An old RPG gets new life in this mash-up title. PopoloCrois is an old RPG series that is almost virtually unknown in the west and Story of Seasons is the new western name for Marvelous’ Bokujo Monogatari series. The two meet in a combination that feels very much like Rune Factory.

I got a chance at an early build of the game on the show floor, so I mostly only got exposure to the RPG side of things. In the traditional RPG style, players control a four-person party to traverse towns, talk to NPCs, do quests and defeat monsters in dungeon-like settings. Battle is random and turn-based, with a mini strategic element since characters are slightly limited in how far they can move on a map to attack. As an RPG veteran, it was extremely easy for me to pick up. It was all very familiar, but that’s definitely the vibe they appear to be going for. Other RPG staples like quest logs and skill trees also feature in this game.

The farming element of the game is actually optional, although it is incorporated closely into your main protagonist’s story. The land suffers from a blight, and stuck in a new world not his own, Prince Pietro seeks to rid the blight to awaken a goddess who might help him return home. But Pietro does actually have to survive on his own, so he must work his own land to take care of himself in the meantime. Again, the reps stressed that farming is optional if players choose to ignore it, but it adds something to pull you away from straight dungeon crawling all the time.

For RPG fans that want something with more charm than straight challenge, Return to PopoloCrois deserves a good look. And frankly, Marvelous has yet to really disappoint too much with their Bokujo titles, so even though I didn’t get a shot at farming in the demo, I’m not concerned for that aspect. While the vibe of the farming meets fantasy feels very Rune Factory, I think there is enough difference in the RPG story that it definitely won’t feel exactly the same.