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Nothing makes wanna-be farmers more excited than Harvest Moon. Over the years, Harvest Moon has taken one of the strangest simulators ever created (farming? come on…) and turned it into a huge hit.
Two years ago, Harvest Moon came to the DS. There was only one problem for Harvest Moon DS: you had to play as a dude. What if you are a girl and don’t want to start a family with another girl? Don’t want to woo and hit on another girl? Well, then you were screwed. Until now…
Has Forget-Me-Not Valley lost its magic? You’re a late-blooming farmer, but the Harvest King doesn’t have patience for girls who play all day! That’s why he weeded out the Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites, leaving you out standing in your fields. Break his spell by sowing seeds and finding the Harvest Sprites. You’ll need to master planting fields and tending livestock. Perhaps a handsome bachelor will help you before a mysterious thief steals your heart!
- Raise Cows, Sheep, Chickens and Ducks!
- Change clothes and decorate the interior of your house!
- Court and marry local guys or invite over favorites from Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town!
Besides the fact that your character now has a uterus, Harvest Moon DS Cute is sadly quite similar to Harvest Moon DS Dude. Natsume was smart enough to change the story ever-so-slightly, as to keep girls entertained. If you are a girl, and you are a lame enough gamer to be saddened by the fact that you have to play a dude character, then you aren’t a gamer. Period. But, smart marketing dictates that it is a good idea to appeal to all audiences, even prepubescent girls. Alright, enough with the soapbox.
While the biggest difference between the two games is the player’s gender, there are also a few minor changes in the For Girl version. The player will be able to select between one of two characters to represent them in the game: The blonde “Claire” from the original Harvest Moon for Girls and from More Friends of Mineral Town or the pony-tailed brunette “Jill” from Another Wonderful Life.
Unlike the regular version, it is possible to change the color of your character’s clothing. Both characters have their own sets of 18 outfits. The character is determined by questions asked at the start of the game, much like the Animal Crossing series. However, the questions are quite shallow, and only the third question matters. Players may also choose to change the appearance of their house, by selecting one of six different wallpaper/carpet combinations for the interior.
You can also buy new sets of clothing and wallpaper over the phone. There is now the option to have either a male or female child at random. Also, in the Harvest Sprite Casino the rules for ‘Doubling Down’ have changed, in that the ‘Same’ option in High or Low was removed. Some extra in-game events were also added. Due to the codes from DSC, the Farm Degrees for HMDSC have been confirmed different from HMDS.
Harvest Moon DS is a great, addictive game, whether you play as a boy, or as a girl. All in all, the principles of the game do not change. Let me make it clear: absolutely nothing changes.
You are an amateur farmer and have been granted a home and parcel of land to begin the rest of your life with. In the beginning, you will work your butt off to gain access to more land, animals, better tools, farm dwellings, a bigger variety of crops, and yes, gambling.
You can even enter contests to promote your farm. You can show off your most beautiful duck, biggest cucumber, best pie, or even your entire farm. Alas, once you have become the best farmer there is, you will realize that there is still something missing from your humble life: a spouse.
Now you must find the right words, best trinkets, biggest gifts, best lies, or whatever you can to persuade someone to move in with you and help you with your farm. Whether that spouse is a male or female, the objective is the same… get married like a good little farmer should.
Unlike the Harvest Moon games for the Gamecube or PS2, we are subjected to graphics and sound that hasn’t been updated since the Gameboy Color came out.
Seriously, I’m pretty sure Pokemon Yellow looks and sounds exactly the same as Harvest Moon. Regardless, Harvest Moon is a fun, addictive game. You’ll find yourself saying, “I swear I’ll come to dinner as soon as I finish planting this last patch of onions”. Whether or not you pick up the Cute version is up to you, but I am much happier playing the boy version I bought last year and saving my money for the next big game.
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