If you were playing a Game Boy Advance back in the early 2000s, there's a good chance you will have run into Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, which many consider to be one of the best Harvest Moon games of all time. Well, it was remade a few years ago for Xbox, and now we're getting that version on Xbox Game Pass next week.
It's now called Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, and it's described as a "reimagining" of the GBA title with much-improved graphics. The reviews are good too, with a "Very Positive" rating on Steam and a Metacritic high of 77 for the Nintendo Switch version. Here's what our sister site Nintendo Life had to say in their 8/10 review:
"If you’re looking for something to fill that post-Animal Crossing hole in your life, or are just simply a fan of the farm sim genre in general, don’t miss out on this one."
We'll throw some screenshots for Friends of Mineral Town below, but you should also keep in mind that a remake of the Nintendo GameCube title, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, is also coming to Xbox next week on June 27th, but that'll be a full-priced release. If you end up loving Friends of Mineral Town, it might be worth considering.
Here are some more details about Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town ahead of its Game Pass release:
"Your farming life begins in Mineral Town, a charming village surrounded by nature. You've returned after many years to restore your late grandfather's farm to its former glory. Care for crops, livestock, and more as your very own story of seasons unfolds."