While we mostly loved the recent remake, one of the gripes we mentioned in our Friends of Mineral Town review last month was the loss of rival marriages. This is a relatively minor negative for Friends of Mineral Town in particular due to the nature of the system in the original game, where a lot of players missed it existing in the first place due to it took a minimum of 5 years before the last event between a couple could even occur… However, with more remakes on the horizon thanks to Mineral Town’s success, this is a potentially extremely concerning development for fans of certain classic games in the series.
Though rival marriages are in nearly every game in the “classic” side of the series, a handful of examples in particular stick out that fans are rightfully concerned about should they get their turn in the near future. In this article, I hope to cover two cases in particular: The Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo Wii games.
Flower Bud Village
Flower Bud Village is the original setting for the series, with players first visiting in 1996. The cast of the original games may not be as popular as their grandchildren, but they helped set up a lot of their visual and personality traits that would be carried into the sequel. One character in particular, Ellen, would manage to appear in both games, allowing players to see Ellen as both an energetic and spirited young woman and a 72-year-old little old lady.
Naturally, there’s plenty else to recognize in town after 40 or 50 years passing, but players will likely recognize Ellen first. Over the decades the town has grown and changed, and as you continue to play it will continue to change. New families come together, new kids are born, and sometimes people leave forever. Though you can continue playing after the game’s ending, it’s likely there will STILL be new events occurring and new lives being born in Flower Bud Village. The precedent set by the transition between the original two games was, personally, one of the most immediately compelling things about the series. Flower Bud Village itself was a growing, changing character. It’s been 20 years, but I still hope to some day see Flower Bud Village’s story continue.
Tree of Tranquility and Animal Parade
While the coming and going of life in Flower Bud Village is already an essential aspect of that game, the two Wii games take it to a whole new level. Each and every pairing that can potentially come together in town doesn’t just have a child that represents the town’s growth… they’re an active, growing character! Heath, Dakota, Van, Matt, Vivian, Angie, Roy, and Lucy make up a group of eight unique characters that will grow from tiny tots into full-fledged characters with likes, dislikes, and their own stories to tell.
If a remake of either of these beloved Wii games decided to remove rival marriages, there would be an immediate loss of eight characters that new players would never be able to meet. Each of their unique insights in their family, the world around them, events, letters, and even a school scene featuring all of them together would be lost.
I’m honestly not sure what else to say. I’m really excited about the future remakes the series will bring, particularly thanks to the huge influx of new fans who have experienced Mineral Town for the first time this past month since the international release of the game. Meeting all kinds of new players who are each enjoying the game, seeing all the new fan art, the hot takes, commentary, and everything is a joy to see. I can’t help but worry about the future though. While this particular feature has been divisive in the past, I strongly feel like any future remakes without it will suffer from the loss. Surely it could at least just be made optional for those who dislike it, right…?
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