Classic Game Reviews: Harvest Moon 64 (Nintendo 64)

There are some games that I play through once, and I'm done. There are other games however that no matter how many times I play them I just can't get enough. Harvest Moon 64 is one of those games for me. When I first heard about Harvest Moon I was confused about how anybody could want to play a game where you spent hours and hours farming virtual cabbages. That's when I looked at the clock, realized it was 4am, and I was still playing it! I don't know what it is about this game. Maybe it's the routine. Maybe it's the tiny rewards of slowly growing your farm a little bit everyday, but it's addicting.

While many Harvest moon games have been released since this title came out, it's still my favorite. This particular title in the franchise just seemed to put all the pieces together. While I enjoyed the Super Nintendo version there was not quite as many things to do in the winter season which left a big lull in the gameplay that you basically just had to wait out until Spring. Harvest Moon took this into account, and they introduced new things to do that would keep you busy during slower seasons when you couldn't grow many crops. Players can instead spend their time mining or going to festivals. The mine took winter from the lowest earning to one of the highest as you could save up all the money you got all winter from minerals to purchase new animals or improvements for spring!

In addition to a well rounded seasonal calendar of activities, I also find Harvest Moon 64 to have one of the best festival calendars. There's a lot of fun mini games and activities to participate in that can result in big rewards for a new farmer. You can participate in easter egg hunts, dog and horse racing, crop raising contests, and others that will allow you to experience the community aspects of the game with the NPCs. This is one of my favorite parts of the game, and honestly one of the reasons I don't care for some of the newer games is they are lacking in this regard.

The community feature of Harvest Moon goes beyond just having casual chats with NPCs. This is another part of the world that you will be required to build for yourself. Each of these characters has their own personality, routine, and life. You can speak to them everyday or give them gifts. With repeated interactions you can develop friendships with these characters and they might reward you in kind with gifts or advice. Relationship development is an important mechanic of the Harvest Moon series, and your character can even get married as part of the story progression. This is something you'll be required to build upon everyday by interacting with a particular character.

As you explore you'll find that each NPC has their own schedule, and you might have to go hunting around for them. Unlike most games they don't just wait around for you. They actually have their own stuff to do which makes it more realistic. If the character in question is a shopkeeper they'll be around during their posted operating hours, but afterwards they might dip out to the local bar or visit the beach! If there's a festival going on you'll be able to find most everyone in town is there though.

The main objective of Harvest Moon is obviously to grow your farm. Initially your farm will be run down, and it's up to you to restore it to its former glory. This is a lot of work obviously. While you'll start out doing simple things like clearing weeds or farming potatoes, you might soon find you have a full plate of chores! Eventually you'll be able to fill your farm with chickens and cows. You'll be able to make a variety of foods from the ingredients you harvest. With enough lumber you'll be able to upgrade your house or build new things for your farm as well.

Harvest Moon 64 is at the top of my list of must play Nintendo 64 games, and if you haven't played it I strongly recommend you give it a try. If you're not in the market for a classic gaming console I happen to know that this game works perfectly on emulators if you want to download it to your computer. So, get busy farming those cabbages!