Harvest Moon
Reviewed by Jay Dolan
Harvest Moon is one of the most oddball games to be called a
role playing game. You are to take the role of young man who is
going to get rich off of his Grandfathers old farm. And in no way
is it simple. You have to clear the land, take care of livestock, get
married, and have kids. Farm life has never been more complex
Graphics 7 out of 10
The graphics of Harvest Moon are very suitable for the game.
Though not up to the potential Super Nintendo has, the graphics
are colorful, cute, and over-all good looking. Though extremely
simple, these graphics provide lots of humor such as the Pregnant
cow (who waddles when she walks). There are some flaws though.
I still can't distinguish a yellow flower from a cave herb
Music and Sound 10 out of 10
I personally feel the music for Harvest Moon is well suited and
fits the food of the game. Every area and time of year has it's
own different tune, like the hussle-bustle song of the summer,
the relaxing song of the mountains, and the simple pleasures of
town life. With each season the music is very suitable, such as
the gloomy winter music and the hustled summer music as I
mentioned before.
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
The games tutorial makes the simple farm life seem simple.
Clear the land, plow it, plant your seeds, then water them
until the plants grow. This is not what it seems. Each day in the
game is under 3 minutes, you have to constantly hold the B
button to run around. And the way you plow depends on what watering
tool you have. Getting a wife is also hard. Love can't be forced, and it
requires time and patience to work at with the girl you love. Dating
eats away a lot of time, and so does wood chopping and animal feeding.
The game makes you want to see if you can handle 20 plots of land
to water daily and harvest.
Game Play-Fun 8 out of 10
There are many simple joys of the game. Your first crop, your
first cow, getting married and having kids. Some parts are
hilarious too. You're wife has your children in your bed, and you
sleep in the next night. There are also festivals to attend and
lots of other stuff. The fun if the game really shines when you
have a routine and then totally break it to go on a date.
Frustration
It's there. Powering up tools is often once in a life time. Dating
certain girls and getting married is near to impossible. Reaching
the secret ending requires you to do a list of unhealthy chores.
Your thumb will have a calice on it from constantly hold down the
B button. Coming home after 8 when your married is considered
the worst thing you could ever do
Replayability 6 out of 10
Though there are many different ways to end the game, they
aren't really big. There is a super secret ending which you could
try for, but it's next to impossible.
Game Value 5 out of 10
It really just depends if you're willing to try something totally
new and have fun with it...
Overall 7 out of 10