After 92 hours with Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar, I can safely confirm 2025 is indeed the year of the cozy game and the beloved farming sim series that inspired Stardew Valley is so back

It's 2010… I'm 11 years old, and I'm playing Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar on my shimmery pastel pink Nintendogs-themed DS Lite. My little market stand is chugging along, and all is well in life. How could things get any better than this? I didn't know at the time, but I'd find myself running yet another virtual bazaar over a decade later in 2025 – and although I'm 26 now and the world seems far more complicated than it used to, I feel like that same kid.

I have Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar to thank for that – Marvelous' enchanting remake of the DS game that had me lost for many an after-school hour under its spell. I went into the revamped farming sim excited, but admittedly, not sure what to expect. Is this a remaster, or something more? I'm no stranger to Story of Seasons, the more contemporary line of Harvest Moon titles (following the developers' 2014 split from Natsume), however.

I've played and genuinely enjoyed – as controversial to longtime stans as some of them may be – all of them, and Grand Bazaar might just shine the brightest. In a year that's already marked by so many cozy game gems, from Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time to Story of Seasons spin-off Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, the remake stands as further proof that the genre is at its best right now.

Cream of the crop

The cutesy, colorful visuals I've come to expect of new Story of Seasons entries strike me as soon as I first open Grand Bazaar, and coupled with the charming Moo Moo Meadows-esque music, I'm immediately hooked on my virtual rural life. The character customization options are surprisingly diverse – I pick a soft "milk tea" hair color and spend a solid 15 minutes cycling between my favorite eye design options before settling.

Once I've got my character, pronouns, and birthday sorted out, I pick a name for my farm and settle into Zephyr Town – my new home. I start with a generous enough plot of land fit for planting, a comfy home with an already built-in kitchen for all my cooking needs, and a barn in which I soon house my very first chicken: Mayo. As I'm introduced to the game's rhythm, between my daily fertilizing and watering to setting up shop at the weekly bazaar, I quickly remember why I fell in love with the original Grand Bazaar.

The gameplay loop isn't just cozy – it ticks all of the usual farming sim boxes, sure, with bug catching, crafting, fishing, harvesting, and the like – but it's unique, and that's all thanks to the bazaar that takes place every weekend. I don't simply ship all of my crops, materials, and recipes in a container for money. Instead, I try to sell as much as I possibly can at my stand, ringing my trusty bell for attention and sprucing things up with decor to attract customers.

That's how I level up the town, too, completing quests for new shopkeepers to unlock more stands and, of course, for love interests between bazaar days. When I'm not farming, selling, or questing, I get to partake in genre stans' most beloved activities. I chop wood, mine rocks, search for rare critters and fish, and chat with the locals. Grand Bazaar strikes a near-perfect balance between relaxing gameplay and its fast-paced shop-selling mechanics.

A legen-dairy remake

Grand Bazaar leaves me wanting more every time I have to step away from my controller. I look forward to its colorful, cartoon-y animals and villagers, as well as its nostalgia-inducing gameplay loop. It's all I've ever really wanted from a Harvest Moon remake – something that stays undeniably true to its original counterpart but brings fresh visuals and comfortable controls better known by modern audiences – and that's what Marvelous has provided.

Nothing feels tedious in-game (no, not even the day-to-day watering or traversing the map on foot to start). There's a sprinkle of whimsy in the air – one that the colorful little sprites who help cheer me on at my bazaar stand certainly add to – that's difficult to find in other titles, including farming sims. I'm glad that developers chose to remake Grand Bazaar, as much as I'd adore seeing a new Animal Parade or Magical Melody.

It's a life-experience-meets-farming-game-meets-shopkeeper-sim blend that's hard to come by, and I can't wait to play more. This is the W that the cozy gaming community and the Story of Seasons series alike need – I just hope more whimsical remakes come of its success in the future. This one should reach both longtime Harvest Moon lovers and newcomers alike, though, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it as a day one purchase.

After a good 92 hours clocked in-game, I can safely conclude that the beloved farming sim series that inspired Stardew Valley is back with another banger in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have crops to tend to, animals to ring into the pasture, and a shop to prepare. The clock is ticking, customers are pouring into the plaza, and one very eager Zephyr Town mayor is watching from afar.

While you're here, have a browse through some of the other most exciting new games coming this year and beyond to keep an eye on.