Matthew is one of the harder bachelors to romance and marry in Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. This is partly due to his standoffish nature and how hard it can be to find the gifts he likes. But don’t worry if you have your heart set on Matthew being your man. You can win this bachelor to be your husband with the right strategy.
Use this guide to learn how to romance Matthew, how to trigger his Heart Events, and the best gifts to give him.
How to Romance Matthew
Romancing Matthew involves giving him gifts he likes and witnessing his Heart Events while picking the right dialogue options. You can break past Matthew’s rough exterior once you raise enough Heart Levels, and he’ll agree to marry you at the end of Chapter 1.
While you don’t need to see all of Matthew’s Heart Events to romance and marry him, it does help you get closer to this bachelor. You need at least 8 Hearts from Matthew before he’ll agree to marry you. You’ll get the chance to propose to him when you get the Blue Feather during Day 10 of Spring or at the end of Chapter 1, where you’ll be given a list of marriage candidates. If your Heart Level with Matthew isn’t high enough, he won’t show up on this list, and you can’t marry him.
You can check how much Matthew likes you by opening the Resident Info menu or by checking Matthew’s diary, which can be found in Vesta’s House on the ground floor on the right in the gap between the two tables. Matthew can only be romanced until the end of Chapter 1 before you’re forced by the game to marry someone or leave Forgotten Valley forever. If your Heart Level with Matthew isn’t high enough by the end of Year 1, you won’t be able to marry him.
Matthew is arguably the hardest to marry of all the romance options because his Heart Events have so many chances to give you a negative reaction. It’s easy to avoid these so long as you act nice and say positive things about the valley and farming in general.
Matthew Schedule
Pay attention to Matthew’s schedule, as this will show when you can interact with him, when you can give him gifts, etc. Matthew is one of the early risers and will be up by 6 AM. From then on, you can find him inside Vesta’s Farmhouse or in the fields working until 1 PM in the afternoon.
Matthew won’t leave Vesta’s Farm until 4 PM, where he’ll relax at the Bluebird Café until 6 PM. Afterwards, you can find him hanging around Vesta’s Farmhouse until he finally goes back to his bedroom at 9:30 PM.
The only time Matthew’s schedule changes is when Van is in town. In the mornings, you can find him over at the Dig Site near the Waterfall. Matthew doesn’t stray too far from Vesta’s Farm, so you can usually find him there.
If you’re having trouble locating him, pull up the map which shows you his location.
Matthew Heart Events
You have until Day 10 of Winter to witness all of Matthew’s Heart Events. These optional events can be triggered under the right conditions which help you get closer to Matthew especially when you pick the right dialogue options.
Here are how to trigger each of Matthew’s Heart Events:
Matthew Heart Event 1
- Time: 7 AM to 6 PM
- Location: Vesta’s Farmhouse
- Requirement: 2 Heart Levels
Enter Vesta’s Farmhouse and Matthew will amusingly try his hand at small talk with you. He’ll give up shortly before asking what it is you want. Pick “What do you like to do in your free time?” Then after Matthew tells you he likes spending time at the Bluebird Café tell him “Can’t get enough of ’em” when asked if you like vegetables. When Matthew offers his hand at helping you raise vegetables, pick “You’re so nice! Thank you” and this will earn more affection with him.
Matthew Heart Event 2
- Time: 7 AM to 12 PM
- Location: Vesta’s Farm
- Requirement: 4 Heart Levels
For this event to trigger it needs to be sunny outside and Matthew can’t be inside Vesta’s Farmhouse. You also need to enter Vesta’s Farmhouse and then exit. This is when you’ll see Matthew working the fields and you can ask him what’s wrong. Pick the dialogue option “I want to hear it” and Matthew will assume you’ll make fun of him. Say “I don’t!” and the conversation will continue. Finally pick “It’s okay” as picking any other option will decrease his affection for you.
Matthew Heart Event 3
- Time: 11 AM to 6 PM
- Location: Bridge to Vesta’s Farm
- Requirement: 6 Heart Levels
This Heart Event is only available during the Winter or Autumn seasons and you need to have at least seen the previous Heart Events before this one. As you walk by, you’re greeted by Cecilia with Matthew also acknowledging you’re there. Cecilia doesn’t feel well but tells you not to worry and you should chat with Matthew for a bit. When Matthew confesses he wants to talk to you, say “Yes.” Matthew will then ask if you’re enjoying yourself in the Forgotten Valley. Respond with “It’s good.”
Matthew Heart Event 4
- Time: 11 AM to 6 PM
- Location: Windmills near Vesta’s Farm
- Requirement: 8 Heart Levels
To trigger this event, it needs to be at least Autumn or Winter season which is near the end of Year 1 and you also need to have witnessed Heart Event 3. You’ll find Matthew at the windmills brooding, telling you he isn’t in the mood to talk. Ask him “What’s wrong?” and he’ll tell you about how he couldn’t find a job at the city and that his health is still recovering. Matthew is scared he’ll never recover to tell him “That can’t be right” and he’ll tell you to leave him alone. Persist and shake your head in disagreement which will earn some affection points with him.
Best Gifts to Give Matthew
Here are the best gifts you can give to Matthew:
- High Grade Crops
- Herbal Soup
- Curry
- Energy Drink
- Power Drink
- Hyber Drink
Pay attention to Matthew’s pose, he won’t accept gifts when his hands are in his pockets. Whenever he’s free though, you should focus on giving him high quality crops which Matthew really likes. But considering his health, Matthew will also love gifts like Energy Drinks which you can get from Van’s Shop. He probably uses it to get as much energy as he can thanks to his condition.
Other gifts Matthew likes is curry. Mushroom Curry and Hot Curry are amongst his favorite. Herbal Soup is another meal he’ll like which you’ll need an Aromatic Herb to make. Baring that, he’ll take any Milk and Apples you can give him.
You can give Matthew as much gifts as you’d like when he’ll take it, but you can’t give him the same gift twice in one day. If you want to give him two Energy Drinks, he’ll only take one the next day. While Matthew can be hard to please with how picky he is when taking gifts, it’s possible to get past his rough exterior by giving him the right ones. Play your cards right and you could be raising a kid with him in Chapter 2.