Harvest Moon 64

Platform: Nintendo64
Creators: Natsume
Genre: Farming RPG

Plot: 8
Characters: 10
Music: 6
Graphics: 8
Replay: 10
Extras: 10
Fun: 10
Overall: 9

Plot -
Harvest Moon64 has a very simple plot. Your goal is to make a successful farm, raise animals, get married, and have a kid before your 4th year. Although you should, you don't even have to do any of these things. Where you go in your game is completely up to you. If you want to laze around on the mountain all day and then go get drunk at the bar, you can do that! The choice in this game is what makes the plot so great.

Characters -
The main character doesn't really have a personality in the beginning of the game. You make him out to be who he is. While the main character is rather bland in this respect, all of the other characters have complete and well thought out personalities. Each of the wife-to-be characters has a different personality, and the easiest way to get them to marry you is to conform to their style and give them gifts that fit who they are. The random people around town also have personalities. You get to know that as if they were real. The way that they portray their characters give this category a 10 out of 10.

Music -
The music in this game can get a bit annoying at times. You hear the same music every day for each season, and every time you enter a new screen, the music starts all over again. The music in this game is not too complex, so you don't really pay much attention to it when you're completely hooked into the game.

Graphics -
The graphics for this game are in the much used style of Nintendo64 - the blocky "3D" style. They suit the game very well, and I couldn't imagine any other graphics. It has a cute chibi style as well. The graphics can be very pretty at times, such as the festivals. Because the graphics are so well suited to the game, they deserve a good score.

Replay -
Harvest Moon64 has many different aims and goals, and you might get annoyed if you can only get one. You have five different brides to chose from, so trying to get them all can become an obsession. I've gotten all but one, and that's due to the fact that I don't own the game. Believe me, you'll definetly want to play this game more than once. There are so many different things you can do and so many results you can get that playing this game for hours on end is completely natural.

Extras -
There are many things to do in Harvest Moon. You can raise many animals and even train your horse to become a racer. You plant fruits and vegetables and can sell them when they grow. There are many additions to your farm that you can build once you've cut enough wood and earned enough money, such as a bathroom and a kitchen. There are many festivals to partake in, and even contests you can enter. If you don't have a greenhouse yet when winter hits, you can head up to the mines and dig for ore, healing herbs, and money. Each season has special things you can do in it. Eventually you'll be hired to help build a bridge, and then a hot spring place. There's so much to do in this game that you'll never get bored, and I haven't even scraped the surface.

Fun -
Harvest Moon64 is obsessive. It'll have you hooked for hours. It's a lighter, bubbly RPG, so it's also very fun to play. In fact, compare to most RPGs, it's extremely fun. Although a simple farming game may seem to be a bit childish, stupid, and boring, I once drew a crowd of my older sisters friends around while in played. They stared at it with complete fascination. Seeing eighteen and nineteen year olds become infatuated by just watching someone play the game is rather entertaining. Push aside your doubts and just try this game out, people. You won't be disappointed.

Crystal Zeal's Reviews
Harvest Moon 64 Reviews


This Page © Copyright 1997, Brian Work. All rights reserved. Thanks to Sax for his help with the layout. Do not take anything from this page without my consent. If you wish to contact an author, artist, reviewer, or any other contributor to the site, their email address can be found on their index page. This site is link-free, meaning you don't need to ask me if you'd like to link to it. Best viewed in 1024x768.