Harvest Moon Magical Melody
SCORE: 66
Harvest Moon is one of the biggest franchises to date. It’s no
wonder, either. This game is fun, fast and easy to learn. Harvest Moon:
Magical Melody for your Nintendo Gamecube brings you the Harvest Moon
magic that made it famous back when it launched on the Gameboy. In case
you did not know, the main objective of Harvest Moon is to build your
own life. Traditionally, when you start a game, your Grandfather passes
away and he wants you (the player) to take the farm. However, this time
is not the case. You start off as a young man (Or woman) traveling to a
new town to begin a wonderful life. The point all Harvest Moon games is
to farm, fish, and sell crops. On this version (which this reviewer
LOVES) while you do those objectives, you get to choose your priority.
Your priority can differ, you can have three different ways of a life
style. You can farm, fish, and be a miner. While these have been done on
the past Harvest Moon games, this one is a little different. Depending
on how much of your priority gets done, the better the economy gets. You
choose a Marriage partner, which depending on which gender you pick,
will become opposite of you. The Harvest Goddess has turned to stone,
and needs your help! Collect Music Notes by working hard and doing
favors for the towns folk. People in this game worship a “Harvest
Goddess”. Blasphemy aside, it can easily be ignored. I am afraid this is
a bad characteristic of the Harvest Moon trilogy. I must deduct points.
The graphics of HM:MM bring you a nice “Cel-shaded” style that can be
compared to the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The environments are
beautiful and detailed, and the characters have a cartoonish look and
feel to the game. Animations such as seed planting and cow brushing are
highly detailed, and weather effects are wonderful. This truly brings
the game to life! No offensive images were made. Perfect for our young
players.
The sounds in Harvest Moon are wonderful and bouncy. The music
changes from season to season, and the sound effects are detailed. The
music has a “welcome” feel to it, and keeps you going all day. When you
meet or greet a person, their happy voices say “Hello”. The river is
streaming, the leaves are blowing and the rain is falling. This is a
very detailed experience that is realistic, enjoyable, and fun. While I
can’t tell you how you may like the music (because everyone has an
opinion) but this is safe and exciting for young players, and can be
enjoyed by the whole family. All wholesome sounds, no offensive ones.
With over 29 types of seeds, and many unlockable ones, fishing,
mining, and farming with all the animals, there is much to do. You also
expand your farming empire by purchasing land, upgrading your house,
barn and furniture. Marriage partners is another vital key. You have a
child, make friends with towns people, collect Notes, and participate in
festivals. It sounds like a lot, but the game lets you go at your own
pace. There is a lot of fun to be had in this game. If Harvest Moon
would follow Animal crossing, the games would be completed. A basic
reading ability is needed to enjoy the game, so make sure your children
can read properly. This game, however, can be a good practice for them,
since sentences are not to complicated. You can find this game in most
stores. In this writer’s opinion, this is a must buy for the hard core
HM fans. The price is only about $20.00, so it is an easy pick up.
- Classictyler
Graphics: 70%
Sound: 75%
Replay/Extras: 70%
Gameplay: 60%
Family Friendly Factor: 55%
System: Gamecube
Publisher: Natsume
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
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