Harvest Moon

By Ellie Gibson Published 8 September, 2005

Farming goes handheld.

It's been nearly 15 years since farming sim Harvest Moon first appeared on the SNES, and Marvelous Interactive president Yasuhiro Wada has been there right from the beginning. Now he's finishing up work on new HM games for the PSP and Nintendo DS, and we got the chance to sit down and have a chat about what we can expect from the latest instalment in the series that gives everyone the chance to pretend they're Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Only without the bit where he kills screaming pigs with rusty scythes, obviously...

Eurogamer: Let's start with Harvest Moon DS... Why did you decide to do a version for Nintendo's handheld?

Yasuhiro Wada: As you know, the Nintendo DS has a touch screen, dual screen and microphone. We wanted to try our hands at the challenge of making a game to suit a handheld with all these new features.

Eurogamer: We've already heard that you can stroke the animals with the stylus in the game, but are there any other features specific to the DS that you can tell us about?

Yasuhiro Wada: In previous Harvest Moon games, you could see the text under the character. This time we use the dual screen, so the text is on the bottom screen while the character is on top - so you can see all his facial expressions, and you can watch him moving around and doing activities.

Also you now have a TV on the touch screen, and you can use the stylus to adjust the volume, change the channel and so on. You can watch a tutorial, and also see some TV series - dramas, variety shows, that kind of stuff.

In this edition of Harvest Moon, we also have new characters called the Kurubok - little creatures that you have to try and collect. I think there are about a hundred of them, and you can watch the news on the TV to find out where they're located.

As for the environment, it's a completely new game, a new Harvest Moon. And yes, there will be Harvest Moon for boys and Harvest Moon for girls, as on the Gamecube.

'Harvest Moon' Screenshot daisy

Eurogamer: Will the game also make use of the DS's Wi-Fi feature?

Yasuhiro Wada: There is no Wi-Fi feature, but rest assured that for the next Harvest Moon DS game it will be incorporated. Harvest Moon PSP does feature wireless play - there's a co-operative system, so you have to work together to grow seeds or take care of all the animals as a partnership.

Eurogamer: Harvest Moon has a few things in common with Nintendogs, caring for and feeding animals and the like... Have you played Nintendogs, and were you inspired by it in any way?

Yasuhiro Wada: The thing is, Nintendogs was released in Japan in April, and the DS version of Harvest Moon was released in March. So we had exclusivity on some of the stuff first! I have played Nintendogs and yes, I like it.

Eurogamer: How about Animal Crossing?

Yasuhiro Wada: Of course to some extent you have more or less the same degree of freedom in both titles, but in Animal Crossing there's a real focus on the dialogue and the characters - whereas Harvest Moon is more about the storytelling and the scenarios in the game.

'Harvest Moon' Screenshot animal

Eurogamer: So what can you tell us about the PSP version of Harvest Moon?

Yasuhiro Wada: It's going to be a completely different game to previous instalments in the series, and to the DS game. It's set in the future, on an island, and the main character is a robot - but he looks kind of like a cute boy. The animals are still real, though.

Although the game system is basically still the same, we've made a lot of improvements. We wanted to try and refresh the series with this game and present a new design.

Eurogamer: One criticism levelled at previous Harvest Moon games is that they can get a bit repetitive... Have you done anything to address this?

Yasuhiro Wada: Yes, we've heard that things can get kind of boring! So we've tried to make improvements to avoid these problems.

Because Harvest Moon has new features and is set in the future, you'll have to go through a new tutorial and learn new ways to play the game. There will be interaction with the island you're on - so, for example, you might come across a plot of land where there's nothing at all, and it's up to you to appropriate it and make something out of nothing!

'Harvest Moon' Screenshot bush

Eurogamer: Will there be downloadable content for the PSP version?

Yasuhiro Wada: We've been thinking about it, and yes, we are going to try and implement downloadable content... Additional scenarios and so on.

Eurogamer: Why do you think players find Harvest Moon so enchanting?

Yasuhiro Wada: Firstly because there are no other games like this. Secondly, because the characters are very cute but they're also very deep. We try to make them very human, and that might touch the user too because maybe they identify with the characters.

Another factor is that you can play the game however you want - it's up to you whether to plant seeds, breed animals and so on - you can start from wherever you want and you are very free in this game.

Eurogamer: Which machine do you find it easier to develop for - the DS or the PSP?

Yasuhiro Wada: It's even! Thinking about ways to use the DS's new features and be creative, that can be very tiring, exhausting even! Thinking up stuff for the PSP is pretty easy, but then trying to implement them during the development process is quite hard.

Eurogamer: So... If you personally could only own one handheld, which one would it be?

Yasuhiro Wada: If I had to choose a piece of hardware to buy, I'd choose the PSP. But if I wanted to play, I'd buy a DS!

Check back soon for all the latest on the new Harvest Moon titles.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (39) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Teeth #1 7 years ago

    Nice interview. Robots, eh?? Very interesting...

  • smelly #2 7 years ago

    Wooot! Great news!!

    Now all we need is a feature where you can put you wife on the game (or in the case of muffy, get her working as a stripper).. And it needs guns to go rob other farmers.

  • Teeth #3 7 years ago

    It's a shame they missed the boat on connectivity in the DS version.

    I'd agree about the characters, there are some very interesting storylines in there for an ostensibly kiddy title - like in the GBA version where there's that guy whose wife ran away, came back with a kid, and then lef the kid there and ran away again, or the woman whose husband's gone off looking for a rare herb so she doesn't keel over and die or something, except she'd rather he was just there because she's so lonely.

  • myiagros #4 7 years ago

    thank god the PSP version is a new game.
    Have recently heard they are also rereleasing HM:Back to nature on PSP, in a surround, not even incorperating widescreen.

  • deaner #5 7 years ago

    That's my favourite ever Eurogamer interview.

  • joey #6 7 years ago

    Yasuhiro Wada: If I had to choose a piece of hardware to buy, I'd choose the PSP. But if I wanted to play, I'd buy a DS!

    Fair comment I think. still there is something about that bloody PSP that makes me want one...and it's not the games.

    Just been thinking...*ouch* the new Ipod Nano comes in shiny black also...I wonder why?
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/05 @ 13:21

  • Nikanoru #7 7 years ago

    15 years? Try 9.

  • Aretak #8 7 years ago

    The version of Harvest Moon on the Cube was rubbish beyond belief. I took it back the day after I got it.

  • renzo #9 7 years ago

    PSP, obviously.

  • drumbaby #10 7 years ago

    Gotta be PSP

  • drumbaby #11 7 years ago

    Went off...had another think..yup, still PSP ;)

  • renzo #12 7 years ago

    Out of that list of games, how many have you played?

  • smelly #13 7 years ago

    Well obviously if you're a kid who only cares about pretty gfx and showing off your 3d pixels of games more suited to a tv set than to a handheld (which thanks to short battery life you have to sit next to power poitn to play properly anyhow) then you're going to love the psp.

    And I can understand that.

    Me, i'm sticking with DS as i like games. Kirby canvas is the best game i've played in almost a decade!!!! Given choice of that, or to replay games i already own on ps2? No contest.

  • Teeth #14 7 years ago

    " I knew that DS is better for GAMES.

    Ask yourselves if you can only one system which will you get."

    What are you talking about? What place has such a comment got here?

    This article is about a Harvest Moon game coming out for both DS *and* PSP - the PSP version has an interesting new setting, WiFi features and possibly downloadable content. The DS version is more traditional but has interesting user input and probably some mini games, and also that whole catch'em all thing with the new creatures mentioned, but lacks online and connectivity features.

  • Teeth #15 7 years ago

    Also let us try for just once not to turn every thread into a DS vs. PSP war?

    Please?

  • Teeth #16 7 years ago

    What the hell are you talking about?

  • renzo #17 7 years ago

    I was not going to ask you to go on, but after seeing that you listed Ultimate Card Games, I absolutely have to.

  • joey #18 7 years ago

    Think this was my fault - sorry, just thought it was an interesting comment.

    BACK on topic - it's nice to see different features on the two systems dont you think??

  • renzo #19 7 years ago

    Fill my ignorant brain with your magical lists!

  • Teeth #20 7 years ago

    "Fill my ignorant brain with your magical lists!"

    LOL!

  • kangarootoo #21 7 years ago

    Had someone already nabbed the bengali username then? Man, that must have drove you nuts. Good to see you found a solution though.

  • Teeth #22 7 years ago

    joey - yes; they are completely different systems so it makes sense to redesign for each system. Different price point, different user base, different input system, different capabilities, different screens. You'd be mad crazy to try and make the exact same game work on both consoles.

  • kangarootoo #23 7 years ago

    "Dont LOL"

    Top work.

  • kangarootoo #24 7 years ago

    "Back on topic here are the scores for HArvest Moon DS"

    Does anyone else know what is going on here? Let me have a go.

    Banana
    Apple
    Mango
    Pomegranit
    Plum
    Banana... Doh!

    Clearly I'm just not cut out for this list business.

  • Teeth #25 7 years ago

    Shows what I know. Comment deleted.

  • Teeth #26 7 years ago

    So, is that a good or bad score for Famitsu?

  • smelly #27 7 years ago

    "nooooooooo!! can't. afford. both. :( "

    Get the one which appeals to you the most then! :-)

  • kangarootoo #28 7 years ago

    You ever get that feeling that you don't have the information you need to make a decision? I'm now really not quite sure whether bengalibengali is being serious, or reeling us in.

    Either way this thread is swiftly becoming an effective cure for insomnia.

  • smelly #29 7 years ago

    "In comparion Nintendogs got "

    Yes.. but in terms of reviews.. the numers are pointless without the words.

    A number score on its own is meaningless. All the reviewers mayve said "this is the best game in the world.. if you like this sort of thing, if you only like fps games, it sucks" for example.

  • souljah #30 7 years ago

    "We've already heard that you can stroke the animals with the stylus"

    Hello, Jack Thompson? Zoophilia...where you do stand?

  • trevd72 #31 7 years ago

    have any of you seen the PSP shots of this. It looks a cheap ass port. it does not use the full screen, intead there is a grass border down each side. so if they could not be bothered to optimise the screen i would imagine nothing else is updated. RE-HASH - RIP OFF

  • kangarootoo #32 7 years ago

    " http://www.gamestats.com/objects/695/695643/#reviews&quo t;

    LOL. Thats put my mind at rest now, I know what I am dealing with again.

    @smelly.

    Has this thread taught you nothing?! Numbers and lists are all that counts. A universal constant exists that keeps all reviews inherently balanced ;)

  • Derblington #33 7 years ago

    Trev - Oh dear.

  • Teeth #34 7 years ago

    Anyone got a link to these PSP screens or is trev just winding people up :)

  • toy_brain #35 7 years ago

    I never really got into Harvest Moon: AWL on the Gamecube (played the first year, got married, then stopped after a couple months on year 2), though that could be because I just never had the time or inclination to sit down for hours on end to plod through it.

    Mabye it'll work better on a handheld - being able to grab a quick go here and there whenever the mood takes me.
    Oh, and I hope theres none of that getting married and raising kids stuff anymore - that kinda just got in the way of the farming and freely buggering about for me.

  • trevd72 #36 7 years ago

    here you go, scroll down the page a little.

    htt p://www.pspupdates.com/2005_09_05_archive.html

    and the source (just found it)

    http://ps p.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143420
    Edited by 1 at 08/09/05 @ 16:50

  • Teeth #37 7 years ago

    Wow. Well I hope they've re-thought that. It looks pants.

    He did mention about it being set on an island with a robotic main character though so I guess that's a pretty old screenshot. They'd be mugs to foul up the PSP version of this IMO.

  • Machiavel #38 7 years ago

    Sounds great - except that you're actually a robot.!?!?!?!

  • smelly #39 7 years ago

    "The game concept might be interesting, but they should do something a bit better than just porting stuff, IMO. "

    Reads article (espeically robot bit), looks at shots.. thinks shots are a tad fake.

    Dont judge until you see for yourself (same goes to all those numpties that are pre-ordering consoles before they've seen games running on them! muppets!)