Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Review

Game: Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Genre: Simulation
System: Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 (also Steam (Windows))
Developer | Publisher: Marvelous | Marvelous (XSEED)
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Switch/Switch2 Price: US $49.99/$59.99 | UK £44.99/£49.99 | EU € 49,99/€ 59,99
Release Date: August 27th, 2025

Review code provided with many thanks to Decibel PR

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar has a history: there was a DS game in 2010 called Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar. And yes, the new game is based on that one. But it’s not just a remake, it’s so much more! Let’s take a deeper look.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows the female protagonist standing on a dirt path at night, gazing up a gently winding hill illuminated by lanterns. She wears a wide-brimmed hat with a flower design, a red jacket, and striped socks. The path is flanked by grassy terraces, wooden fences, and glowing lights, with pine trees and rocky cliffs in the background. The deep blue night sky is dotted with stars and scattered clouds, creating a peaceful and magical atmosphere. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Night time in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar.

Grand Bazaar on the DS

There are many Harvest Moon titles, same as there are many Story of Seasons titles, all of them revolving around managing a farm from scratch. Sowing crops, milking and brushing cows, tending your chickens to get eggs, and foraging in nature to earn money. Some of the titles have a specific goal of, for instance, earning enough money to save the town. Others just have the goal of unlocking all that can be unlocked in the game, like new areas or all sorts of crops.

One title was special – Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar. In this game you tended your farm too, and you got to make all sorts of dishes and products with your crops. But your goal was to sell them once a week at the bazaar, trying to maximise your profit.

I thoroughly enjoyed Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar when I played it in 2010. It was at times frantic, but always fun to prepare for the upcoming market to have the best products to sell. So when news came of a release on the Switch, I was very happy to review it. And if you’re curious why it’s now called Story of Seasons, find out more about the Harvest Moon to Story of Seasons name change here!

Screenshot from the DS game Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar. Published on LadiesGamers — This is a screenshot from the DS game Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar

Farming in Zephyr Town

In Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar you arrive in the breezy mountain town of Zephyr Town and meet Felix. Wow, that is some character, that mayor isn’t he? With his hot-blooded enthusiasm he works tirelessly to restore the town’s once-thriving bazaar. He asks you to revive the farm, and with its produce, to man a stall at the bazaar every week. His reasoning is that by reviving the bazaar, more vendors will want to join and with that, Zephyr Town will thrive too.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows Felix, a cheerful older man with a golden beard, glasses, and a tall black top hat, striking a confident pose with one hand on his chin. He wears a white shirt with red and green embroidery and stands against a dramatic blue burst background with rays of light. The dialogue box reads, “Keep it up, and we’ll reach the next rank before we know it!” Below the text are options for Skip, Autoplay, and Log. The scene conveys encouragement and progress in the game’s bazaar ranking system. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Mayor Felix.. what enthusiasm!

For you as a farmer that means grow crops, take care of animals, fish, and forage. And all of that can be turned into valuable goods to sell, by cooking or by working with the windmills. One by one, you will unlock them to harness Zephyr Town’s unique wind currents to process raw materials into items like cheese, perfume, fertiliser and more.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar captures a vibrant town scene with cobbled streets, colourful houses, and a stone bridge crossing a gently flowing canal. In the foreground, a character with brown hair and a yellow-striped outfit stands to the right, partially facing the camera. Across the canal, two townsfolk chat near a flower stall, with banners and lampposts lining the street. The background features pine-covered cliffs under a bright blue sky with drifting petals, creating a cheerful and welcoming atmosphere. Published on: LadiesGamers. — A view from the riverbank on Zephyr Town

There are festivals and special events in town, and no Story of Season game is complete of course without some romance and Grand Bazaar is no exception. You can choose from twelve potential partners, including new characters that weren’t in the Harvest Moon version, like Arata and Diana. And if you are successful you can marry and even start a family.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows two adult characters and three children interacting in a sunny town square. The woman on the left wears a green bonnet and a teal dress with a white apron decorated with pink flowers. The female protagonist stands beside her in a red beret and matching outfit. The three children, all with pink hair and colourful dresses, appear to be playing or greeting the adults. Behind them is a raised flower bed with bright orange blooms and a notice board. The scene is cheerful and lively, highlighting community life in Zephyr Town. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The villagers are more fleshed out and have more to say!

Management Simulation Game

If you’ve played Grand Bazaar before, you may be wondering if this is a remake. In my opinion, it isn’t. So much work has been done on this game, I’d almost say it’s an entirely new game with familiar surroundings and gameplay elements.

The basics, of course, are all there. You can grow a variety of crops from everyday vegetables to specialty plants, each tying into the season. Lots of hoeing, watering and fertilising needs to be done, but right from the start they make it easier for you. Pressing B to jump and Y at the same time lets you work on three tiles simultaneously and that works for all actions.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows the female protagonist standing in the middle of a neatly arranged crop field at 6:44 PM on Spring 19 (Wednesday). She’s surrounded by rows of healthy plants, including soybeans and white flowers, growing in rich brown soil bordered by red bricks. A notification reads “Rod Durability Up Lv. 1,” and the selected crop is labelled “Soybean.” The field is set within a grassy area enclosed by a white picket fence, with a watering can and scarecrow nearby. The scene reflects productive farm life in the early evening. Published on: LadiesGamers. — My farming field at the start of the game

You can raise animals and have pets. Care for cows, chickens, sheep, alpacas and such, and you can use their produce, like milk, eggs and wool, in dishes and clothes. You’ve got a kitchen for cooking, but it’s a simple affair. Just make sure you know the recipe by buying the dish at the local restaurant and eating it. Then cooking is just pressing a button and voila, your pickled onions are done. Do keep in mind though that produce and dishes you made loose their freshness after a while, so try to make the dishes shortly before the bazaar.

The windmills are a nice addition to Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. As soon as you unlock the first windmill there are many things to make from raw materials. Zephyr is a windy city, and when the weather forecast shows a day with high winds, you’ll know your windmills produce faster.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows the female protagonist inside a steampunk-style interior of a windmill with exposed brick walls and large mechanical gears. She stands on a wooden platform facing a stout character in a red cap and apron. Behind them are metallic machines with pipes, valves, and a glowing furnace. Wooden barrels and crates are stacked nearby, and a green cabinet with a paper notice is positioned beside a staircase leading down to a stone floor. The scene suggests an industrial setting, possibly related to crafting or upgrading tools. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Finally, the first windmill is finished

Bazaar Saturdays

Unlike your usual Story of Seasons games, this one revolves around the Bazaar that is held on Saturdays. So instead of a shipping bin, you sell your goods directly at the town’s bustling bazaar. You can of course sell them to the mercantile store in town, but to get a better price and up the reputation of the Bazaar (and the town), it’s better to save your things and sell them at the bazaar.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows a young girl standing outside a charming farmhouse with a blue-tiled roof, surrounded by green grass and colourful wildflowers. The on-screen interface displays the date as Spring 6 (Thursday) at 10:04 AM. The girl wears a red beret, red jacket, and white dress, and stands on a sunlit dirt path. The farmhouse features flower boxes, barrels, a mailbox with a chicken sign, and a white picket fence in the background. Published on: LadiesGamers. — It may not be much, but this is home sweet home at the start

You have your very own stall, with a number of slots that go up as the level of the Bazaar grows. Before opening, you choose which of your products you want to sell. You put a first selection on the table and wait for customers to arrive. You can attract them to your stall by ringing a bell. They will then ask for what you have displayed, or a thought bubble will show which item they actually need, so you can quickly switch to the right one.

The earnings rake up quickly, more so if you decorate your stall. Earning more is good: you need it to buy a bigger bag, bigger storage or some abilities you can buy from Mayor Felix, like making a double jump. The Bazaar is also the place to buy things, as even Miguel from the Mercantile has more selection of seeds. Once the level of the Bazaar goes up, more stalls are added with your help.

The stall in the bazaar is shown, with the items for sale and customers lining up. Published on LadiesGamers — The bazaar, with produce and products for sale. Ring that bell!

Grand Bazaar on the Switch and Switch 2

Where the DS version focused mainly on the Bazaar and getting your wares ready, the Story of Seasons version pays more attention to other elements too. The villagers and potential marriage candidates have a lot to say, not just the standard lines. There are small cut scenes that you come upon in town or on the mountains, featuring one of your neighbours. There are many things to do, requests to fulfil so that you will never have to be bored.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows the female protagonist bending forward to greet five colourful, child-sized characters dressed in whimsical animal and flower-themed costumes. They stand on a stone path surrounded by soft green grass and glowing blue flowers. Each character wears a unique hat resembling a creature or plant, including a red dinosaur, a white sheep, a blue bird, a sunflower, and a bee. The scene is bright and playful, highlighting the game’s charming and imaginative style. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Meet the Nature Sprites

Little nature sprites are added, calling themselves the Cheer Squad when the Bazaar is in session. You have to hit a certain goal by helping customers quickly and reacting speedy to their thought bubbles for special needs. They provide temporary boosts, like faster sales, higher prices, improved product quality and increased customer satisfaction.

On non-bazaar days, you can visit the sprites in their hidden grove or designated area. They’ll offer to trade items you’ve collected, netting you rare seeds, decorative items for your stall or farm, or special crafting materials. Each sprite has its own affinity: Finley for crops and flowers, Ivy for animal products, Honey for processed goods, Penny for foraged items and fish, and Webby for mixed bundles of high quality goods.

A colourful look at the town square with the main character flying around with a glider. Published on LadiesGamers — Flying around with my cow-print glider

There were already springy barrels in the old game, but now you also get a glider with which you can soar even higher. A good way to make use of the Zephyr winds. A nice touch too that you can collect different designs for it. And another thing was added: eating certain dishes gives you a temporary boost in various things, like a sturdiness to your fishing rod, or the ability to walk faster.

Some Other Things

Visually, Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is a joy. The characters look so cute and colourful after the pixelated original characters. The conversations are fully voice-acted, which is pretty special! Controls are easy to learn, though it’s a pity the storage at home isn’t accessed in the windmills or at your cooking island. It seems to me that is a quality of life feature they should have added. And I miss a camera that can look around freely.

Fishing is well implemented as an activity, but really: catching bugs is so difficult (you catch them by hand…) that even 30 hours into the game, I haven’t caught a single one.

A screenshot from Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar shows the female protagonist standing on a wooden viewing platform overlooking a stunning mountain landscape at sunset. In the distance, a crater lake sits nestled among snow-capped peaks and rolling green hills. The foreground features a dense forest of pine trees, and the sky glows with warm orange and purple hues. The interface shows the time as 5:32 PM on Spring 11 (Tuesday), with a notification for “Chat Friendship Boost Lv. 2.” The scene captures a moment of quiet reflection and natural beauty. Published on: LadiesGamers. — There are lookout points throughout the game, lovely vista!

The background tunes are happy and relaxing. They are designed to evoke a warm, nostalgic atmosphere that complements the cosy rhythm of farm life and the bustling charm of the bazaar. The soundtrack is also released as a commercial CD included with the Premium Edition of the game for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Conclusion for Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is every bit as fun as I remembered from the original and more. Managing my products to have a weekly smashing bazaar is addictive, and most weeks I can’t wait for Saturday to roll by. All the other elements of a good farming sim are there, even socialising feels more fleshed out than in the DS game.

If you’re a fan of farming sims and the management part of a game appeals to you, this is one to go for, whether you played the original or not. For this isn’t just a remake, it feels like a new game! The few minor issues I have with the game keep it from having our highest score, but still, a wonderful gem!

Final verdict: I Like it a Lot

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2 comments

Nikki_boagreis says:

August 26, 2025 at 10:13 am

Im curious if Grand Bazaar is a Nintendo Switch exclusive title or is it a limited time exclusive title and eventually release on PlayStation like the other Story of Season games. I pre-ordered Grand Bazaar for the Switch 2, but i really want it on PlayStation.

1. Yvonne van Geloven says:
  
  August 26, 2025 at 4:25 pm
  
  Thanks for reading! For now, the game is a available only on Switch and Steam. No news yet about a release on PlayStation.