"Grab Your Hoe And Get Busy"

When Harvest Moon was first announced for the Super Nintendo, I was a bit skeptical at first, wondering how much fun I could actually have with a farm sim. After seeing more information about it, I decided to pick myself up a copy, and I was more than happy that I did.

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:: Story (N/A)
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Since this isn't an RPG or Action game, there's really no story attached to it. Your parents leave you on a farm for 2 and a half years, leaving you to lead the life of a farmer. Dividing your time wisely to fix up the farm, grow crops, take care of animals, and swoon the ladies throughout the years. If you do well enough, your parents will come back pleased, and you'll live a happy life. If not - well, it's exactly the opposite.

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:: Gameplay (7/10)
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The game play consists of using farm tools to perform various tasks such as feeding the animals, repairing the farm, growing the crops, etc. Since you're only able to carry two items at a time, you'll find yourself running back and forth from the shed to your farm, which gets tedious after a long length of time.

Another factor which pulls down the score a bit is the repetitive days. Natsume added festivals for you to attend, but it seems those are far and wide comparing to all the work you have to accomplish. The days are mostly consist of feeding the animals, growing/picking crops, swooning a lady, then going to bed. But hey, that's just me, you can experiment however you'd like.

Another thing I'd like to point out, as that you can get married in the game. With 5 different ladies to choose from, with enough time and dedication, you can get them to like you, and eventually marry you. And if you're really lucky, you may even have kids! With house upgrades to purchase, and gifts to bring home, you'll surely have a happy family. (Just don't hit those bars)

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:: Sound/Music (8/10)
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Natsume did a really good job with acquiring good music for Harvest Moon. The music beats are set to the different seasons, and are tunes which will easily get stuck in your head. Furthermore, the animals make sound effects, which really adds to the enjoyment of the game.

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:: Graphics (8/10)
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The graphics are beautifully composed to SNES standards. Each season brings a new look to your farm, forest, and town, which will want to make you explore just to see the changes. The characters are drawn well, and no pixilation or breaks in the houses is evident.

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+ Good Points +
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+ Replay value is high
+ Different tactics can be used
+ Marring System

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- Bad Points -
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- All those damn typos
- Repetitive gameplay

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:: Overall (8/10)
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Overall, Harvest Moon is a great gem for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Back then it was underrated, but these days, it has exploded into a huge franchise. Even with all these new versions coming out, it's still worth while to hit back to the basics.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/01, Updated 11/28/01