Harvest Moon

"Help! It's consuming my life!"

Harvest Moon. To the ordinary gamer, this may seem like a boring old game that doesn't seem worth it. However, if you look at it closer, you can see that this game, although it requires much patience, is an excellent one, and very much worth it to play.

Plot - 4/10
Well, I'll say this much - there isn't much of a plot to speak of. Your grandfather kicked the bucket, leaving you the farm. You get to stay there for 3 years, and take care of it. But the amount you can accomplish in 3 years is astounding. The plot gets a 4/10 for being nothing special, but still being a plot nonetheless.

Graphics - 9/10
Graphically, it's average for the SNES. I mean, the sprites do look kind of cool, and the cows are a bit messed up, but the crops look realistic(in a SNES sort of way), as do the chickens. What more can I say? The graphics are good though, as they don't deter from the gameplay. I give graphics a 9/10, as they don't deter from the gameplay, look good, and are a bit messed up at some points. (mainly the cows.)

Sound/Music - 8/10
Hmm. This doesn't have the most enticing score of music, but however, it suits the mood. The sound effects are cool, albeit annoying when it comes to visiting the chicken coop with 12 chickens, and I think rainy day noise is kind of annoying. Other than that, however, I believe that Sound/Music deserves an 8/10, for the sound effects fit the mood, as does the music.

Gameplay - 9/10
Go Natsume! They broke the traditional type of game with Harvest Moon, leaving other types behind in the dust. Essentially, you take care of crops, and livestock, while trying to earn money, get the extras, and so on. The first task at hand would probably be clearing your field.. and oh what a task that is. This goes on for 3 years, the fun not stopping until then. The game is very addictive.. I spent about 12 hours playing it non-stop once. Yep, it's consumed my life. =D Anyway, this is a real kicker for the score, I believe. It gets a 9/10 for being addictive, fun, and unique, and innovative.

Replay Value - 10/10
Woah.. this game has amazing replay value, in my opinion. As the original, you can do so many things in this game, as well as take different paths, with a few side quests to keep you distracted, you can play it over and over again, trying to achieve better/different endings. I won't spoil anything though.. I believe this deserves a 10/10 for being addictive and having many reasons to give the game another go-through or two.. or three.. or four.. or five..

Side quests - 8/10
Whee fun. This game has many side quests to choose from, from getting married.. to upgrading your house.. to getting all the power berries.. to getting all the gold tools.. to all the festivals. I think that another side quest you could toss in for yourself is seeing how quickly you can get everything. ^_^ But that's beside the point. Side quests gets an 8/10 for having so many, and for having so many fun ones.

Buy or Rent?
If you can get your hands on a copy of this game, buy it. No excuses. Buy it. Now. @@ Then again, if you don't have the money to buy, save up to buy it, or rent it. The simple fact is, this game is worth a buying, as there's so much to do, you simply cannot get it all done in one rental.

TALLY
Plot - 4
Graphics - 9
Sound/Music - 8
Gameplay - 9
Replay Value - 10
Side quests - 8
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Average:8
+1 point for having pig-nosed cows
Total:9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/02, Updated 03/23/02