Then and now: Doctor

This is a legacy article and was originally published August 28th, 2019.

So, clearly, one thing a lot of people noticed with the announcement of Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is that a lot of the characters have changed their appearance. While some of these changes are hit and miss, there’s a lot of changes that make sense! So I thought I would do a little series about them. So I present…

Then and now: Doctor!

Okay, so this one is going to be pretty difficult because… Doctor isn’t in Harvest Moon 64! At all! Flowerbud is far more old fashioned than Mineral Town and still has a local midwife and potion shop instead. Though I guess it’s worth noting that part of the Doctor’s update is that he’s simply no longer quite so old fashioned as he was before. The original Doctor’s design used a headmirror to reduce shadows during examinations, but that’s been outdated for a couple decades now, as well as dressed in all-white with a longer coat to show he passed certification for being a Doctor. Meanwhile, our modern Doctor is a little more casual with a set of comfortable clothes and only a clipboard and coat, that he now chooses to leave open, to give him away his profession. Though his hair now being neatly combed may also be to give the impression of a professional in the absence of the full uniform he used to wear.

His own looks aren’t the only thing that got an overhaul. The original Doctor’s office was also a very sterile environment, white floors and walls and easy to clean tiles. It’s a fair bit homier now, and fits a little more with the aesthetic of the overall village. Though it’s a little concerning that both iterations leave the stethoscope on their desk… that’s not obsolete yet!

It’s kind of a shame we never get to see the old doctors again, who as far as I know made no appearances whatsoever in future games (remarkably, not even in My Little Shop, which had a ton of throwback characters and mixed universes) but considering they’re both between 70 and 80 it’s probably for the best that Mineral Town has someone a little more modern taking care of them. Especially Ellen.