Harvest Moon (2014 video game series)

Last updated

Harvest Moon
Harvest Moon Logo.png
The Harvest Moon series logo.
Genre(s) Life simulation
Farming simulation
Role-playing game
Puzzle
Developer(s) Appci Corporation (2014–present) [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Platform(s) Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
First release Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley
4 November 2014
Latest releaseHarvest Moon: Home Sweet Home
23 August 2024

Harvest Moon is a farm simulation role-playing video game series published by Natsume Inc. The main objective of the games is to rebuild a run-down old farm and turn it into a successful one.

Contents

Previously, Natsume Inc. published the series Bokujō Monogatari in North America under the title Harvest Moon. In 2014, Marvelous, the developer and original publisher of the Bokujō Monogatari series, decided to have their own American division, Xseed Games, take over North American distribution. However, due to Natsume Inc.'s owning the rights to the Harvest Moon name, the latest titles in the series were rebranded as Story of Seasons , while Natsume Inc. began to produce their own series under the Harvest Moon name. [2]

Origins

The name "Harvest Moon" was originally used for the series created by Marvelous known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari (牧場物語, lit. Ranch Story). Natsume Inc. initially distributed this series under the name Harvest Moon outside of Japan until 2014. At that time, Natsume Inc. maintained the rights to the name Harvest Moon when Marvelous announced that it would have its subsidiary, Xseed Games, take over North American distribution. [2] Because of this, Xseed began localizing the series in North America under the title Story of Seasons, beginning with the release of the game of the same name.

In 2007, Natsume Inc. took the opportunity to develop their own video game series using the name Harvest Moon in North America and Europe, and in 2014, it released Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, first farm simulator game in the new series. The resulting spin-off series, at least since Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, has caused some degree of confusion among fans and video game news sources, due to the game not actually being a part of the same series as the game was titled Harvest Moon before it. [3] [4]

List of games

TitleDetails

Original release date(s):
  • NA: 4 November 2014
  • EU: 19 June 2015
  • AU: 20 June 2015
Release years by system:
2014 Nintendo 3DS
Notes:
  • The first non-spin-off released without involving the developers of Story of Seasons .
Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories

Original release date(s): [5] [6]
  • WW: 14 January 2016
Release years by system:
2016 iOS, Android
Harvest Moon: Skytree Village

Original release date(s):
  • NA: 8 November 2016
  • EU: 2 June 2017 [7]
  • AU: 30 May 2017
Release years by system:
2016 Nintendo 3DS

Original release date(s): [8]
  • WW: 15 November 2017
Release years by system:
2017 Microsoft Windows
2018 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS
2020 Xbox One
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash

Original release date(s):
  • WW: 29 October 2019
Release years by system:
2019 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
2020 Xbox One
Harvest Moon: One World

Original release date(s): [9] [10]
  • NA: 2 March 2021
  • EU: 5 March 2021
Release years by system:
2021 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos

Original release date(s): [11]
  • NA: 26 September 2023
  • EU: 6 October 2023
Release years by system:
2023 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home

Original release date(s): [12]
  • WW: 23 August 2024
Release years by system:
2024 Android, iOS

Reception

Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (3DS) 46 [13]
Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories(iOS) 68 [14]
Harvest Moon: Skytree Village(3DS) 59 [15]
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope (Switch) 62 [16]
Harvest Moon: One World(Switch) 52 [17]
Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos(Switch) 72 [18]

Notes

  1. Formerly known as Tabot, Inc. before 1 June 2018

Related Research Articles

Story of Seasons, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari and formerly known as Harvest Moon, is an agricultural farming life simulation video game series created by Yasuhiro Wada and developed by Victor Interactive Software. Story of Seasons was the first game to be released under the new international series title of the same name.

<i>Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town</i> 2003 video game

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is a video game for the Game Boy Advance, developed and published by Marvelous Interactive. It is the first Game Boy Advance game of the Story of Seasons series, and is a remake of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. It was first released in Japan in April 2003, in North America in November 2003, and in Europe in March 2004. Many critics praised it as the best entry of the series, combining elements from the best-selling console entries and introducing many notable series staples. It was later released on the Virtual Console for the Wii U in June 2015.

<i>Harvest Moon</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Harvest Moon, known in Japan as Farm Story, is a farm simulation role-playing video game developed by Amccus for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game first was released in Japan by Pack-In-Video in 1996, in North America by Natsume Inc. in 1997, and in Europe by Nintendo in 1998. The European version shipped with language localizations for Germany and France. It is the first game in the long-running Story of Seasons video game series, previously known as the Harvest Moon series in western territories. The game has been re-released on the Satellaview, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Harvest Moon: Back to Nature</i> 1999 video game

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari Harvest Moon, is a video game in the farm simulation series Story of Seasons, developed and published by Victor Interactive Software. It is the first Harvest Moon game for a non-Nintendo console. Characters from Harvest Moon 64 were transferred to be the characters in this game, although with new lifestyles, personalities, and relatives.

Marvelous USA Inc., officially doing business as Xseed Games, is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. The company is currently a subsidiary of the Japanese game company Marvelous, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related materials.

<i>Harvest Moon: Magical Melody</i> 2005 video game

Harvest Moon: Magical Melody is a social simulation video game for the GameCube developed by Marvelous Interactive. It is an updated version of Bokujō Monogatari: Shiawase no Uta, which was released on March 3, 2005 in Japan. The updated GameCube version was released in the United States by Natsume Inc. on March 28, 2006.

<i>Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness</i> 2007 video game

Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness, known simply as Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, and known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Kimi to Sodatsu Shima, is a farm simulation video game published and developed by Marvelous Interactive Inc. in Japan, and released in North America by Natsume Inc. exclusively for the Nintendo DS. It is the third installment of the Story of Seasons series on the DS. It is the first entry without series creator Yasuhiro Wada involved.

<i>Harvest Moon DS</i> 2005 video game

Harvest Moon DS, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Colobocle Station, is a farm simulation role-playing video game for the Nintendo DS, part of the Story of Seasons series. It was published and developed by Marvelous Interactive Inc., and released in Japan on March 17, 2005, and in North America on September 12, 2006. It is the first entry in the series without series creator Yasuhiro Wada heavily involved, though it borrows many assets from Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, such as the graphical style from the former and setting of the latter.

<i>Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility</i> 2007 video game

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a farming simulation video game released in Japan on June 7, 2007, by Marvelous Interactive, in North America on September 30, 2008, by Natsume Inc., and in the PAL regions in October 2009. It was released for Nintendo Wii console and was the first title in the Story of Seasons series originally developed for the Wii. The video game was followed by a sequel, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, one year later.

Rune Factory is a franchise of fantasy role-playing social simulation games created by Yoshifumi Hashimoto and primarily published by Marvelous. The games are developed by Hashimoto's studio Hakama, taking over from Neverland after they ceased operations in 2013. The series began as a spin-off to Marvelous' flagship franchise Story of Seasons. The Story of Seasons references were subsequently dropped starting with the second installment, in order to become its own series. With the first game published in 2006, the property consists of five main-series games, two spin-off titles and numerous manga adaptations.

<i>Rune Factory 2</i> 2008 video game

Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is a simulation role-playing video game developed by Neverland. It was published in Japan, North America, and Europe by Marvelous Entertainment, Natsume Inc. and Rising Star Games respectively for the Nintendo DS.

<i>Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar</i> 2008 video game

Harvest Moon DS: Grand Bazaar, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Yōkoso! Kaze no Bazaar e, is a simulation role-playing video game released on December 18, 2008 by Marvelous Interactive in Japan, and released on August 24, 2010 by Natsume Inc. in North America. It was released in Europe on September 30, 2011 by Rising Star Games. The game is the nineteenth game in the Story of Seasons series and the fifth game in the series for the Nintendo DS.

<i>Rune Factory 3</i> 2009 video game

Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is a 2009 simulation role-playing video game developed by Neverland for the Nintendo DS. It was published in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment, in North America by Natsume Inc. in 2010, and in Europe by Rising Star Games in 2011. It is the fourth game in the Rune Factory series.

<i>Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley</i> 2009 video game

Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Sugar Mura to Minna no Negai, is a video game in the farm simulation series Harvest Moon for PlayStation Portable, developed by Marvelous Interactive Inc. and published by Natsume Inc. in the U.S. It was released on March 19, 2009 in Japan and on April 26, 2010 in North America.

<i>Rune Factory 4</i> 2012 video game

Rune Factory 4 is a role-playing video game developed by Neverland and published by Marvelous AQL for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sixth game in the Rune Factory series, and the first to be released on the 3DS. It was released in Japan in July 2012, in North America in October 2013, and in PAL regions in December 2014. An enhanced version, Rune Factory 4 Special, was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan in July 2019 and worldwide in February 2020. It was also released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in 2021.

<i>Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning</i> 2012 video game

Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning is a game for the Nintendo 3DS released by Natsume Inc. It is the last entry in the franchise released on the Nintendo 3DS systems to receive the title of Harvest Moon.

<i>Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, known in North America as Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley, is a farm simulation role-playing game developed by Tabot, Inc. for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in North America on November 4, 2014, in Europe on June 19, 2015 and in Australia on June 20, 2015.

<i>Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns</i> 2016 video game

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari: Mittsu no Sato no Taisetsuna Tomodachi, is a farming simulation role-playing game developed by Marvelous for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in June 2016 in Japan, February 2017 in North America, and in October 2017 in Europe and Australia. In this installment, in addition to the usual farmland which the player owns, the player is able to visit three towns, each with their own distinct culture and lifestyles.

Natsume Inc. is an American video game publisher. Originally established as an American division of Natsume Co., Ltd. in 1988, it split from its parent company in 1995 to become an independent publisher.

References

  1. "Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos". Numskull Games. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 Moriarty, Colin (28 May 2014). "Harvest Moon Returns in Story of Seasons on 3DS". IGN . Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. Whitehead, Thomas (3 June 2014). "Natsume Announces Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley for a 2014 Release on 3DS". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  4. Campbell, Evan (3 June 2014). "Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley Announced – IGN". IGN. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. Nunneley, Stephany (2 June 2015). "Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories coming to PC and Wii U this winter". VG247 . Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. Nelson, Jared (14 January 2016). "'Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories' Finally Launches on iOS as a Fully Paid Game". TouchArcade . Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  7. "Harvest Moon: Skytree Village". Nintendo. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  8. Romano, Sal (18 September 2020). "Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition Complete now available for Xbox One, Windows 10". Gematsu. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. Romano, Sal (12 May 2020). "Harvest Moon: One World announced for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  10. Ivan, Tom (16 September 2020). "Harvest Moon: One World for Nintendo Switch has been delayed to March 2021". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  11. Mateo, Alex (6 April 2023). Natsume Confirms Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos Game for Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC". Anime News Network . Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  12. Romano, Sal (15 August 2024). "Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home launches August 23". Gematsu. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  13. "Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  14. "Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  15. "Harvest Moon: Skytree Village". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  16. "Harvest Moon: Light of Hope". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  17. "Harvest Moon: One World". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  18. "Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 May 2024.