Friends of Mineral
Town
Reviews
...and I was suddenly sucked into a wormhole that transported me to another planet where I was captured and forced by their King to write a review on Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. Here it is.
Story: The story here is that you're a boy who visited a man's farm when you were little. You really enjoyed it and made a friend (a girl). You kept in touch with the man through letters but when he stopped replying, you go down to the farm to see what's up. Turns out that he died, and he's leaving the farm in your care. Better get cracking.
Gameplay: Think farming. Everyday. Years of farming. Surprisingly, it doesn't get boring. You can do tons of things. You can mine, plan crops, take care of horses, dogs, cows, chickens and sheep, you can compete in the many events of the town and you can marry one of the town's girls. In order to plant crops, you have to buy the seeds, till the soil, plant the seeds and water them everyday. This is where you make most of your money. There are four different seasons. Certain crops can only be planted in certain seasons. In winter, when there are no crops, you can spend your days mining. Of course, wooing the girls is a full time job, giving you something to do all year. Plus there are the Harvest Sprites, which can help you with watering; harvesting and taking are of your animal. You can eventually marry the girl of your dreams and even have a child. This is life, and it looks bright.
Controls: Controls can be tricky at the beginning but they're simply once you get used to them. Basically, A doesn't most everything. You can pick up, throw, talk to people, inspect things and whatnot. B controls tools you can use such as the hammer and fishing rod. Once you upgrade your tools you can hold down B for extra power. A+B opens up your rucksack where you keep all your tools and items. Wow. That's a big bag. L+B cycles though your tools and L+A cycles through your items. Hole an item above your head and talk to someone to give it to them.
Graphics: Not too good here, but great graphics aren't really necessary since the game is so, deep you'll get past it.
Sound: Oh. Wow. That music is so catchy! Still trying to get that tune in the town out of my head.
Replay: Never ending game. Makes for good replay value.
Originality: Farm sim. Part of a series so originality doesn't really count here.
Difficulty: The game is only as hard as you make it.
Overall: Excellent game and my current GBA favourite. Fans of the series should definitely pick this one up... if you can find it that is! Anyone who is interested in it. This is my first Harvest Moon game ever and it has gotten me hooked! Now I can't wait for Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life! I picked this game over Super Mario Bros. 3. Seriously.
Just Go For It! I mean it.
Story-9/10
Gameplay-10/10
Controls-8/10
Graphics-7/10
Sound-9/10
Replay-9/10
Originality-N/A
Difficulty-N/A
Overall-9/10