[img width=257 height=266]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/197527_42272_front.jpg[/img]

What's up everyone?  I'm back with another Harvest Moon review.  This time I'm reviewing Harvest Moon for the Game Boy Color.  There is also a version for the regular Game Boy but the only difference is that it has a monochrome color palette.
[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428764-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-color-screenshot-title-screens.png[/img][img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428766-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-title-screen-english-version.png[/img]

Story

Well the old farm outside of the village has been neglected for many years and the spirit of the former owner visits you in a dream.  He asks that you restore the farm to its former glory and that he will check up on your progress at the end of the year.

[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/59733-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-color-screenshot-working-s.png[/img]

And that's it.  Not an extraordinary story or anything but it's an excuse to give you a farm to operate.


The Farm

The farm is almost exactly the same as the Super Nintendo farm.  The house, barns, fields... everything is in the exact same spot.  If you're familiar with the first game then you'll feel right at home.

There are some differences though.  The most striking one being that the size of the field is incredibly reduced.  However, you still have ample enough room to work with.

Your barn sizes have also been decreased.  You now only have the capacity of having 4 cows and 4 chickens; 1/3 the capacity of what the first game offered.

[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428776-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-in-my-chicken-coop-i-need.png[/img]

The recovery spring and the river of the Harvest Goddess have been moved.  Instead of on the mountaintop, they now reside in the mine underneath your tool shed.

The Outside World

The forest and mountaintop no longer exist as locations to explore (thus the location changes of the previously mentioned spring and river).  I really don't know why these locations had to go.  It might have been due to time constraints or just a lack of funding at the time.  Whatever the reason, it is a disappointment.   Exploring the forest was a great way to forage for extra building materials or collect and sell wild food items.  Even going up to the mountaintop for its view was a great way to just get away from it all.

...But that's no longer here.  The game definitely loses some of its charm.

Speaking of losing things, you also lose the ability to walk through town.  The town only exists in a menu.  You make your selection and enter the shop.

[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428780-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-going-to-town-s.png[/img]

While I do miss walking around the town it is a more efficient way to get what you need and get back to work.

Gameplay

Wow, I feel as if I've done nothing but talk bad about this game.  It isn't really all that fair of me to be making some of these comparisons due to the age of handheld gaming technology of the time.  However, in some of the farming aspects, this game is actually more advanced than its predecessor.

[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428770-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-are-you-male-or-female.png[/img](This is the first HM title to have a Female option.)

Harvest Moon not only has the standard crops from the previous title (corn, potatoes, turnips, tomatoes, grass) but it also adds crops.  And not only does it add more crops but you can now grow crops in Autumn and Winter.

The new crops are as follows:
Autumn: Eggplants & Peanuts
Winter: Carrots & Broccoli

This makes the game a lot more interesting.  On the SNES title your Fall and Winter would be a dead time spent doing nothing but feeding livestock and chopping wood to pass the time.

Having more crops makes up for the fact that you can't get married in this game.

Marriage?

Gone.  Can't get married.  While there are social events these are really few and far between and will never lead to finding a wife.

This is one of the major weak points of this title.  There's essentially no socializing in this game.  The entire time I played it I felt as if I were the only person on the face of the Earth... Just me and my cat, Lau.

[img width=160 height=144]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428773-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-in-you-house-with-your.png[/img]

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention you can actually choose your pet this time around.  This is the first title to have a cat as a pet option.  (And Lau is a Virtua Fighter reference in case you're wondering.)  So keep your pet close because it will be the closest thing to a friend you'll have in Harvest Moon.

At the end of all things...

The last day of winter the spirit returns and evaluates your progress.  While your ultimate goal is to become the "Ranch Master" you can really play however you wish.  If the spirit is pleased with what you've done he'll expand the size of your fields and maybe even give you some special items.

While obtaining the title of Ranch Master may be the ultimate prize; the game never ends.  The game will continue on as long as you play it.  So the experience can be however long of short you want to make it.

Conclusion

Harvest Moon is a great game; don't get me wrong!  However I hesitate to recommend it for those new to the series.  This game is for people who like the farming mechanics and cannot stand the dating-sim aspects or for the die-hard Harvest Moon fan.

If you want to play it your only two options are the standard Game Boy cartridge or the Game Boy Color cartridge.  I personally recommend the GBC version because it's in color and the battery should be slightly newer.  Last time I checked, getting the game CIB will cost you probably over $35 .  A loose cart in decent shape will be around $10.

The game works on all systems that accept a Game Boy cartridge and it even has its own special border for the Super Game Boy adapter for the Super Nintendo.
[img width=256 height=224]http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/428768-harvest-moon-gb-game-boy-screenshot-title-screen-super-game.png[/img]

I hope you enjoyed the review.  Keep on farming.

Upcoming review: Harvest Moon 64!

Permalink | Comments [2] | Digg This Article | Tweet