On reinvention and Harvest Moon.
Since Harvest Moon’s first appearance on the Super NES a decade ago, the casual farm sim has had well over a dozen episodes. The games have not changed overmuch from the original, despite some improvements in visuals that have been decidedly modest in comparison to the changes in technology (see also Pok?©mon). I haven’t had a lot of exposure to the various games, as the only ones I’ve owned were A Wonderful Life (GCN) and Friends of Mineral Town (GBA). The series is very popular, and is a draw and often even a system seller for the many solid fans.
The Nintendo DS has seen more episodes of Harvest Moon than any other, perhaps because of the system’s broad demographic and perhaps because of the natural fit for the touch-screen interface with farming, but most likely for both these reasons. We’ve seen Harvest Moon DS, Puzzle de Harvest Moon expected in the US later this year, a Harvest Moon title called The Island I Grew Up On which arrived in Japan last month, and a long-in-development title I’ll get to shortly.
While Harvest Moon has had no problem attracting a more casual audience, one criticism I have leveled at the series is its lack of visual impact and the cookie-cutter nature of the various releases, an issue that sets up a barrier to people like me who didn’t get hooked on the series early on.
For a couple of years now, I’ve been keeping an eye on a new Harvest Moon title that’s been under development for the DS called Rune Factory. This is a bit of a reinvention for the series, retaining farming elements as a part of a broader RPG adventure with much higher production values than earlier episodes, coming together in the hands of a different developer. On top of all this change, there is some form of online connectivity in the game.
From Gamespot:
The DS game, titled Rune Factory: Bokujou Monogatari, looks quite different from Innocent Life or any previous installments in the Harvest Moon series. [Rune Factory] will be a fantasy game where the player will be fighting against monsters…not simple boll weevils or locusts. Rune Factory’s producer Makoto Takada said the game will be a role-playing game. Players will also be able to tame creatures, raise them on a ranch, and include them in their parties. The game is currently being developed by Neverland Company and is scheduled for a 2006 release.
That’s Japanese release. The game released last summer there (Scored 33/40 at Famitsu according to Wikipedia) and is undergoing localization right now. Gamebrink’s review has information on how the game comes together, and is very heavy on details at eight pages. On online functionality, they have the following:
Players can also trade screenshots of the game or items that either side needs via Wi-Fi or wireless link. This can be accessed by visiting a shell at the seaside and Friend Codes are required before you can send and receive between players.
Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of hope for this game’s arrival in the US. It’s looking like a nicely polished game, which alone places it a mark above earlier efforts in the series, in my opinion. Anyone who was fishing… or doing anything else… in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life when sale day suddenly arrived might know what I’m talking about.
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon official site, not yet open.
Details planted for three Harvest Moons at Gamespot.
Rune Factory Shin Bokujou Monogatari (Japan) at Gamebrink.
Box art image from Play-Asia.
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