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Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley review: Fractured farming tales
3DS After taking root in the 16-bit era and spanning multiple console generations, the Harvest Moon series now finds itself in a precarious spot. The North American publishing rights for the Marvelous-developed Harvest Moon games have changed hands, leaving Xseed to publish the next 3DS sequel as Story of Seasons. Freed of its ties to the series itself but retaining the Harvest Moon trademark, Natsume took the opportunity to shift the franchise in a new direction with the internally developed Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley. Featuring terraforming mechanics inspired by the indie hit Minecraft, The Lost Valley shakes up long-standing series traditions in a bid to explore new farming-focused gameplay ideas and forge its own identity. While its attempts at innovation are successful to a limited extent, longtime Harvest Moon fans will be disappointed with the barebones end result.
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley trailer talks farmlife fantasies
Natsume gets chatty in this narrated trailer for Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, giving a detailed overview of what players can expect from the latest entry in its long-running farming simulation series. The Lost Valley puts players on a quest to restore the seasons to a forgotten town, and features new world-building elements and customization options inspired by Minecraft. The Lost Valley hits retail and the 3DS eShop on November 4. [Video: Natsume]
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley takes root November 4
Lighthearted farming sim Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley will premiere for the Nintendo 3DS in North America next month, publisher Natsume revealed today. The Lost Valley evolves the agriculture-focused gameplay of its predecessors while adding new terrain customization elements reminiscent of Minecraft. The Lost Valley is the first entry in the long-running series to be developed by a new internal team at Natsume; core Harvest Moon series staffers are currently working on Story of Seasons, a successor game hitting the 3DS this year from Xseed. The Lost Valley will debut at retail and via Nintendo's eShop on November 4. Players who pre-order via Natsume's online store will also receive a plush dog (bundled with The Lost Valley's regular edition) or bunny (included with the premium edition) at release. [Image: Natsume]
Natsume introduces the bachelorettes of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley
Who is your ideal partner? Is it a cheery waitress? How about a shy botanist? Or do you prefer the snooty rich-girl type? These are the ladies you'll woo in Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, Natsume's upcoming 3DS farming sim that features terrain-shaping elements inspired by Minecraft. The Lost Valley's bachelorettes include waitress and master chef Emily, socially awkward bouquet specialist April, and Catherine, who Natsume describes as a "prickly cactus" with a "no-nonsense attitude." As in previous Harvest Moon games, players will need to show their love with gifts suited to their partner's personality before they can start a relationship and eventually marry. The Lost Valley also features a number of eligible bachelors, including blacksmith-in-training Tony and Gilbert, a bard who speaks entirely in rhyming couplets. Man, that would get old fast. Not gonna judge if that's your thing, though. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley premieres exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS on October 21. [Image: Natsume]
Harvest Moon embraces Minecraft in The Lost Valley for 3DS
Natsume has released a new trailer for its upcoming Nintendo 3DS farming sim Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, showcasing a new direction for the series that takes inspiration from Mojang's breakout sandbox hit Minecraft. While The Lost Valley retains the crop-harvesting and animal-tending gameplay of its predecessors, the latest series entry allows players to build and shape the world around them, raising surfaces block-by-block to form unique layouts. Players are also able to shape rivers, raise mountains, and build bridges between landmasses, further reinforcing the Minecraft link. The Lost Valley is developed by a newly formed internal team within Natsume that replaces former series developer Marvelous, which is now working on the Harvest Moon spiritual successor game Story of Seasons with publisher Xseed. A release date for Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley has not been announced. [Video: Natsume]
Same sex marriage in Harvest Moon: 'We know what the fans are looking for'
Marriage is an intrinsic part of long-running life sim series, Harvest Moon, but to date same sex marriage hasn't been possible. The newest game in the series, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley for 3DS, won't change that trend, but future games might, if that's what the fans really want. When I asked the question as to whether Natsume had considered including same sex marriage in a Harvest Moon game, Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations, said, "It's obviously something that we're going to look into as we continue the Harvest Moon series. We're going to look into all aspects of it." He started to express the idea that it's not a cut-and-dried issue, but Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume cut him off. "We always listen very carefully to fans' voices," Maekawa said. "Fan voices, media voices. We know what the fans are looking for. We are always carefully listening to fans' voices." Maekawa says he is very appreciative of Harvest Moon's fans, who have kept the game alive since its inception on Super Nintendo in 1996. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, which "innovates in a way no other Harvest Moon game ever has," will be out for 3DS this fall.
Natsume plants a seed, grows Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley
Publisher Natsume has unveiled a new Nintendo 3DS entry in its flagship rustic life simulation franchise, dubbed Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley. "Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is truly evolving the franchise," stated Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa in this morning's announcement. "But the incredibly exciting thing that really elevates the game is that while it does get back to what everyone loves about the early games, it also innovates in a way that no Harvest Moon game ever has." Though Maekawa failed to mention exactly how the game innovates, the rest of the announcement picks up his slack. According to Natsume, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is the first entry in the series to feature a fully three-dimensional setting. Instead of planting crops then letting photosynthesis do the dirty work, players will be able to directly shape the landscape of their farms. Examples offered by the publisher include a farm riddled with canals a la Venice, Italy, and a field full of tulips, like those stereotypically found in Holland. Keep in mind, this is not the same game we revealed last week. That game, Story of Seasons, shares a developer lineage, aesthetic and gameplay mechanics with the Harvest Moon games, though it's technically not an official sequel. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is an official Harvest Moon entry, and while it currently lacks a solid release date, Natsume promises to reveal more at the upcoming E3 conference. [Image: Natsume]
