Harvest Moon (video game)
| Harvest Moon | |
|---|---|
| File:Harvestmoon snes.png | |
| Developer(s) | Natsume |
| Publisher(s) | Natsume |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo |
| Release | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Simulation/Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Harvest Moon, a game series orginally released for the Super Nintendo system, was released by Natsume in 1997 and was the first installment of the Harvest Moon series available in the U.S. Since then the game has spawned dozens of sequels for various consoles, starting with "Harvest Moon 64" for Nintendo 64 and most recently "A Wonderful Life: Special Edition" for PlayStation 2.
Overview
The player takes on the role of a young farmer (age not specified) whose parents left him in charge of his late grandfather's farm. Over two-and-a-half years, the player must develop the decrepit, weed-choked farm into a money-maker, and if possible, get married and have children. At the game's end, the player is evaluated on a number of factors to determine his success or failure.
The player progresses by:
- Preparing the fields. Before any crops can be planted, numerous weeds, rocks, and tree stumps must be cleared from the ground. Then the player must till the soil before it can be cultivated.
- Planting crops (turnip, potato, tomato and corn) on cultivated land, watering it, then harvesting the vegetables and selling them for profit.
- Raising livestock - in this game, only chicken and cows, which produce eggs and milk. By planting grass and harvesting it into hay, the player can feed these livestock.
- Enlarging the farmhouse. By using the ax to gather wood, the player can chop up enough tree stumps to build a larger house. This requires money as well as wood.
- Getting married. Five girls in town are potential brides. By giving gifts, visiting on the correct days, and fulfilling specific "missions" for each specific girl, the player can get married and have his wife move onto the farm with him.
- Having children. Within the game's timeframe, it is possible for the player's wife to have two babies. One child will develop into a toddler given enough time.
Each year is divided into four seasons of thirty days each, and the player only has a set amount of time each day before it becomes dark. However, the clock stops at 6 p.m.; unlike in later Harvest Moon games, the player can effectively stay outside as long as he wants without penalty, as long as he doesn't run out of energy.
At the beginning of the game, the player adopts a dog, Koro, but the dog requires no special care, nor does it contribute to the game except for barking to warn the player that the farm's fence requires fixing. In the winter of the first year, the player also adopts a horse, which proves helpful when harvesting crops.
The player starts with basic tools, such as a watering can, axe, hoe, sickle, and hammer. All these tools can be upgraded if the player completes certain side quests (although the watering can's improvement must be purchased).
Gameplay
There are three different areas the player can go to: his farm and its buildings, the local town and its houses and shops, and a local forest, where the carpenter lives. North of the forest is a mountain.
Crops, eggs and milk can all be placed in collection boxes; at 5 p.m. every day, a shipper will come by and pick these items up; the player receives money the next morning. The player can also gather herbs and wild fruit in the forest for sale. A small pond allows the player to fish as well. The player can only farm vegetables during the spring and summer. During fall, the only thing that grows is the grass used for hay; in winter, nothing grows.
The barn and henhouse are capable of holding up to twelve of its respective animals each. All cows are purchased from a livestock dealer in town, as is at least one chicken. Additional chickens can be hatched by placing an egg in an incubator rather than selling it. Cows, when first purchased (or born), require time to grow before they can be milked; afterwards, they grow larger and produce larger quantities of milk. Both fully-developed chickens and cows can be sold at a profit.
The house can be upgraded twice. Additionally, wood can be used to construct fences around the crop areas. While rain releases the player from having to water crops by hand, it usually damages the fence. After winter, no matter how well the player takes care of the land, much of the cultivated land and fence is destroyed.
Like all Harvest Moon games, this first one tends to be repetitive - much of the play takes place in the maintenance of the fields. For vegetables to develop, they must receive water each day (a lack of water doesn't kill crops, but does keep them from growing). Animals must be fed once a day to keep producing. While the only care chickens require is feeding, cows must be continually talked to, brushed, and milked to retain their health - unlike the chickens, if a cow is not fed for a day, it may become sick and possibly die. The only way a chicken can die is if it is left outside and allowed to be blown away in a storm or eaten by wild wolves. After dark, the only business in town the player can access is the bar, where a number of NPCs gather to drink and talk.
There are a number of events (some scheduled, some not) that break up the gameplay:
- Festivals. At set dates, the townspeople gather at certain places to celebrate an event. Examples include a harvest festival (revolving around a communal stew), an egg festival (which features an Easter-like colored egg hunt), and a flower festival. Certain days, such as New Year's Day and the winter solstice, are celebrated more solemnly. Otherwise, festivals usually allow the player to engage in mini-games, and to dance with girls.
- Hurricanes. During the summer, it is possible that the area will be struck by a hurricane. If this happens, the player loses a day of work while barricaded in the farmhouse, and many of the crops, large sections of the fence, and even cultivated land itself will be destroyed.
- Earthquake. While less common (and unpredictable), these have some of the same effects as the hurricane.
Some of the game's special events require one of the above disasters to allow the player to access it.
Town Girls
As mentioned above, there are five unmarried young women living in town who may be married. They are:
- Maria - The mayor's daughter, Maria spends her time reading and tending the grounds of the local church, where she plays the organ.
- Nina - The daughter of the flower shop owner, she enjoys nature.
- Ann - A tomboy and daughter of the tool store owner, she works as an inventor, though not a terribly successfully one.
- Ellen - The daughter of the cafe owners, she enjoys animals. While her mother tends the restaurant, her father is the town drunk.
- Eve - A waitress at the local bar, she tends tables nearly every night.
Each girl has her own tastes and preferences. All have their own diaries, in which the player can regularly check to see how attracted the girl is to him.
After marriage, aside from their hair color and particular phrases, they tend to look alike, and the player's activities are severely curtailed - he is expected to come home by a particular time, and not doing so may result in a divorce. If the player arrives home at the proper time to go to bed with his wife, she will eventually get pregnant, and the baby is later delivered in the farmhouse.
Special Events
At random points in the game, the player has the opportunity to take part in side quests that provide benefits.
After an earthquake or lightning strike, for example, the player can meet the "Harvest Sprites" who live in tunnels under the farm. They can also gain access to a pond where the "Harvest Goddess" lives. Doing these things allows the character to upgrade his tools without paying money.
There are minor secrets hidden throughout the game, mainly related to "power berries," which increase the player's overall energy. These range from digging in a particular place to planting a rare flower on a certain day of the year. The farm has a flower garden on its north side; for each of the twelve berries the player finds and eats, a special flower blooms.
A wandering peddler makes appearances on certain festivals, and on Sundays. The peddler sells the "blue feather" required to propose to a girl, as well as other rare items. There is also a hawker who sells and, if the player tries to sell livestock on certain day, is willing to trade them for unusual items.
Scoring
The score calculated at the end of the game is a complicated mixture of things done or gained during the game. Additionally, the player gains access to special scenes if they accomplish certain goals, such as:
- Getting married (each girl provides a different scene).
- Has one or two children.
- Harvests more than 200 of any particular crop.
- Owns a certain number of cows or chickens.
- Has a high "affection rating" for a cow (achieved by taking special care of it).
Trivia
- In the censored version of the game released in America, all alcoholic beverages are referred to as "juice," even though anyone who drinks said "juice" clearly becomes intoxicated.
- While many elements of the game were Westernized for its American release, some Japanese references were overlooked. For example, although the church is presented as Christian and includes a cross, townspeople sometimes discuss the church and its religion in Shinto terms, such as referring to the existence of both a "god of the harvest" and a "god of business."