Hey there, gamers! I am very pleased to announce that the winner of last issue’s “BATTLE: Master Sword vs. Fusion Swords” was as expected. The winner is the Master Sword! I guess a sword created by a Goddess was bound to win, right? Anyway, for this issue I decided to review a game for our more...sensitive gamers. That’s right, I chose a game where you can build a town, work hard on your farm, and settle down. Let’s get started, shall we?
Harvest Moon is a title that has been around since the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and has come out with a hefty amount of versions since. I have been a fan since I was about six years old playing my first Harvest Moon game on the N64. As a fan, I have also played roughly seven other versions. (Like I said, there are a lot) So anytime a new game in the series comes out I’m always eager to try it out. Sure, the storyline stays the same, but the features are always new, and the town and the townsfolk change too! Naturally, I was excited for this one made for the 3DS. To my dismay, however, it was rather disappointing.
The game has some great features. For example, you can customize everything about your character including skin, hair, and eye color. You can get a llama, build the town as you see fit, customize your farm, go on trips with your spouse and/or child, and so on. I’m a dork, so I got excited for these little things, but then I started playing the game only to find out that there were only three people living in the town to start. Three. None of which, I may add, are eligible for marriage whether you are a boy or a girl. Truth is, this game is SLOW. I couldn’t even begin the plot of the game until the first day of Summer. I went a whole season (which consists of 30 days that go by real time) doing the same thing over and over again. All you can do is forage items in the forest for 30 days straight. You can grow some crops too, but that gets old really fast. The best part? You’re making all this money from foraging and selling crops, and there’s nothing to buy! The only store in town is the general store that sells recipes of food you can’t even make!
I will admit however, that the game does pick up, and when it does, it really isn’t too bad. I still got giddy from all the cut scenes with my sweetheart, and once I got a goal of rebuilding the town, I felt that I finally had a purpose. My advice to you? Don’t get this Harvest Moon game. Just like A Wonderful Life and Save the Homeland, this is a Harvest Moon title best to skip out on. However, I also recommend that if you still would like a tranquil game to pass time, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for the Nintendo Wii, is a great game. I can only hope that the next Harvest Moon game will move a bit faster than this last one.

Overall Rating: D+