Developed by Marvelous and Published by Xseed Games is the remake of both Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, and Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town all in one. For those unaware of the Harvest Moon games, they are a slice-of-life farming simulator. I love these types of games. They are games that you can jump on for a few hours a day and not lose interest. I have played the original Harvest Moon and it is one of those games I just go back to.

The story follows on from the two original games, and you get to pick between four main characters – two male styles and two female styles. Along with this feature, the appearance of your character can change with different outfits. After picking out your name and look, the story starts with images of you as a child on your Grandpa’s farm before moving on as an adult at the farm after it was gifted to you by your late grandfather. Speak with the Mayor, name the farm, and start your journey restoring your new farm.

The aim of the game is to build a thriving farm and to do this you will need to upgrade your tools, clean/upgrade up your farm, and most importantly, make some profit. The days are short and the work is long, just like real life, which definitely draws out the game and gives it that lengthy playtime.

One of the other features is the returning friend system where you can build relationships with the townspeople and even marry them if so inclined, and there are other activities to occupy your time when you do get a spare moment, like fishing, mining, foraging, and cooking. The control setup takes a little getting used to as the buttons for things are somewhat all over the place with no option to change the controller layout to your setup. There are three presets for the controller layout that only rotates what the triggers do, but I would of like more customization power.

The game looks amazing and the updated graphics bring the game to life, giving it a unique 3D cartoony look. Along with the general graphics update they have created new character models, breathing new life into the small town. They have even built some character models from the ground up, adding just a bit more variety. Two new characters have also been added to the mix, with Brandon and Jennifer adding to the dating pool.

The animals have been amped up and look extra chunky now, helping solidify that cartoon look. There have been a few extra animals added to the game like different breeds of dogs, cats, strawberry cows, coffee cows, angora rabbits, and penguins, just a name a few. Some of these animals are pets and some have new materials that can be sold.

With the new look, new animals, the festival mini-games, and friendship building, along with the many other activities, it is easy to get overwhelmed and sometimes frustrated by the sheer amount of work that needs to be done for the payoff. This can turn new players off the game quickly, but once you get some of your items upgraded and get a flow going, it becomes a lot easier to get more done in a day. I do prefer these slice-of-life simulators or straight-up simulators. You do lose some of the realism, but you get a story in return, and I love a good story.

I love this game and like the original. It will be one of the games I will keep coming back to. It is a little like comfort food – there when you need something solid to play that you know you will like. This is definitely a solid game, but is it game of the year? For some fans, yes.

For others, however, it will just be a great game to have. It will not surprise me if this game just sits on everyone’s platform of choice. I know I am glad I have it. What it lacks in explosive and action-packed excitement, it makes up for in its reliability. You know exactly what you are getting, and you know it is going to be good.

Written by: Adam Brasher