Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar taught me that farming simulators don't have to follow the same routine to be just as fun as Stardew Valley this year

It takes a lot for a farming simulator to really impress me these days—I'm sure most avid cozy gamers will sympathise with me when I say that. Stardew Valley has had a lasting impact on me, let alone the cozy gaming space in general, and finding something that really lives up to the excitement of venturing into Pelican Town for the first time is becoming more and more challenging.

The genre continues to grow each year too, which is definitely making it harder to sift through and find a real diamond in the rough. However, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar showed me that you don't always have to present something brand new to make an impact.

I've always liked Story of Seasons games, especially when I was younger. But the remakes from the previous few years, like Friends of Mineral Town and Pioneers of Olive Town, have a slight jank to their appearance and I can't lie, they feel a little clunky to sit and play through.

As a result, I haven't managed to find a home in them like I did in Stardew Valley, which forced my hand into casting them aside and heading back into the familiar, smooth experience I already knew rather than sticking it out. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar strays from the pack however, and doesn't present any of these clunky mechanics I've seen in previous remakes.

Although it's got the same aesthetic as previous games, it's visually more impressive, too. Characters feel developed and fleshed out, with engaging dialogue to help you feel connected to the town. They also have entirely different preferences and gifts, which yes, does make pursuing any marriage candidates slightly more challenging, but it certainly helps to make the game feel fresh rather than just regurgitating the information I had already memorised from the first release in 2008.

In fact, it's the first farming simulator I've played since Stardew Valley where I've become obsessed with knowing the on-goings in the town, especially all the small-town gossip that Zephyr Town thrives on. The way Grand Bazaar sinks its hooks into you and pulls you into its world is what made it such a memorable experience this year.

These interactions are encouraged by the constant stream of in-game events the game hosts, too. Each season you'll get to participate in things such as a pet show, Honey Day, and a festival, tasking you with gifting as many flowers as you can.

It's basically a way to get you more familiar with the townsfolk and develop your relationships, but it's also a fantastic opportunity to let your competitive side show. After all, who doesn't love bringing home a gold trophy? Each award you earn gets displayed in your farmhouse too, so you sort of have to gun for gold.

But even the hours you spend doing your own thing never get tedious. It's hard to get bored of farming as you've got so much to do, whether that's taking your materials to windmills throughout Zephyr Town, tending to your farm animals, or those classic farming sim features like fishing, mining, or foraging.

In particular, being able to run around and catch bugs with my bare hands was a highlight, only because it scratches the Animal Crossing itch and isn't something even a farming simulator as popular as Stardew Valley features. Honestly, more games need to let you go out and become feral while hunting down cicadas.

Having the aim of a successful bazaar at the end of the week certainly helps to keep you on your toes too, and I completely underestimated the power of having one single task to guide you in a farming simulator where you're usually so independent. I took so much pride in making sure I made the most money as I possibly could each week it was almost embarrassing.

It was well worth the effort though, as levelling up your bazaar rank feels genuinely rewarding alongside the money you bring in. Plus, it's a more engaging way to make money compared to the traditional routine of shoving whatever you've harvested into a box, only for it to be mysteriously exchanged for gold coins overnight.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar really showed me that farming simulators still have a lot of life in them yet, especially after playing and being so disappointed by so many. After having such a history with Story of Seasons remakes and not feeling particularly strongly about them, I'm thrilled that one has finally come along and blown me away. I've got hundreds of hours to put into Grand Bazaar before it starts to feel stale yet, and I can't wait to spend 2026 convincing all my fellow farming enthusiasts to do the same.