Natsume continues to diligently plow the fields of Harvest Moon, and its latest crack at the farming sim series takes it to mobile. The developer and publisher revealed Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home as a mobile game that's eyeing an August 2024? launch on iOS and Android.

Details are light at the moment, but Home Sweet Home has players moving back to their hometown at the behest of their childhood friend. It turns out the town of Alba is in rough shape now, and it'?s up to you to revitalize it. In the process, you'll need to team up with friends while convincing the more doubtful townsfolk th??at someone from the city has what it takes to bring their town back to life. 

I want to see you dance again

Interestingly enough, the news about the latest Harvest Moon game arrived a day prior to the Marvelous Game Showcase 2024 event. The stream is set to kick off today, on May 30, at 3 p.m. Pacific Time, and it sure would be a coincidence if one of their announcements had to do with the Story of Seasons series. As you may know, the original, long-running Harvest Moon series continues under the Story of Seasons title in the west due to rights issues.

We'll see what comes of the Marvelous stream soon while we wait for more information from Natsume on the next Harvest Moon entry. Prior to this, the most recent game was Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos,?? which hit consoles and PCs around the wor?ld in September 2023. 

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In one of the most substantial updates to the Nintendo Switch’s N64 library, Nintendo has announced three new games are available now as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service. Man, how did this one slip me by until?? now?

Oh, right, this news broke during The Game Awards.

Well, even if you’re feeling tired from a marathon of game trailers and celebrity appearances, these classic games are still well worth checking out. Also, the trailer for the update features more than a few seconds of gam??eplay from each game, unlike most of what we saw during The Game Awards. Oh, did I just say that out loud!

Let's talk about these new old games

Passive aggressive snark aside, I like this spread of games. 1080 Snowboarding is the big nostalgic pick for me. Extreme sports games were all the rage back in the 90s, and I�?was not good at them. It took me until Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 to really get into and love the genre. 1080, however, was a very fun game to be bad at. Racing down mountains in the snow was a good time, and the music is Buck Bumble levels of �?a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMQcv4k7h0Q"?? target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this is stuck in my head for no reason.�?/p>

I still can’t believe that 1080 Snowboarding is a first-party Nintendo game. I await the day that Ricky Winterborn becomes a playable Super Smash Bros. character.

Harvest Moon 64 is next on the list, which I have zero attachment to whatsoever. Even with the rise of cozy and farming games, the genre just never clicked with me. That said, I do recognize that Harvest Moon 64 is a significant entry in the series and remains a fan favorite. With how much love Stardew Valley has (rightfully) gotten, it’s been great seeing classic Harvest Moon become available once again. I hope farming sim fans get a kick out of th?is one.

Finally, we have Jet Force Gemini. Rare was on a roll for Nintendo during the SNES and N64 eras, to the point that notable games like Jet Force Gemini get forgotten next to Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. I’m not going to say Jet Force Gemini is a hidden gem or anything. However, it's ce??rtainly a notable part of the system’s history that deserves to be remembered. This was another one that wasn’t necessarily my jam, but the Nintendo fans in my family absolutely loved this game back in the day.

That said, I dipped into this briefly via the Nintendo Switch, and uh�?the controls may need a bit of customization nowadays. The game makes use of all the C-Buttons, but not t?o control the camera. We were still a few years out from universally recognizing how shooters control with twin-sticks, after all. So this one may be a tough sell if you didn’t grow up with it. I still recommend dipping into it just to appreciate the atmosphere and retro 3D visuals.

Here's to more N64 games

Overall, it’s nice to see a collection of games like this hit the Nintendo Switch Online service. Typically, Nintendo takes a drip feed approach. Either you’ll see one game at a time or a collection of left-field picks. But regardless of how these three games in particular have aged, they’re all significant?? pillars of the N64 library. They’re well worth having on hand.

Additionally, it’s not like we’re out of significant N64 games to add to the service either. Off the top of my head, Mischief Makers, Body Harvest, Ogre Battle 64, and the Bomberman games would all serve as notable additions to the N64 library. And that’s not getting into the rest of Rare’s classics or ports like Mega Man 64. I’m personally more of a Game Boy Advance guy myself, but it’s been fun seeing which retro games will get a second wind on the Switch. Hopefully we can still enjoy all these titles on wh?ateve?r Nintendo’s next system is.

The Nintendo Switch On??line Expansio??n Pack update is available now.

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These winds might be blowing in a favorable direction

I think Natsume is pretty confident in Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos. After announcing the game was on its way last year with no video or artwork beyond a logo reveal, it started to ramp up interest in the upcoming title with screenshot releases on its social media channels. Coming off of Harvest Moon: One World, it didn't too bad. In fact, it looked like it could be the best Harvest Moon game since Bokujō Monogatari dipped. With the release of the first trailer, that's still a definite possibility (ev?en if it is a mighty low bar to clear).

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUSvjMFkfhA

Right now, the farming sim genre is as competitive as it's ever been. Stardew Valley remains the stalwart favorite of the category, but that hasn't stopped a trove of indie and established developers from their hats into the ring. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life just dropped, and in the months ahead, we'll see titles like Fae Farm, The Ranchers, and Pixelshire. Despite the issues the series has had over the past decade, I think the Harvest Moon name still carries some weight in the industry, and with this trailer looking as good as it does, I wouldn't be surprised to see more people opting to give the Natsume series a shot this time around. This may end up as another misfire along the lines of Harvest Moon: One World, but I'm choosing to?? have a positive outlook on life.

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will launch for ?Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on Sep??tember 26, 2023. One thing to make note of if you're looking to get this on Switch is everything in the trailer was captured on a PS5. Just something to keep in mind.

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Get your Old MacDonald on

Nintendo has added four more titles to its ever??-expanding catalog of classic releases, which are available now to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Simply download the games of your choice from the eShop ??and you're all set to go with some old-school Nintendo action.

The SNES portion of the Switch Online catalog receives a zillion hours of playtime with the addition of Natsume's farming RPG Harvest Moon. Initially released in 1996, this release is the very first entry in the tightly-held Story of Seasons franchise, and tasks the player with building and maintaining a farming economy, tucked away in a quain?t country corner. The player must plant crops, rear livestock, t??rade with the market, and mix with the populace in order to build a sweet little life for themselves and the townsfolk.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=e80uqBEgxSI

The Game Boy Color receives two new titles. First up is the 2000 release Blaster Master: Enemy Below, which once again sees hero Jason piloting the powerful SOPHIA ATV in another dungeon-exploring mission against invading alien beings. The second release sees the return of our favorite pink puffball, with action-puzzler Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. This title was renown for implementing accelerometers in the GBC cartridge, which allowed the player to control Kirby with the literal movement of the handheld itself. Gameplay consists of top-down, maze-running action, akin to tha?t of Super Monkey Ball.

Finally, we have a great oddity in the form of 1986 Famicom release Mystery Tower, which is essentially the Famicom port of Tower of Babel. This NSO ?addition marks the first official release o?f this port of Namco's platform puzzler outside of Japan, and thus is a pretty cool addition to the Switch Online library. Players control explorer Indy Borgnine as they attempt to navigate the titular tower.

Harvest Moon, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, Blaster Master: Enemy Below, and Mystery Tower are all available to download now on Nintendo Switch for all Nintendo Switch ??Online subscribers.

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The Winds of Anthos

You can hardly swing a controller in this industry today without hitting at least three different farming sims. The genre has absolutely exploded in the years following Stardew Valley and there seems to be no shortage of developers looking to have players out there hoeing with the best of 'em. In 2022, we saw some fine farm sims, including Harvestella, the Doraemon Story of Seasons sequel, and the absolutely resplendent Wylde Flowers. Looking ahead to 2023, we have Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, Rune Factory 3 Special, Fae Farm, and hopefully the full release of Coral Island. We also have The Winds of Anthos.

Earlier this week, Natsume announced The Winds of Anthos would be the next entry in its Harvest Moon franchise, following last year's Harvest Moon: One World. That game wasn't exactly well received, something that has been a consistent theme of the Harvest Moon series since it was separated from Bokujō Monogatari. Though I found Harvest Moon: Mad Dash to be quite enjoyable,? it's hard not to argue the once-dominant name in far?m simulations has fallen on tough times.

//twitter.com/Natsume_Inc/??status/1603058626398142467

We'll see if that can be turned around with The Winds of Anthos. Aiming for a su?mmer 2023 launch, the game will take place in the land of Anthos, where 20 years prior, a volcanic eruption separated the villages of the region. The Harvest Goddess, using the last of her power to save the people, cast a bottle containing a magic key into the ocean. What that key unlocks will be discovered when the game launches next year.

Hiro Maekawa, president and CEO of Natsume, says the game will, "take players to new lands and include features that are completely new to the series. We are eager to reveal more in the new year, since we still have so many big surprises planned for this remarkable anniversary." The anniversary in question is the 25th anniversary of the Harvest Moon franchise. You'll remember Bokujō Monogatari celebrated its 25th anniversary last year with the release of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town.

Hopefully, The Winds of Anthos will be a step in the right direction for Natsume. Then again, I said the exact same thing about One World, and that really didn't work out for me. B??ut, because it's the holiday? season, I choose to go with hope and joy on this one.

The post Natsume’s taking another crack at Harvest Moon next year appeared first on Destructoid.

Harvest McDoom

While "cozy" games are all the rage on the indie scene these days, perhaps one of the gold standards for relaxing, casual-grind-based gameplay is Natsume's iconic farming series, Harvest Moon �?And the franchise seems to have had something of a strange effect on YouTuber Cloudie McDoom, who woke? up yesterday morn?ing to find themselves occupying a live-action recreation of the beloved franchise.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8pCxPlryaI

Whilst I won't spoil the work that has gone into this short, but authentic take on Harvest Moon's hard-working world, Cloudie's video raises more than a few smiles thanks to its U.I implementation, use of flailing limbs and stop-start photography to truly capture gaming's classic "zero-turning-circle" animation s??tyle. The sounds, music, and fade-outs only complete the effect.

There are no squawking chickens, fox attacks, or trips to the market, unfortunately, but I dig the real-life recreation of Harvest Moon's "square-by-square" gardening techniques. And if you enjoyed the Harvest Moon video, be sure to check out Cloudie McDoom's channel over on YouTube for more parodies an??d recreations of classic video games.

The latest Harvest Moon title, Harvest Moon: One World, is available now on Nintendo Switch.

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It's harvest day for the citizens of Mineral Town

[Update: XSEED has confirmed that Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town will launch on PS4 ??and Xbox One in Europe October 15, with North America to follow on Octo??ber 26.]

Publisher XSEED and developer Marvelous! released a wagonful of news related to its cutesy farming franchise Story of Seasons. The news was revealed in part to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary, which dates all the way back to the series birth in 1996, as the genre-defining SNES release Harvest Moon. A cute video recalls ?eve??ry title in this beloved series.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIuA51OqY3k

First up, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town has been given a Japanese release date. This remaster of the 2003 Game Boy Advance classic �?already available on Nintendo Switch and PC platforms �?will launch in the east on Xbox One on October 27, with a PS4 port to follow on November 25. While a localization date was not confirmed, Marvelous Europe intends to see Friends of Mineral Town arrive on western? shores within a ??similar time frame.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU9LED18wBw

The next crop of news refers to another Nintendo Switch release, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, which will finally see a PC port in just a fortnight's time. The colorful title will hit the Steam platform on September 15, priced at around $40, though pre-order customers can save themselves a few bucks by picking up the title early. Additionally, a special "Expansion Pass Set?" includes a copy of the base game and all incoming DLC for $51. Pre-orders a??re now live.

And speaking of DLC, Marvelous also revealed that Pioneers of Olive Town is getting a cute crossover with another digital farming adventure, Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin. As of September 15, players will be able to purchase new skin styled after the adorable harvest goddess herself. Princess Sakuna's Heavenly Garb will be available to purchase until March 2022, when it will be removed from the Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town store.

You can check out the full Japanese Story of Seasons anniversary presentation right here. It seems that regardless of your chosen platform, there will be some chilled-out Story of Seasons action heading your way soon. After all, a farme?r's work is never done. Just remember to keep those fences built high... Those foxes can be pretty darn sneaky.

The post (Update) A bounty of Story o?f Seasons news includes port release dates and Sakuna c??rossover DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh

"Can you imagine a world without cabbage, tomatoes, or even carrots?" reads a press release from Natsume, having not fully understood the state of post-Brexit Britain. Regardless, I'll at least be able to remember such rare delicacies via video games such as Harvest Moon: One World, which launches in ??the west on PS4 an?d Nintendo Switch this March.

Not only that, but it seems that the publisher has suggested the farmin' 'n' lovin' sim might also be heading to Microsoft platforms, as a recent New Year's message from Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa contained the announcement that Harvest Moon: One World will indeed be hitting Xbox ??One in the west, despite no such port being previously announced.

"Harvest Moon: One World is the biggest Harvest Moon game in its history having wide areas and exciting villages to explore while experiencing a farming life," said Maekawa in the end-of-year post. "Harvest Moon: One World will also be available for the Xbox One in the U.S., with a re??lease date announcement in?? the near future."

So it seems that whatever is your console of choice, y?ou will be afforded the opportunity to plant crops, rear cattle, mend fences, fish, trot off to market, and woo villagers, which will surely afford me the modest lifestyle that the government so begrudge me from enjoying.

Harvest Moon: One World launches in North America on PS4 and Nintendo Switch March 2, with ??Europe to follow a few days later on March 5. A release date for the Xbox One edition will be announced soon.

Harvest Moon: One World adds Xbox One version [Gematsu]

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Can't be any worse than The Lost Valley

Since it split from the BokujÅ Monogatari franchise back in 2014, Natsume's Harvest Moon series has had a tough go keeping itself relevant in the surprisingly competitive video game farming genre. Story of Seasons, the current western moniker for the BokujÅ?? games, has been doing quite well, and it seems? like every month we're getting a new farming title in at least one of the storefronts.

Harvest Moon's next shot at reclaiming its former glory will come early next year with Harvest Moon: One World. The key feature of this title is the ability to completely move your farm to new ar?eas of the world. Crops have disappeared from the world, and it's up to you to find the Harvest Wisps who hold the key to the different crops you'll grow on your farm. There are five areas to?? explore, as well as five bachelors and bachelorettes to marry.

All of that?? sounds fine, but I'm not really sure this new trailer is doing the game any favors. Something about it just looks so...empty.

Harvest Moon: One World arrives on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on March 2, 2021. A $100 collector's edition is in the works at Limited Run Games.

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If people forgot how to farm the human race would die quite quickly

Since losing the rights to the BokujÅ Monogatari franchise, Natsume's Harvest Moon series has had difficulty finding its grounding. The publisher has tried games inspired by Minecraft, a return-to-roots top-down experience, and last year's delightful Mad Dash spin-off. But it's no longer the only farming game on the market. With the explosion of the genre from its niche origins, farm sims need to do wh??atever they can to stand out.

Harvest Moon: One World may be a ??step in the right direction for Natsume. The game was announced a fe?w weeks ago, and during today's New Game+ Expo, we got our first look at what the publisher has in store.

It's a start. Hopefully the rest of the game comes together by the time Harvest Moon: One World launc??hes for PS4 and Switch later this year.

The post Here’s our first look at Harvest Moon: One World appeared first on Destructoid.

Top Seeded

Publisher Natsume has confirmed that the next release in the charmin' farmin' Harvest Moon series will arrive on PS4 in North America this fall, along??side the previously announced Nintendo Switch release.

Natsume confirmed the NA localisation on Twitter, while giving us our first look at the new entry's inspiring box art. In an accompanying press release, the publisher spoke of the series' pr??ior appearances on a variety of Sony platforms.

"We are excited to share the first look at the new art for Harvest Moon: One World, which gives you a sneak peek at the vast world filled with mystery, challenges, new friends, and farming fun that awaits players," said Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa. "We are also excited to officially confirm it is coming to the PlayStation 4 alongside the Switch. The Harvest Moon franchise ? has a long history on the Sony platforms including releases on the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, 3, and 4 as well as the PS Vita and PSP."

Harvest Moon: One World will once again offer up a challenging-yet-tranquil farming experience, as players build up their land, grow crops, rear stock, ward off predators, and ensure deliveries to the local townsfolk, making friends and perhaps even finding a little romance. Powered by a brand new game engine, One World hopes to be the biggest Harvest Moon?? re??lease to date, encompassing locations outside of your humble little town for a true country-hopping experience.

Harvest Moon: One World launches this fall on PS4 and Ninten??do Switch. The release did not denote a PS4 launch in territories outside of North America, but there is always the possibility that Natsume is just working out the red-tape for global localisation.

Harvest Moon: One World adds PS4 version [Gematsu]

We’re excited to confirm #HarvestMoon: One World will be launching on both PlayStat?ion 4? and Nintendo Switch in North America! :)

Missed out on our initial announcement? We've got details right here - //t.co/DMKB28g3PD pic.twitter.com/xV0XmAzrec

— Natsume Inc. (@Natsume_Inc) May 28, 2020

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But we can't look at it yet

[Update: A PlayStation 4 version is also coming in 2020, according to Natsume.]

Natsume is prepping another Harvest Moon, and despite showing up with little more than a logo in hand, this year's Switch entry – Harvest Moon: One World – is touting an "al??l-new engine ?and graphics."

For now, you'll just have to use your imagination – or try to scour the l??ogo for hidden meaning.

"Over the decades, Harvest Moon has evolved but has always retained the traditional, family-friendly farming fun that the franchise is known for," Natsume president and CEO Hiro Maekawa noted in a press release. "The new engine and new graphics will upgrade this ??experience for 2020."

Another detail from Natsume's announcement: the world is somehow without tomatoes, strawberries, and cabbage, and "only an old book ??gives hints of what once was." In line with the title, the story will send you across the globe, from the "beaches of Halo-Halo to the snowy mountains of Salmiakki"

Harvest Moon: One World is launching this fall on Nintendo Switch. Marvelous, meanwhile, is readying Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (a clutch Game Boy Advance remake) for Switch on July 10. If history repeats itself agai?n – and I don't doubt that it will – then I'm siding with the latter game.

Are you burned out on farming sims yet, or are you happy to? have so many to choose from?

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I'm here for the Angora rabbits

The wholesome-sim hits keep on coming. It feels like we only just got Rune Factory 4 Special, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a few tantalizing days away, but there's also the upcoming Nintendo Switch remake of the Game Boy Advance title Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town to consider.

When is that game coming out? And are?? we ever going to take a breather? (Don't count on it!)

Marvelous announced a July 10, 2020 release for Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town in Europe and Australia, and while we don't have the North American date yet, I'd expect a similar time-frame from Xsee??d. For its part, Marvelous is planning a physical and digital Switch eShop release.

When we last covered this remake, some of you wondered about same-sex marriages. They're confirmed! Otherwise, today's gameplay trailer is pr?etty familiar. You'll break your back to restore grandpa's farm, raise crops, tend to your livestock, go fishing, horse race, and try?? to woo the townsfolk.

In other words, if you've fallen in love with Stardew Valley in the past several years and never played its muse, Harvest Moon?, ??you should feel right at home. The new art direction isn't my favorite, but I'll deal.

The post Story of Seasons: Friends ?of Mineral Town out for Switch in July appeared first on Destructoid.

I can already hear the wedding bells

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is making a comeback later this year. As reported by Famitsu, Marvelous is remaking the Game Boy Advance title for Nintendo Switch. The plan is to incorporate elements from More Friends of Mineral Town as w??ell, with ?a launch in Japan set for October 17, 2019.

Aside from a few introductory screenshots, the?re's also artwor?k for characters like Cliff and Popuri.

When I think of iconic GBA-era box art, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town immediately springs to mind. It's a shame that art direction wasn't able to persist over the years. With today's news, I have half a mind to fish out my boxed-up Wii U and poke around in the eShop version of the original game.

The Switch remake will release in the West under the name Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.

Elsewhere in the farming-sim field, Nintendo Switch is getting Doraemon Story of Seasons.

[Via Gematsu]

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It's an honest delight

Since it first launched, the Nintendo Switch has been home to some of the best co-op games on the market. On day one, you could pick up Snipperclippers, an inventive and hilarious game for couples and friends. The Overcooked series has absolutely sparkled on the console, and the pick-up-and-play nature of the hardware has sparked a renaissance of couch co-op games. Indie hits like Death Road to Canada and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime have flocked to the system while? bigger developers like Blizzard and StudioMDHR have found success porting their popular co-op games over.

Natsume is the next studio bringing multiplayer love to Switch. Its upcoming spin-off of the Harvest Moon series, Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, borrows liberally from its contemporaries to create one outstanding li??ttle puzzle game.

When boiled down to its very essence, Harvest Moon: Mad Dash is a color matching puzzle game. When you start a level, the puzzle field will be littered with two or more different types of crops. These crops will either be by themselves or linked with on??e or more crops. The object is to combin??e these crops into squares, at which point they blossom and become bigger crops. Combine those crops to make even bigger squares and you'll end up with fully ripened crops ready to be harvested. In other words, combine four small potatoes to make a big potato. Then combine four big potatoes to make a giant potato.

Like Overcooked, Mad Dash is divided up into stages where the goal is to get a high enough score to collect three stars. Each stage is located on an overworld map with settings th??at stretch from the farm and town all the way down to the underworld and up high into the sky. There is a?? story here, something about a broken lighthouse that needs fixing, by my attention was more fixated on creating as many massive crops as I could in the short allotted time.

For my hands-on with the game, I teamed up with one of the Natsume booth operators to see just how well two strangers can work together in a game that requires good communication. On the first stage, we split our focus on our own individual cr??op. He handles the fish and I tend to the pumpkins. I get the hang of it quite quickly,?? years of puzzle experience no doubt bolstering my ability, but at the end of the level it's clear that just splitting up wasn't enough. We scored high enough to get two out of three stars but didn't come anywhere close to getting enough points for that final star.

On the next level I realize what I was doing wrong: I wasn't actually harvesting my plants, just making them bigger and bigger and until they wouldn't grow any more. On the next level?, one that tasks us with handling fish and hay while feeding cows and avo?iding falling coconuts, I stepped my game up. We still split the crops duties but communicated more to help one another out. I kept tabs on where coconuts were about to fall to move both our crops so they wouldn't get destroyed.

As the hay piled up into larger and larger bales, the cows would mosey on over to eat. Well-fed cows produce milk and that was what I was focusing on harvesting in this stage. Keeping everything in c??heck proved to be quite frantic, however, because I was now more familiar with how the game was meant to be played, I work in tandem with my partner rather than independently from him, building up a meter that initiates a "fever mode" where every crop can be harvested right away. Our score jumped up massively over the previous level, netting us all three stars in a single go.

Harvest Moon: Mad Dash may not be the biggest or most electrifying game I play at E3, but the 15 minutes I spent with it is easily the most fun I've had at the show so far. It's not as original as something like Harvest Moon Frantic Farming, but that really doesn't matter when the core gameplay is such a blast. Harvest Moon: Mad Dash launches this fall for N?intendo Switch and PlayStation?? 4, and it will retail for $29.99.

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I estimate a 10% sublethal dose

Double Fine is always trying something new. The developer regularly invites employees to pitch their game ideas during its annual Amnesia Fortnight events, internal game jams where no idea is too bizarre. Several well-regarded games have resulted from ideas that started at this event, titles such as Costume Quest and Stacking. Since 2014, the company has also begun to champion lesser known indie developers through its "Double Fine Presents" program, givi?ng small games that fit within the company's ideals a huge si??gnal boost.

Ooblets is one of the latter, a charming mashup of some mostly non-violent games which should appeal to younger gamers in particular. I got to try it out at PAX? last weekend, and it's one of the most relaxing games I'?ve ever played.

When I sat down to play Ooblets, I was told the game is a mashup of Pokémon, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing. "I like all of those t??hin??gs," I replied, and eagerly picked up the controller.

The first step in Ooblets is to create your cha??racter, which consists of choosing a gender, skin color, starting outfit, and hairstyle. Naturally, I picked a balding man with a hideously patterned sweater and deep blue skin. "Everyone picks blue," noted one of the developers. "Maybe we should put some other weird colors in there."

Once my avatar was created, I was escorted to the island where Ooblets live and play. Ooblets are small creatures who grow from seeds and will follow humans around a??nd interact with them. None of them seems to grow more than about a foot tall, and they each have some different attributes and abilities based on what type of creature they are. 

The boat ride to the island was very reminiscent of your introduction to the town in Animal Crossing, and my first contact after stepping off the boat was the town's mayor. She showed me around a bit and gave me my first Ooblet seed, encouraging me to plant it at the abandoned farm on the outskirts of town. I was also provided some regular v?egetable seeds and farming tools, and set out to begin working the land.

After till?ing the soil and planting and watering my seeds, I was encouraged to rest. Upon awakening some hours later, I discovered I had some veggies and a tiny creature that would follow me around. My first Ooblet was something called a Clomper, and it seemed content to stay a few steps behind me as I explored more of the island.?? Eventually we made our way to the town's shop, who bought my veggies and sold me the seeds to plant some more. I had some extra cash after this transaction, so I made my way to a gacha machine and bought a tiny pirate hat for my Clomper.

I noticed some more people with Ooblets in the town square, so I wandered over to see what they were up to. This is when I was introduced to Ooblets' combat mechanics, whic??h tak??e the form of a card-based dance battle. The objective is to drain your opponent's "Ego" by hitting them with your freshest moves.

Ooblets in a dance battle take turns playing s??ome moves from a hidden deck of cards, and each move has an ability point cost of zero to three "beats." More powerful cards will require more beats, but there's no penalt??y if you don't use all your beats in a single turn. You don't get to save beats though, so you need to use them or lose them every time it's your Ooblet's turn to act. Leveling up an Ooblet will let it earn more cards for its battle deck, and each set of cards is unique to that particular Ooblet type.

Beating an opposing Ooblet has the chance to make them drop a seed, and this appears to be the main way to expand your party. Dance battles can be 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3, though I only played 1v1 and 2v2 battles during my demo. Just like in Pokémon's multi-battles, it ?seems like a good strategy to focus fire on a single opponent so it won't get a chance to react. Other, non-aligned Ooblets will crowd around during a dance battle,? and it's pretty cute watching them all sway in time with the music.

Ooblets has a friendly, soft aesthetic that appears to be heavily influenced by shows like Adventure Time. The gameplay loop is pretty solid, reminding me of other light farming games like Viva Piñata and Harvest Moon. I didn't get to try out the decoration part of the game, but it sounds like you'll have a personal space you can furnish and personalize, just like Animal Crossing. It's ?already quite relaxing to explore the island and work on the farm, and the low-key battling doesn't take away from the mellow atmosphere.&??nbsp;

Ooblets is currently in d??evelopment for the PC and Xbox One, and should be released some time in 2019.

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Money makes Matrimony

Natsume Inc. has detailed a selection fo the post-release DLC coming to farming game Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition, which launc??hes on PS4 and Nintendo Switch later this month.

The four DLC drops start from day one and continue through until July 31. Although there are some tools and decorative items in th?e mix, as well as some new chapters, there are a helluva lot of "Marriageable Characters" - which just sounds so dang romantic - included across the four packs. A Season Pass will be available for $10.

The DLC drops are as follows: (Descriptions from Gematsu)

Decorations & Tool Upgrade Pack - May 29 - $1.99

"Completely customize and beautify your farm with 7 differe??nt decorative fence sets and 2 statues. You will also be able to upgrade your Ho??e and Watering Can two additional levels, making growing crops easier and faster!"

New Marriageable Characters Pack - June 19 - $5.99

"Expand your experience with new and exciting content! Two new eligible residents have moved into Beacon Town! Shirlock, a?? fledgling journalist and self-proclaimed detective who is studying under the tutelage of Naomi, and Michelle, Doc’s research partner."

Doc’s and Melanie’s Special Episodes - July 10 - $5.99

"Help out Melanie and Doc in two side stories that will unlock new shops! Melanie is in?? a designing slump, and needs your help for inspiration! Meanwhile, Doc is having trouble in the romance department! Can you h?elp him out? And what rewards will they give you?"

Divine Marriageable Characters Pack - July 31 - $3.99

"Ever wonder what it’d be like to woo the Harvest Goddess or Gorgan? Well, now you can! Get to know the Harv?est Goddess and?? Gorgan on a deeper level and marry them!"

And there you have it. All that actually matters here, of course, is that you can marry the Har??vest Gorgan this Summer, which sounds l??ike a pretty funky fresh relationship.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition is coming to PS4 and Switch on May 29 in North America and June 22 in ?Europe.

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The crops are a little delayed this Spring

Publisher Rising Star Games have announced that cutesy farming sim Harvest Moon: Light of Hope wil?l be coming to Europe on PS4 and Nintendo Switch in June, .

Using that interminable "Save the Date" motif, a tweet from the company announces that the latest edition in the (very) long-running horticultural saga will be available digitally and in stores from June 22. Originally, the game had been given a May release window for both the U.S. and Europe, so whether this slight delay affects both territories is unclear.

Light of Hope released on PC in Fall 2017 were it w?as celebrated by its faithful fanbase. In keeping with previous titles, the game sees the player m??anaging a successful farm, from the growing and selling of produce to rearing livestock. Budding farmers will even fend off destruction from predators and terrible weather, and build rapport and relationships with the local townsfolk.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is available? now on PC. It is coming to PS4 and Switch in Europe on June 22, with its U.S. release t?entatively scheduled for May

SAVE THE DATE: #HarvestMoon: Light of Hope Special Edition will be available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch across Europe digitally and in retail stores on 22 June 2018! pic.twitter.com/yoEvdF5kT0

— RSG Team (@RisingStarGames) April 13, 2018

The post Europ??eans can get their farm on in June with Harvest Moon: Li??ght of Hope appeared first on Destructoid.

Sowing seeds

It has been quite some time since the announcement of Harvest Moon: Light of Hope coming to consoles, but the day is finally nearing. Released on PC late last year, the game will be heading to PS4 and Switch in May for $39.99/€39.99 an??d will bear the "Special Edition" moniker to make u??p for the wait.

This new version will include additional content that is only available to console players. Natsume didn't have much?? else to say, with President & CEO Hiro Maekawa writing, "The Special Edition has new features made specifically f??or console gamers that we will be unveiling throughout the coming months." Could be interesting, at least.

The post Harvest Moon: Light of Hope gets the ‘Special Edition’ treatment for consoles, launches in May appeared first on Destructoid.

Just in time for me to spend my holiday break doing nothing but farming

New Harvest Moon? You bet I’m all over this.

Seems like Natsume is looking to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a new Harvest Moon game on Steam. Is this related to the success of Stardew Valley? Who can say. All I know is that that kind of rivalry is really great for us fans.? Here's an excerpt from 'About the Game':

"Looking for a fresh start and some new surroundings, you set off on a voyage to begin your new life! Unfortunately, the weather has different plans, as your ship is hit by a monsoon, and goes down! You drift into a small harbor town, now in a shambles from the storm, where a young doctor named Jeanne saves your life. The town has essentially been deserted, but you're never one to back down from a challenge! It will be up to you to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse...but it won't be e??asy! Nevertheless, with some hard work growing crops, tending livestock, and gathering materials for repairs, you will be able to make new fri??ends, start a family, revive the lighthouse, and save the town, your new home!

• Collect important materials to rebuild the town and restore the lighthouse!
• Complete requests from villagers to unlock new areas and items!
• New and unique festivals, including the Dog Racing Festival!
• Learn to grow and mutate crops with user friendly UI and tutorials!
• Play as a boy or a girl, get mar?ried, ??and start a family!

I recommend watching the trailer if you want to know more about what to expect. Looks like we’ve got some of the old festivals back, though I’m not sure why they’re claiming the Dog Racing Festival is “new and unique” when it was in the N64 and PlayStation Harvest Moon games. I think it’s all a part of the classic Harvest Moon tradition of selectively remembering their own game features??.

November 14 is coming up soon, so make sure you’re ready to get your copy. I know I’m interested in seeing how well Natsume can bring their game onto PC, especially now that we have Stardew Valley to compare it to.

The post Har?vest Moon: Light of Hope coming to Steam November 14 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time to confront the biggest time waster in my life

My family used to be farmers. Did you know t?hat? – Of course you didn’t. My family moved to the US to get away from a life of farming in the in the archaic death-scape that was the 1970s. Yet here I am, giving years of my life to your simulated agriculture.

I disgust myself.

That’s all the negativity I have for you. Not that there isn’t anything wrong with your games. On the contrary. Each successive game forgets the useful features of the last one and starts from scratch, leaving me with fantasies of a ‘super’ game that combines Parade’s part-time job feature, DS’ paused time indoors and Island of Happiness’ realistic and a?chievable objectives. Your difficulty careens dangerously between extremes from game to game and yet, here I am, hundreds of hours later. ??Farming.

Your games have a special quality, one that developers dream of harnessing themselves. I don’t know if there is a word for it, but it’s that niggling thought in the back of your brain that says “just one more thing”. Some puzzle games have something similar going for them, but there’s always a flush of embarrassed-helplessness as I check "Play Again". True "One-More-Time" games create goals that you are working towards, so your persistence feels rational, not obsessive. The trick is, I think, that the player’s goals are always intertwined with 12 other goals, usually leading to another goal as soon as you’ve done anything with your current one. I can’t even say that you finish anything in the game because i??t’s impossible ??to "finish" anything.

I could try to make the argument that farming calls back to an evolutionary-based satisfaction with growth and cultivation, but that’s far more complicated than a repetitive farming simulator deserves. I will just say this: games like Minecraft leave room for creative expansion while you have never even bothered. Instead, you make me want the dumb stuff that you do offer. Like, I don&r??squo;t want a ‘Deluxe Barn’ – I don’t want a barn at all. I hate raising animals, it’s too much work, but every single time I end up with the best barn fake money can buy. Inevitably, I give all my animals names from comic books and pretend that this is what I wanted all along.

Thank you, Harvest Moon, for manipulating me into pretending to be a farmer. At least you’re nice enough to make ??me feel like I’m enjoying myself.

Love,
Kate

P.S. I own Island of Happiness AND Sunshine Islands. That was some ??cocky bullshit, making me pay twice for the same game. I wish I was strong enough to quit you.

P.P.S Stardew Valley, I see you there, trying to ?not meet my eyes. ?Meet me out back in 10 minutes - we have 200 or so hours of my life to discuss.

The post Dear Harvest Moon… appeared first on Destructoid.

Harvest is almost here!

Natsume in a Q&A yesterday on their Facebook page confirmed that the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions of Harvest Moon: Light of Hope will be receiving both physical and?? digital copies of the game, while the PC version will be strictly digital through Steam.

They also re?vealed a number of new details regarding the upcoming game, including n??ew festivals, livestock, and an update regarding the development and release window:

“Development on Light of Hope is moving along very well. We are on track for a release at the end of Winter. We are excited to reveal that the PC version is actually ahead of schedule! Could this mean an early release date for the PC version? We’re not sure?? yet, but the fans will be the first to know -- stay tuned!”

Will you be gathering rare silk fur from the "Silky Donkey" in the latest Harvest Moon? Personally, I'm waiting for a survival horror sp??in-off, where if I don't gather enough turnips before the night of the red moon, the children become upset.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Question and Answer [Natsume Facebook Page]

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Old McDonald had a tablet

Several years ago, Natsume released Harvest Moon: My Little Shop on WiiWare. At the time, I jokingly referred to it as ‘baby’s first Harvest Moon&?rsquo; which it was in a way. The game simplifi?ed the franchise’s design down to essentially an introduction course into the farm sim genre, only to ruin it with a misguided real-time clock.

Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers, out now on iOS and Android, is an even more simplistic rendition of the formula. Unlike that last game, this one? is far more successful in what it sets out to do.

Harvest Moon Lil' Farmers (iOS, Android [reviewed on an iPad])
Developer: Natsume, Daredevil Development
Publisher: Rising Star Games
Released: May 25, 2017
MSRP: $3.99

Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers shows its hand quite quickly. Five minutes in and I’ve done everything I’m ever going to do in the game. I plant crops, milk my cow, gather eggs, wash my horse, and shear some sheep; all so I can give those goods to the many similar looking townsfolk who visit my barn. This is Lil’ Farmers’ endless gameplay loop.

If that sounds so easy a first grader could do it, then good because that’s the intention of the game. Lil’ Farmers isn’t the next mobile entry in the Harvest Moon series, it’s a different kind of experience, one that is not aimed at the same people who downloaded Seeds of Memories. This one is for the kids, and with no microtransactions, a?ds, or always online requirement, it’s a game parents needn't worry about letting their ki?ds play.

I compare it to a placemat you find at a restaurant like Denny's or The Old Spaghetti F?actory, the ones intended to keep kids occupied until the food is served. Like those paper printouts, the activities here are simple enough for any kid to understand, but also more engaging than just tapping the screen until something happens. With no dialog or reading required, I have to rely on my ability to recognize images to figure out what I am supposed to do.

In planting my crops, ?I touch the spot where I want to plant, pick a crop, and then proceed to water and tend to it as needed until it’s fully grown, a process that takes roughly 45 seconds to a minute. In that tim??e, pictures of a watering can or a spritzer will appear above the plant and I have to drag the corresponding item from the bottom of the screen to the crop.

The other a??ctivities are just as easy to grasp. Milking my cow requires me to drag the bucket under the udders, tap them to get the milk, then drag the bucket to a large milk can and repeat the process until the can is filled. For the sheep, I drag the shears across the sheep, snipping away at its wool, and then pick up the sheared pieces and drag them to the wool bag. With the chickens, I simply tap the chicken to make it jump, then drag whatever eggs are in its nest to my basket. And with my horse, I drag the soap across it to wash, then drag the sponge to rinse, and then drag the brush to finish it off.

With exception of the horse, all of these games lead right into last activity which is giving my goods away to the people who visit my barn. They come, asking with pic??tures for specific items. I drag the requested item or items to the basket and then drag the filled basket to the customer. Up to five can visit my barn at a time and supplies deplete quickly. When i?t comes time I cannot complete an order, this whole process starts over again.

My reward for all this work? A good ‘ole fashion thumbs up. That’s it. There’s no fireworks display or confetti or raucous rendition of "Ode to Joy" when I complete a task. It’s just a thumbs up for all that “hard” work and there is perhaps no better distillation of the Harvest Moon experience than that.

Farming simulators aren’t here to coddle us, to tell us we’re special, or to baby us from one congratulatory moment to the next. Farming simulators exist to test people, to see who among us is determined enough to seek success with little reward along the way while finding joy in the simple things in life. That’s Lil’ Farmers. It’s a collection of small victories, tiny tasks that chain together in a straightforward gamepl?ay loop aiming to fill kids with a sense of real accomplishment rather than the hollow victories afforded by more flamboyant mobile games.

I see some small improvements that can be made. No instruction is given on feeding my animals even though it's an important aspect of the game. The icons at the top of the main screen that alert me when it’s time to collect eggs or milk my cow can be brighter and more obvious. There also isn’t a lot of variety. Obviously, some elements of the series like marriage would not lend themselves well to this app, but more can be done with what is here. I don’t believe classic mechanics like fishing or cooking are necessary, but maybe some diversity in the art with differently patter??ned sheep, chickens, and cows would help fend off any feelings of stagnation.

But that’s just 32-year-old me speaking and Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers is not a game for me or probably anybody else old enough to read this review. It’s for our kids, the youngsters who we thrust our phones and tablets in front of whenever mommy and daddy need some quiet time. It isn’t flashy or snazzy like other apps, but it’s also not as empty. Like its forbearers, this Harvest Moon is a low-key, laid-back experience where hard work is its own reward. Whether that’ll be enough to keep your kids engaged is the question, but for $4 it rea??lly couldn’t hurt to try.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers appeared first on Destructoid.

Moo

Natsume has announced that the next Harvest Moon title will be named Light of Hope. In addition to the name, the company also stated PS4, Switch and PC as the platforms the game will end up on. This marks the first Harvest Moon game to get rele??ased on PC (and, technically, the Switch).

As for ho??w the game will play, Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa says the company, "set out to create a SNES-style nostalgic game with deep and meaningful characters and events." Nothing else was shown about the game, but Natsume did confirm it will be present at E3 next month (June 13 - 15). Those who are able to attend can visit the Natsume booth to test the game out on Switch and PC. The company also sent out this description of the game:

"In Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, players begin the game as they set out looking for a fresh start and new surroundings. During their voyage, their ship is hit by a monso?on and goes down. As they drift into a small harbor town, now in a shambles from the storm, it will be up to the player to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse...but it won't be easy! Nevertheless, with some hard work growing crops, tending livestock, and gathering materials for repairs, players will be able to make?? new friends, start a family, revive the lighthouse, and save the town!"

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Physical and digital launch

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, otherwise known as the upcoming Bokujō Monogatari series entry with a pet capybara, is coming to 3DS in North America on February 28, 2017.

Apart from the fast-approaching release date and $40 price point, publisher Xseed has also shared details about the farming sim's Super Mario Bros. crossover costumes. Dressing up like Mario boosts your running speed, Luigi's outfit enhances your fishing luck, Peach's dress makes you b??etter friends with others, and Toad's lil costume recharges your stamina as you go about your day.

More importantly, this. What the sweet heck is this?

Caught in the act!

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Maybe next season

It’s weird to think how competitive the farm sim genre has become. You have Stardew Valley, which may be the best farm sim ever created, Story of Seasons continues to impress, Rune Factory is outstanding, and there's Farming Simulator 17 for the heartland purists out there.

Then you have Harvest Moon. Once the big fish in a very small pond, I've found it difficult to get excited about a new entry. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley didn’t exactly help as it tossed out basically everything that made the franchise memorable. Skytree Village looks to correct course, but after spend??ing dozens of hours with it, I can see Natsume still has a l??ong way to go.

Harvest Moon: Skytree Village (3DS)
Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Natsume
Released: November 8, 2016
MSRP: $29.99

The setup for Harvest Moon: Skytree Village should feel familiar by now. After picking to play as a boy or girl, you’re tasked with reviving the land by helping the Harvest Goddess reach her full power. That power stems from the faith of the people, just like Tinkerbell in stage productions of Peter Pan, so it’s up to you to grow crops, entice strangers to move to town, and revive the seven?? tit?ular trees.

Beating the main story doesn’t take too long, around 24 hours for me. I was able to watch the credits roll the first day o?f my first winter. After that, I was free to proceed how I wanted, but those first two dozen or so hours weren’t exactly pleasurable.

Since losing the BokujÅ Monogatari license, Natsume has attempted to capture the magic of Minecraft and merge it with the tried and true farming formula. For me, the combination works. I enjoyed being able to shape the land to exactly what I wanted. Farming is a breeze with contextual inputs and the game really does throw you right into action, which is one thing it does better than the slow introductions found in the recent Story of Season titles. I was growin??g and harvesting crops within the first thirty minutes as the nearby?? town began to fill with residents.

I just wish Skytree Village gave me more freedom in the first couple of dozen hours. Your space is limited by how many Skytrees you’ve revived, so at the beginning you have just a small strip of land to work with. I was able to quickly revive a few trees, giving me more space, but terraforming wasn’t available for a few hours. Even when I was able to do that, I couldn’t break up stone pieces because the hammer wouldn’t be available for about 12 hours into the game. Consi?dering I had unlocked access to my first mine at around the 5-hour mark, I was annoyed I couldn’t do anything with it until I reached the part of the story where I earned the hammer. It would have been a little easier to bear had the townies not kept telling me I needed a hammer.

Speaking of the town and its residents, I wouldn’t say they’re anything more than basic. While it’s nice to have a town -- which The Lost Valley did not -- it feels it’s there just for the sake of having a town. There’s no life to it, nor the people, who just repeat themselves for season after season. There are shops, but? the people who run two of them mostly hung outside my house or in my barn, getting in the way of me and my animals, which includes the new adorable Poitou donkey.

The NPCs getting in my way is just one of many small issues I found?? that continued to annoy me throughout my journey. Getting around can be awkward, jumping doesn’t always work as it shoul?d, camera controls aren't always functional, and some events only trigger with exact movement. For example, very early on, before I could unlock terraforming and access to the first mine, I had to jump across a river to activate a cut scene. I did this about 50 or so times. What I didn’t know is I had to jump to a very specific spot of the other side of the river for the event to trigger. I spent about an hour trying to figure out what the hell I was doing wrong.

All that jumping back and forth was grating, but not nearly as much as some of the requests I was asked to fill. With farming, fishing, and mining being your three main activities, residents will ask you to fulfill specific tasks for them. Most of them are easy, like growing a certain crop. But when I was asked to mine certain types of ore, or c?atch a specific type of fish, both of which can be random, it started to get on my nerves. At one point I was asked to mine some gold ore. It took me about 14 in-game days to get the three pieces necessary, all while one character was trapped in a mine that could “collapse at any moment.”

Most of the these annoying requests were kept to the main storyline, but other tasks ??also had weird rules to them that forced me to play longer than I should have just so I could fulfill them. Some couldn’t be fulfilled on Sunday, when the shops were closed, but others could. Some allowed me to substitute a highly quality material, such as a great tomato when all they asked for was a basic tomato, while others only allowed me to submit the exact, lower quality item. Filling requests ended up being what I did the most in the game, because outside of that and your three main activities, there really isn’t anything to do here.

Once I had finished the main storyline, it became quite apparent to me just how empty this game is. Yeah, I was still able to get married and start a family, but there’s no exploration, festivals are a joke, villagers provide no source of entertainment, and upgrading my tools to their fullest potential took for-ev-er. It feels like Natsume hadn’t been paying attention during all those years it published the BokujÅ Monogatari games because it see??ms it's failed to realize the magic of those titles could be fo??und in more than just the rock-solid farming formula.

The building blocks for something wonderful are there. I think the combination of Minecraft and farming is a winner, but more attention needs to be paid to the activities outside of planting and pulling crops if Harvest Moon ever wants to compete with the super??ior farm sims out there.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Harvest Moon: Skytree Village appeared first on Destructoid.

'Birthdays'

Yasuhiro Wada, known for creating the Harvest Moon series, will go down as a legend. It's sad that we're seeing the confusing situation with Natsume happen (who is making its own Harvest Moon series to compete with Wada's Story of Seasons), but those old games will always still exist.

And Wada has another game up his sleeve too, set for a January 19, 2017 debut in the west -- Birthdays. It's another chill sandbox game that involves terraforming a world to create life, whi??ch wil?l bloom over time. A big aspect seems to be taking screenshots and sharing them.

Not excited? Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, which is? a little? more involved, is still coming to the west in 2017.

The post Harvest Moon creator’s next game channels Minecraft appeared first on Destructoid.

That's a lot of milked cows and picked potatoes

The hard drive on my Macbook Pro is pretty small. With all the productivity apps I have on it, there’s very little space for entertainment. In fact, I only have two games on my computer at the moment: Deus Ex Human Revolution and Stardew Valley. The former is there because I promised to give it another shot after being bored to death by my first attempt to play it,?? while the later is there because my appreciation?? for farming games has slowly been cultivated over the years.

I wasn’t always into the simple, laid-back style of gameplay farming sims have to offer, but the ever persistent Bokujo Monogatari series, or Farm Story or Story of Seasons or whatever the hell you want to call it, kept beckoning my attention with each new release. When I first saw screenshots for Harvest Moon in an ol?d Nintend?o Power, I laughed and thought it would go nowhere. Boy, was I wrong because today is the series’ 20th anniversary.

20 years of planting crops, picking up chickens, choosing husbands and wives, and reviving the Harvest Goddess. I, unfortunately, have only been there for about eight of those years, getting into the series for the first time with Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar. My fascination with farming would eventually lead me to try the Rune Factory spin-off (which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month) and this year's Return to PoPoLoCrois. While I have enjoyed most of the time I've spent with my hands on a hoe, my favorite game to bear the Harvest Moon name is actually Frantic Farming.

Unlike some companies, Marvelous has set up a website commemorating the occasion. It's all in Japanese, which makes sense because the US didn’t get the series until 1997, but you can check out screens from each entry to see how the franchise has progressed over the past two decades. The latest release in the series, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, just hit Japan b??ack in June and will come west next year.

The post We’ve been virtually farming for 20 years appeared first on Destructoid.

Enjoys doing background research in his free time

While people taking their work home with them is not by any means a new ph?enomenon, the concept of "work-life balance" is perhaps more of a concern now than ever ??before. With the advent of the Internet and mobile phones, employers now have unprecedented access to their employees during supposed off-time, and, in many cases, often expect workers to be available at odd hours or around the clock.

Vacation time is usually considered sacred, though. Most bosses don't require their subordinates to continue fielding emails if they're off snorkeling somewhere, or climbing a mountain. But Yoshifumi Hashimoto, producer of Marvelous' Story of Seasons franchise and other farming-themed titles, like the Rune Factory series, appar?ently enjoys continuing to do agricultural activities even while on holiday.

"I enjoy farming," Hashimoto told me (via an interpreter??) when asked about his favorite pastimes.

"I usually do it in Japan, bu?t have tried in America, too," Hashimoto added. "Unfortunately, American tractors are too big and you need a special license, so they wouldn't let me drive one here."

Hashimoto has also tri??ed farming in northern Japan, but says "it's just too cold" up there, and much prefers the warm cli??????????????????????????mate of Kyoto, where he can pull "big, big" Negi (a type of onion) out of the ground and see animals with his annual passes for the municipal zoo and local aquarium.

While Marvelous is headquartered in the sprawling metropolis of Toyko, I was curious if he had a small garden at home. Apparently not, but while growing up, his grandparents had a little bit of land in a more rural area of Japan that helped inspire some of the earlier Bokujou Monogatari games.

XSEED is currently localizing Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns for a 2017 release on Nintendo 3DS.

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Does it live up to the Harvest Moon name?

I don't know if I like Harvest Moon: Skytree Village, but I certain??ly don't hate it. At least, not yet. A trail?er released for E3 today offers a first look at the world and mechanics of the upcoming 3DS game.

A word of ad??????????????????????????vice before you watch the trailer ?below: mute your volume. You'll thank me later. The voiceover for the entire 2 and a half minute video is excruciatingly annoying. 

Skytree Village definitely looks similar to its predecessor The Lost Valley, especially in how farmers are able to interact with the land. So far, I'm a fan of how tools work this time around. I realize you'l?l have to upgra??de to get things to the scale shown in the trailer, but I'm 100% ok with being able to till a 10x10 grid of land with one swing. 

The post Gather ’round everyone, it’s time to viciously judge the new Harvest Moon: Skytree Village trailer appeared first on Destructoid.