Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Revitalizes a DS Classic

Thanks to Marvelous, Anime News Network was given a chance to preview Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar on the Nintendo Switch 2. A remake of the 2008 Nintendo DS title of the same name, Grand Bazaar completely revitalizes the game for a brand new generation of fans and newcomers alike.

The most immediate changes are graphical. Gone are the scratchy models of old; each character in Grand Bazaar has been lovingly re-created while staying true to the art style of the game. The characters and game are set in a quaint Dutch-esque nation, and the new graphics help bring their animated charm to life. Similarly, the many vistas of Zephyr Town have been completely reworked. While the town’s basic layout is the same, it has been understandably expanded. Random visitors will visit the town. They don’t do or say much, but it helps sell the illusion that Zephyr Town is a center of commerce.

As the name of the town implies, wind is a central feature of Grand Bazaar. Three large windmills dot the town; each of these is used for processing items, like turning weeds into fertilizer… or (somehow) turning precious stones into jewelry. The catch is that each windmill can only process so much, and each item takes a certain amount of time. Days with stronger winds mean your windmills process things faster. Add to that the Story of Seasons tradition of only having so much stamina per day, and it becomes rather vital to plan your days with the help of the local weather forecast.

Those windmills also force you to think ahead with how you upgrade your tools (your hoe, your watering can, your hatchet, and so on). What used to be simple purchasable upgrades now take actual time–time where you find yourself without certain tools needed around the farm. Do you take a day off from raising crops to instead roam and mine? Do you risk a day fishing and hope you can catch enough to make up for lost crops? Do you leave your tools at the windmill overnight and hope they’ll be ready in the morning? Or is using old equipment worth the possible drain on your stamina?

As for the titular Grand Bazaar itself, it too is a central feature, and one that the entire game revolves around. The Bazaar opens every Saturday, and you can sell your wares directly to the public. Longtime fans might be more used to the traditional method of simply leaving your goods in a box out on your farm, where they’re sold automatically at a certain time each day. Instead, you spend your week collecting various odds and ends with which to stock your bazaar: insects, fish, minerals, crops, and so on. Selling your goods becomes a fun, interactive minigame, drawing visitors’ attention to your goods.

But the bazaar isn’t just for selling goods–it’s also vital for purchasing. While there is a local store in town, its stock is limited during the week. The really good stuff is only sold during the bazaar, encouraging you to take time out of your busy market day to prepare for next week’s bazaar. Selling wares at your bazaar is vital to expand your purchasing options, but you must also recruit new shopkeepers from certain key visitors in town. Doing so lets you gain access to goodies like new outfits–or extra decorations for your shop. This also includes vital upgrades like expanding your inventory or creating extra plots of land for crops.

The bazaar also allows you to buy special gifts from the Nature Sprites, charming, fun-loving (and pun-loving) sprites that can be found wandering around town. Doing your daily tasks (farming, talking to the locals, mining, chopping wood, so on) grants you Happiness Points that you can redeem with the Nature Sprite’s stall for fun upgrades–like a double-jump or magic boxes that can instantly teleport your goods from one place to another without having to walk there.

As for Switch 2 functionality, Grand Bazaar benefits on the processing side: the game runs smoothly with no noticeable hiccups or stutters, even when the screen is filled with wandering visitors, gusts of wind, or fluttering petals. For now, players can look forward to curling up with their sweet farm getaway once Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar launches on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 this August 27.