Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life

"Still a wonderful game, but doesn't offer much of what it didn't alreayd have"

I always start these out with a tiny bit of info about the game... well... lets see... Your character is a female this time... <_< (didn't see that coming, didya?!) Her father dies of some illness or something.(I don't know exactly of what, they don't say, I still think he was trampled by his cows.) So when she came Takakura let her work on the farm for a bit, to see if it would better suit her tastes than the city life she currently had could. And that's where the game begins...

Gameplay: 9/10

Although the new features make it somewhat more enjoyable than the earlier boys version, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, released on 03/16/04 in North America, it's still about more of the same. Some of the new(and much needed) features include, interaction with your dog, scales that measure your animal's and family's affection towards you, cheaper tree seeds(buys and selling), and a more realistic farm simulation. The compatibility with Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town adds a bit to the game, and who knows, maybe they'll even carry over a smidgen of this game into Harvest Moon DS. The new features give it a much better gaming experience, but because 98% of it was the exact same, it doesn't deserve that perfect rating, that I think, A Wonderful Life didn't have.

Sound: 10/10

If there is only one thing I can truly say I enjoyed about this game, it was just listening to the waterfall with my eyes closed. The sound in this game is so beautiful with it's effects, and the music is toned down a bit from AWL to not blow you away, but leave a nice background effect. The music that you choose to play can only be heard around your farm, the rest of the town is silent unless you get near someone's house or it's late and you happen to be at the bar. Although this isn't a bad thing, it makes you feel like you're right in the middle of nature, with the cicada chirping, the river flowing, or just your footsteps, you can actually hear yourself in this game if you listen close enough.

Graphics: 8/10

Although some things are very well done, one of the best mentioned would be the water effect the river has, there are still a few bugs with the graphics, the faces are just flat pixels placed on a 3D body, and sometimes this is way too obvious (a few villagers have an overly flat head). Although other than a few of them, nothing in this game will actually be damaged by the graphics, most of the time they're sharp and smooth(not sure how they pull that off...) at the same time, and often pleasant to look at.

Replay: 5/10

This is where it gets hurt, the game is often too repetitive, although there is more to do, there is still little to do to keep yourself entertained after you do it. It was hard for me to sit down for long periods of time with this game, unlike A Wonderful Life, which is when I first got used to the gameplay. Although, I feel if I had played this installment first, it would have been able to last me longer than the previous one could. Either way, for me, it wasn't too good, but a person totally new to it would probably have a much different experience with it, probably much better if they enjoy the series as much as I have. Don't let my replay value shy you away from it, even if you feel tired of it, it's fun to try the new features out and have to hit on the other sex. ^_~

Overall: 8/10

Although it's still a great game by it's own means, when standing next to an older copy of A Wonderful Life, you see that it really is about the same game wrapped in a prettier shell. I still enjoyed the time I had with it, although not as much if I hadn't bored myself with the boys version beforehand. If you really love Harvest Moon, or are just curious to see what some of the new features are like, I strongly suggest renting, or maybe buying it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/03/05