Harvest Moon

"You have 2 1/2 years to build a successful farm and marriage before your parents return."

-Before I bought Harvest Moon I had another SIM called SIM Farm, and I only liked it a little bit. About 6 months later I bought an RPG/SIM game called "Harvest Moon" because I read about it in a lot of issues of Nintendo power. I thank Nintendo Power for convincing me to buy the best SIM in the world.

-The story is you have 2 1/2 years to make a good life before your parents return. There are several different endings.

-The graphics are okay. Nothing to get all excited about. The graphics just aren't bad.

-The Game Design is great. There might be some bugs but still...a farming SIM/RPG. You try making one! You have your Farm, Town, and Mountain/Forest, lots of characters, five girls to choose to marry from, cows and chickens to raise...lots of good stuff. Quite a few known bugs, though. Plus in the Gameboy version the day ends at 6:00 am. In the Super Nintendo version nighttime lasts as long as you want it!

-The music is repetitive but at least it doesn't sound too bad like the Gameboy version.

-The sounds are good because you need them.

-The challenge you say? Not much of it. The only hard thing is getting everything you need done before the stores close or nighttime comes. You see you only have enough time to store plants, veggies, and fruit to the outside shipping box before the shipper comes and you can't ship anything the next day.

-Doing a good days work is always satisfying. If you throw seeds when you wanted to pick up a mushroom… well that's not always satisfying…

-The controls are easy and fun. The only bad thing is you can only hold two items at a time.

-Very fun and a good time passer! This is not portable like the Gameboy version but it is good for a rainy day or to play when you are bored, or even play with friends who also like the game.

Graphics and animation- 6
Fun and Theme- 9
Story- 7
Controls- 9
Game Design - 9
Sound - 8
Music - 7
Satisfaction- 10
Game Play- 10
Challenge- 6

Pros:
The game also has some fun non-realism that makes it an RPG
The best SIM I ever played
Worth buying if you like these kind of games
There are lots of great, fun features
Several different endings
Several festivals you can attend to
The option of getting married and/or having kids.
4 Seasons just like real life
Several secret items to find, and sell
A big town full of shops like any other RPG
3 different areas to explore
You can remodel your house
For not very good game players this game is for you!
Cons:
Definitely not for RPG haters
Not very challenging (But it is still a very fun game, even for great game players)
There are only a few bugs

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99