Harvest Moon

• Release Date: 1996
• Platform: SNES
• Developer: Natusme
• Genre: Role-Playing

What role would you want to play as in a video game? A spaceman? A God? A soldier? A knight on a perilous quest? Okay... How about a farmer? Tilling the land, tending the livestock, looking after crops, and basing your life around the passing seasons. Not so keen? Are you sure?

Harvest Moon is a farming simulation, but a farming simulation in which the nasty bits of farming, such as wrenching chicken's heads off and putting bolts through cow's brains, are taken back a bit to make way for a gentle anime depiction of the countryside lifestyle in all it's glory. The game will have you feeding and looking after your animals, watering your crops, milking your cows(and talking to them while you are at it) and other farming activities in the most timely manner imaginable in order to maximize your farm's potential.

As unlikely as it sounds, the game's agenda will cast a strong spell on you until you are so hooked into the game that you can't escape it. With time management mechanics at it's heart, Harvest Moon is capable of dressing it's bare clockwork up in such a way where you don't really mind being rushed around or sent on a series of what are, essentially, thankless tasks.

Fans certainly don't seem to mind, as they buy near identical sequels by the boat-load. They ensure that every season of gaming has a Harvest moon release or two. While the recent titles in the series are only for the hard-core pretend farmer, the original was a title that anyone could pick up and enjoy. The game is available on the Wii's virtual console service. So what are you waiting for? Give this unique game a try!

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Posted in: 1990s, Natsume, Role-Playing, SNES