his teens who unintentionally travel to another world to escape their summer chores. They somehow find themselves running a farm (which seems to be a lot more work than their mother and father had planned back in the suburbs of Japan). takes on the task with some new flavor to help the locals.
The interesting thing about Story of Seasons is that season part of the title. Gameplay revolves around the passage of time, with hours, days, weeks, and months flying by. It becomes the change of seasons, sowing new seeds, catching prey, and enjoying the scenery. Animal Crossing also has nice seasonal changes, but it reflects the seasons in the real world based on where you live. So you can run through the year in real time.
In Animal Crossing, you create your own town and encourage new neighbors to move in as it gradually develops around you. is. literally. There are trees to cut, rocks, weeds, seeds to plant and water, crops to produce and sell, property to maintain. It’s a fun routine. One thing I like is that the characters get tired after doing household chores. In these cases, naps and meals are needed to restore energy. There are so many hours in a day that a sense of time management is at play. If you don’t go to bed on time, you’ll end up sleeping late the next morning and wasting hours of sunshine.
A solid story is also embedded. This is both good and bad for Doraemon’s second farming sim. On the plus side, the story is a fun single player his adventure, learning about the characters around him and working together to grow his farm into something special. On the one hand, this is not a visual novel, and long dialogues often disrupt the flow of the game.
Yes, the plot can be funny, lighthearted, and even emotional at times, but sometimes it can be too much. but it slows down the game significantly. The cast is fully voice-acted, which is a nice touch, but it’s also fully Japanese. I mean a lot of text.
Graphically, there’s a lot to like about this title. Doraemon and company are well designed and have authentic sprites from the anime that look and act well. As mentioned earlier, the seasons change and you can enjoy new elements. In any season, it is always visually impressive.
As great as these visuals are, the maps are another source of frustration. Coupled with plot-based interruptions, it defies itself by slowing the pace of the game, making trekking between locales a chore.
Overall, Doraemon Seasons of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is a crossover title that is likely to appeal to fans of Doraemon and Seasons Story. If you don’t fit into both camps, stick to the more generic farm sim outings.
