It's the time of the season

For a new Harvest Moon game:

Always pre-order the games that come with adorable bunnies

I haven't always been a fan of the Harvest Moon franchise.  Simulated farming?  Who wants to do that?  I attempted to play a version for the PlayStation but the hours in the day went by too quickly and I'd find my little farmer fainting before he could even plant one lousy field.  Years later I decided to give it another shot on my DS with Harvest Moon:  Grand Bazaar.  I sunk hours and hours into the game.  I dreamed about it.  I named my children after its characters.  Then I got to a stopping point and I ended up trading it in.
Then came The Tale of Two Towns which just never quite filled the hole in my heart left by Grand Bazaar.  So I was skeptical  when my local Game Stop advisers tried to talk up Story of Seasons.

GSA:  "But, you love Harvest Moon-type games.  We know you'll like it."

Me:  "I can't just be giving my heart to random games that don't make me feel like I'm the only player for them.   I want a love like I had with Grand Bazaar."

GSA:  "If you pre-order, you get this adorable stuffed rabbit!"

Me:  "Shut up and take my money!"

Story of Seasons (SoS for brevity's sake) has a lot of features customary to most of the Harvest Moon games:
You find yourself the owner of a rundown farm
You buy animals and raise crops
You can hunt around town for herbs, flowers, building materials, etc.
You can build relationships with your fellow townsfolk and, eventually, get hitched
The Nature Sprites make an appearance in this game (What can you do with them?  Um, let me get back to you on that.)

SoS features a Trade Depot where people from neighboring towns come to hawk their wares.  This is where you can buy animals and tools, materials, and seeds that aren't found in your town.  You can also swim in the surrounding rivers to find fish and materials like gem stones and iron.  Blueprints are needed to build animal houses, a refrigerator, fences for your farm, and for upgrading your farm tools.
As you progress in the game, it is possible to rent other fields that have special purposes like mushroom farming and beekeeping.  The only problem is you have to compete with the other farmers in town for the rights to use the fields.  One of the farmers lives in a damn mansion!  Seriously?  I can't compete with that.   Must be nice when all your farming is handled by the hired help.
I spend the majority of my farming day working on my fields and taking care of my animals.  One of my cows had a baby.  So freaking exciting.  I can't wait to be able to raise angora rabbits and llamas and whatever other critters SoS throws my way.
The relationship aspect bores me.  I talk to everyone in town, but I find the intricacies of finding a man to settle down with to be too tedious.  I have to cook his favorite meal so he'll like me?  How fucking cliche!  I just want to harvest my turnips and play with my cows and chickens.
I'm a loner, Dottie.  A rebel.