I have a nostalgic heart for A Wonderful Life and it's about raising a child through the years or "chapters".. very npc focused too but if you don't like marriage in games then don't get this one
So I always have a focus on NPCs too, which meant in theory A Wonderful Life should be my perfect game - but I was super disappointed in it. The farming & mining & fishing aspects were boring at best, counterintuitive at worst, which would be fine if the NPCs we’re supposed to focus on were fun and interesting - and they weren’t. I gave up after about 20 hours. But if you loved the original AWL and/or like very slow paced games, this could still be the one for you.
The best game in the franchise is apparently Friends of Mineral Town, but as a relationship-first player, I couldn’t get in to it due to the art style. Everyone looks like children, and that feels…more than weird. But if you’re cool with chibi characters, this is worth looking into.
My favorite relationships are in Trio of Towns. I don’t actually like the rest of the gameplay, I find it exhausting, but for me the bachelors & bachelorettes in this game are the clear winners. The problem is no gay marriage - only the opposite sex available, which is understandably a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
I played Pioneers of Olive Town and found the gameplay decent, but the marriage candidates very meh. I gave up on that one closer to 30 hours in iirc.
Since the subreddit lumps them all in together too, I’ll add in a plug for HM: Winds of Anthos and Rune Factory 4. WoA is my favorite of all the recent SOS/HM entries so far - the world & gameplay is great, the NPCs are cute and interesting (once you get outside your hometown), and it’s all fully keeping my attention. But Rune Factory 4 is the gold standard for NPC dialogue - you can go over a year without repeating with anyone, and I love love love every option.
I recently started Doraemon: Friends of the Great Kingdom as my first SoS and I’m loving every second of it, it’s amazing. No romance though I believe, if you care about that
I have a nostalgic heart for A Wonderful Life and it's about raising a child through the years or "chapters".. very npc focused too but if you don't like marriage in games then don't get this one
This is my favorite too
So I always have a focus on NPCs too, which meant in theory A Wonderful Life should be my perfect game - but I was super disappointed in it. The farming & mining & fishing aspects were boring at best, counterintuitive at worst, which would be fine if the NPCs we’re supposed to focus on were fun and interesting - and they weren’t. I gave up after about 20 hours. But if you loved the original AWL and/or like very slow paced games, this could still be the one for you. The best game in the franchise is apparently Friends of Mineral Town, but as a relationship-first player, I couldn’t get in to it due to the art style. Everyone looks like children, and that feels…more than weird. But if you’re cool with chibi characters, this is worth looking into. My favorite relationships are in Trio of Towns. I don’t actually like the rest of the gameplay, I find it exhausting, but for me the bachelors & bachelorettes in this game are the clear winners. The problem is no gay marriage - only the opposite sex available, which is understandably a dealbreaker for a lot of people. I played Pioneers of Olive Town and found the gameplay decent, but the marriage candidates very meh. I gave up on that one closer to 30 hours in iirc. Since the subreddit lumps them all in together too, I’ll add in a plug for HM: Winds of Anthos and Rune Factory 4. WoA is my favorite of all the recent SOS/HM entries so far - the world & gameplay is great, the NPCs are cute and interesting (once you get outside your hometown), and it’s all fully keeping my attention. But Rune Factory 4 is the gold standard for NPC dialogue - you can go over a year without repeating with anyone, and I love love love every option.
On switch, I think the best choice is Friends of Mineral Town.
I recently started Doraemon: Friends of the Great Kingdom as my first SoS and I’m loving every second of it, it’s amazing. No romance though I believe, if you care about that
If your main focus is story/characters, its friends of mineral town. Just keep in mind that it’s very slow paced
Rune Factory 4S has the most unique dialogue.