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Preview  Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
- By Neal Gittens


Over the years, there have been a ton of niche titles. Games that may not appeal to all, but develop an intense, sometimes obsessive, fan following. Perhaps the best series of any of the niche titles, Harvest Moon is returning to the forefront this summer/fall for both the Gamecube and the Gameboy Advance.

For those unfamiliar with the premise of Harvest Moon, it’s pretty simple. You take over a decrepit farm, and have to return it to greatness. To do so, you have many options to choose from: Plant crops, raise animals, search the countryside for items to sell, etc… As you grow your farm, you also develop relationships with the residents of the town near your farm. They can range from shopkeepers, to the local clergyman, to most important of all: the ladies.

That’s correct, if you play your cards right, you won’t be shacking up alone on the farm forever. There are a number of ladies to choose from, and you’ll need to get to know them all for their respective personalities to be able to woo each one. Like real ladies, each has a diverse personality, and their own likes and dislikes. Unlike real ladies, these ones can be reset if you really do something to aggravate them or if you miss a birthday or something. (Wouldn’t THAT be a great thing to have in reality?) And if you remain nice to your wife once you tie the knot, you can even end up with some free labor, I mean, a child, of your own.

So, as for the features that each game promises, let’s run them down:

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Only for: Nintendo Gamecube

A new Harvest Moon world
40 New and Unique characters
Revived marriage system
Ability to raise your child
New event system, with 6 chapters of life, spanning 30 years
A new system to raise animals and grow vegetables
More seeds and new animals

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Only for: Gameboy Advance

Revisit the world of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
New events and mini-games
Traditional Harvest Moon gameplay with many new surprises

Besides those features, there will also be link play between the two games, using the Gamecube/GBA connection cable. This will allow travel between the two towns, and open up new, exclusive events, and new surprises as well.

While HM: Friends of Mineral Town looks to take a previously explored world and expand upon it, HM: A Wonderful Life appears to be a whole new experience, and if it delivers what it promises, it will be the best one yet. With a chapter based system, representing different portions of your life, (courtship, marriage, having a child, raising a child), you’ll be able to see your life progress more so than in previous Harvest Moon games. You’ll even see your child grow from a newborn into an adult! The addition of hybrid vegetables, a bunch of new animals, and a whole new world to explore the nooks and crannies of, there will be no shortage of things to do with your career in farming.

With all of these things going for it, Harvest Moon is my most anticipated game (games, technically) for the year 2003. I have been in love with the series for as long as I can remember, and this pair looks to easily surpass the greatness of even the best Harvest Moon games released yet. I will have plenty to say about it when I take it for a very extended spin in just under a month at E3. (Natsume, you will need security to pry me away from this game. Just some advance warning.) Stay tuned to NGenres for further coverage of the Harvest Moon games at E3 and beyond.

- 4.21.2003