Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life has revamped the marriage requirements that were a core part of the original game. Because of this, players will find themselves spending more time than they are likely used to caring for their family and raising a child. However, much of the information needed to successfully get married and raise a healthy child isn’t provided in the game, making success a process of trial and error.
In this guide, A Wonderful Life players can learn everything they need to know about every marriage candidate, how to get married, how to have a child and raise their little darling to adulthood while managing their homestead filled with crops and animals.
Table of Contents
- How to Get Married
- All Marriage Candidates
- Same-Sex Marriage
- How To Get The Blue Feather
- How to Have a Baby
- Caring For Toddler – Year 2
- Caring for Child – Year 3
How to Get Married in SoS: A Wonderful Life
To get married in A Wonderful Life, players will need to build a relationship with one of eight eligible single people in Forgotten Valley.
It is important to note that players must be engaged by the end of the first year. Otherwise, the game will not be able to progress. This is because marriage and having a child are key mechanics in the game, and play a much bigger part in story progression than other recent titles.
In A Wonderful Life, players will automatically get married at the end of year one during the montage cutscene. There are no dresses or ceremonies to plan. Instead, the main character and their fiancée have a private ceremony by the Goddess Pond.
All Marriage Candidates in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Players will have the opportunity to date eight different people in A Wonderful Life. Each of these characters has a unique personality, preferences, and interests that make them stand out from each other. Players can spend time getting to know each one before deepening the relationship, ensuring there is plenty of opportunity to make choices.
Nami
Nami is the character I romanced for this playthrough. She begins her journey in Forgotten Valley at the Inn, and is known for being a bit brash and standoffish. She has an unpredictable schedule, and is one of the more difficult characters to marry. She likes Milky Soup, which can be made right away starting Spring of year one.
It is important to note that we found Nami’s parenting style after marriage to be distant, which can cause some sadness with the child you share. This will be something worth considering if players choose to date her.
Molly
Molly works and lives at the café in town. She is sweet, openly friendly, and quick to confide in those who will listen. She has struggled with dating, often keeping boyfriends who live in the city, and sometimes feels self conscious about choosing to live in a tiny town like Forgotten Valley.
Lumina
Lumina is one of the new dateable NPCs in A Wonderful Life. She lives with her grandmother Romana in the mansion at the top of the hill above town and spends her time playing the piano. She is very soft-spoken and shy, opting to avoid crowded areas. Her story, being new, has plenty of fresh details for those who played the original titles and want to find a new life with someone in Forgotten Valley.
Cecilia
Cecilia is a well-loved character by those who played A Wonderful Life and its rereleases back in the early 2000s. She is a sweet, genuine person with a love of nature and farming. Players will find her living alongside Matt at Vesta’s farm across the bridge from the homestead. She loves the rain and will be found outside in it, rather than taking shelter. She is also quite taken with the main character at the start of the game, making her easy to track down.
Gordy
Gordy is the other new dateable character in A Wonderful Life, reimagining the character Cody from the original games. The young artist can be found punching sculptures into metal around his camper, or walking through the forests as he contemplates life, nature, and his next projects. He is officially the hardest romance option in the game and requires a good deal of dedication to marry. Despite his tough-guy looks, he is openly sweet and thoughtful.
Gustafa
Like Gordy, Gustafa has also gotten a makeover. His exaggerated features from the original game have been replaced with a kind, easy-going design – most notably, the handsome stubble on his face. He loves to play music around town, and can also be found sitting and strumming away at the Goddess Pound. He is easy to romance and very likeable.
Rock
Rock is a frustratingly immature and unmotivated character that lives with his parents at the Inn. His general attitude is not wanting to do work, and players will often find him loafing around the village. He spends most of his time talking about wanting out of responsibilities and is always looking for ways to sneak away and do what he wants.
Matthew
Matthew lives with Cecilia on Vesta’s farm, and has tasked himself with “protecting her”. Players who want to romance Matthew will find him distracted by his dedication to Cecilia, which can make getting his attention difficult. He is dark, broody, and reserved, and players can often find him walking moodily around town or lurking in Vesta’s gardens.
Is There Same-Sex Marriage in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Players can enter same-sex relationships in A Wonderful Life. All eight characters looking to settle down can be dated regardless of the player’s chosen gender. This feature, which was first introduced in more recent Story of Seasons titles, offers better diversity and creates a more enjoyable experience for anyone looking to settle down in Forgotten Valley.
Additionally, A Wonderful Life is the first title to introduce “They/Them” pronouns. I was able to test these out and loved them immensely. I think my only wish was to be able to pick what my child calls me. Having the option to set what sort of parental name to go by would have deepened the emotional connection that much further.
Romance Events in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life shakes up the dating formula from the original games up, creating a more streamlined process. Players will see fewer event scenes when dating, with the first occurring after meeting each of the NPCs for the first time, and others triggering under certain circumstances for each character.
The stories of the original characters have also changed a bit, as some of the elements of these tales from the original A Wonderful Life storyline weren’t the strongest or most sensitive narratives – specifically for the female characters. The new stories keep elements of the originals, but allow characters more freedom and autonomy within themselves.
The two most important festival events to attend are the Summer Firework Festival and the Winter Meteor Shower Festival. During the Firework Festival, players can choose a partner to see the fireworks with, while during the Meteor Festival, a wish can be made to strengthen the relationship with a selected partner.
How to Get The Blue Feather in SoS: A Wonderful Life
The Blue Feather is an item used to propose to a love interest in Story of Seasons games. To obtain it in A Wonderful Life, players simply need to progress forward through the Spring of year one. I was gifted the Blue Feather by the Sprites at the end of Spring and then held it in my inventory until I was ready to propose.
To use the Blue Feather, present it as a gift to the character you would like to marry. I did this with Nami when her affection for me was in the pink, and she had full hearts. In the original A Wonderful Life game, you could propose after reaching four hearts, but I wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to be rejected before giving it a shot.
How To Have a Baby in SoS: A Wonderful Life
Starting in Chapter 2, “Branching”, players will now have a child to take care of. You can pick the gender of the child during the wedding ceremony, when the player and their partner talk about future children. The options offer having a girl, having a boy, or leaving it up to chance. I left it up to chance when marrying Nami and had a daughter.
Caring for Your Toddler in Year 2
During Chapter 2, players will need to care for their toddlers. The child will appear to be around two or three and can communicate needs through basic sentences. Depending on who the player marries, the toddler will also have specific preset skills and interests. For example, Nami and Gordy both have children inclined toward art, while Cecilia’s child prefers farming.
To influence these interests and expand your child’s future, it is important to purchase toys from Van and put them in the toybox in the house on the farmstead. They can also be taken out of the box and shown to the toddler, alongside any other items or objects that might help influence their development.
Players will also need to pick up and carry their child around the town, introducing them to different people and exposing them to work around the farm. This will help influence their interests and possible careers as they grow.
It is also important to pick up, cuddle, talk to, and toss your child regularly, as it raises the relationship bar with them at this critical age. At this time, there doesn’t seem to be an overuse of this mechanic, but not doing it will impact your child’s relationship with you moving forward.
Buying the Bucket in Year 2
During the Summer of Year 2, on day 3, players will have the chance to obtain a bulletin board request from Lou. This request will ask for x1 Energy Drink in exchange for a Blue Kid’s Bucket.
Buying this bucket will activate a cutscene with your partner and child that focuses on a day at the beach. The bonding moment is important for your child’s development and also allows the Conch Shell to appear on a shelf in the player’s home.
Caring for Your Child in Year 3
In Chapter 3, “Blessings”, the player’s child will age to around five or six years old. At this time, the child can no longer be picked up and begins to show personality traits unique to their interests. For example, Nami’s child is very interested in books and academics and still finds art stimulating.
This is also the time when mistakes during year two can be seen. For example, I had no idea I needed to pick my child up and take them places as a baby. Because of this, she often seems depressed and unhappy. Needless to say, I am regretting some parenting choices.
At this stage, it will be harder to influence your child’s interests, but they can receive gifts and will look at most things they are shown and offer commentary.
Finding the Plant Encyclopedia
Like the bucket in Year Two, players will again have the opportunity to obtain a special item in the Spring of Year Three. To get this item, answer the Bulletin Board request from Baddoch for x2 Health Drinks. Doing this will earn the Plant Encyclopedia.
Obtaining this will trigger a cutscene with you, your spouse, and your child. For us, this specifically happened with Nami’s child. This cutscene could be different, or focus on a different item, depending on the child’s natural interests, but we don’t have the data to confirm this at the time of writing.
After obtaining the Plant encyclopedia, it will remain on the shelf in the house under the save journal.
** THIS GUIDE IS STILL IN PROGRESS AND WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE**
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