The launch of the Nintendo Switch brought a bit of land management-sim gameplay to the eShop with New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers, but fans of the genre will no doubt want more extensive retail options. Perhaps Natsume and Rising Star Games will deliver that, as they've released a joint press release to announce Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, the latest title in the IP's 20th Anniversary celebrations.
Also coming to PS4 and PC, the Switch version will be on show at E3, so we'll aim to give it a try. Below is some information from the press release.
In Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, players begin the game as they set out looking for a fresh start and new surroundings. During their voyage, their ship is hit by a monsoon and goes down. As they drift into a small harbor town, now in a shambles from the storm, it will be up to the player to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse...but it won't be easy! Nevertheless, with some hard work growing crops, tending livestock, and gathering materials for repairs, players will be able to make new friends, start a family, revive the lighthouse, and save the town!
"Harvest Moon: Light of Hope will set itself apart from other Harvest Moon titles with its depth, including a robust story and clear-cut goals," said Hiro Maekawa, President & CEO of Natsume. "We set out to create a SNES-style nostalgic game with deep and meaningful characters and events, and we are excited to have our fans play it at E3 and tell us what they think!"
"Partnering with Natsume for over a decade, we've been delighted to bring the joyful gameplay of Harvest Moon to fans in Europe and beyond", said Martin Defries, Managing Director, Rising Star Games. "We are excited to be part of the unveiling of Harvest Moon: Light of Hope at E3".
Are you eager to play a Harvest Moon game on the Nintendo Switch?
Comments 63
Whoa. Very, very nice! ... I hope!
I've always been a fan of Harvest Moon, so cant wait for this to come to Switch
SNES Style ?!
Aw, maaan....
Where is HD 3D rendering for this franchise ?
That's a hell yes from me. Now I just want to hear 'Nintendo says it's working on a new Metroid Prime' and this year is complete.
Come on Natsume, I belive in you guys! You have takeno the feedback fromantic past games pretty well, and I expect greatness in you guys!
Always wanted to play one of these games. I've had an interest in the series for a bit.
@Anti-Matter In the trash where it belongs hopefully. With that said the "SNES-style" sounds like it's in regards to the nostalgic style of the game and doesn't necessarily suggest it will be 2D visuals.
Well...
My last hope on Story of Seasons, for Real Bokujou Monogatari series.
Please be HD 3D rendering....
With this,Stardew Valley and New Frontier we'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to retro farming sims.For those looking for some modern rural action,Farming Simulator is on the way too.
Okay, I'm cautiously optimistic. Those details certainly make it look like this could be the game to bring the Harvest Moon name to its former glory.
Sounds lazy.
If Natsume still insist with Minecraft influence again for this Harvest Moon, there is no excuse not to polish the environment as same level as Portal Knights. Otherwise, it will looks same with 3DS version.
What have you done to Harvest Moon, Natsume ?!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Or Natsume is Stupid if I say ?
Repeat the same mistakes again...
Overconfident like before...
i Have never played a Harvest Moon game Before but i have played Stardew Vally witch is a lot like Harvest Moon so i am optimistic.
I just picked up stardew valley, and I am loving it so far. Come on Nintendo, enough with the farming sims. Give me a new 2D metroid already!!!
I've never actually played a Harvest Moon game but I'd be interested in this.
SNES style or not, doesn't matter - as long as there are no unnecessary (or downright annoying) additions and/or gameplay changes, grindy foraging and that stupid progression s**t, which rarely was done right in HM ("oh the town is empty you need to play for 3328 years to unlock a basic shop and if you play for 16 centuries you might get married"), I'd say it's a huge yes from me. And if they at least try to stick to the basic formula from BTN/FoMT... that would be even more grand! However, judging from the description, that slow city progression is still going to be present, isn't it?
That reminds me - Switch could surely use a virtual console HM game. How about Magical Melody? That was quite a delightful entry in the franchise.
@Waninoko
Ooh... I love Magical Melody.
And I played as a Girl farmer to marry Blue / Basil (He will not Move Out if you married to him) / Kurt.
They are so cute and handsome.
I have played SNES and the first GB games extensively back in the day. Always meant to dive into other entries but only Rune Factory succeeded in earning my actual time in that regard (and became one of my favourite game series in general). Nonetheless, I have a general fondness for Harvest Moon games and this one may well be among the priority purchases in the franchise since the premise sounds extra appealing indeed.
Given the recent games in the series, I'll just assume it's not worth buying until proven otherwise. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised though.
@Anti-Matter haven't polygonal models been a staple of the series for years as it is?
I know several people who love Harvest Moon. This will definitely brighten their day!
What a great way to shine even more light (of hope!) on the Switch's future!
I've been interested in Harvest Moon for over two decades now. Finally time to give it a shot?
pleasedontmessthisuppleasedontmessthisuppleasedontmessthisup.
I am still hoping for some story of seasons news but I am hoping Natsume gets its act together and creates an enjoyable successor (rip off?).
I'm still working on SoS and SoS:ToT so I will wait on reviews.
You can't fool me - I know who the real Harvest Moon developers are.
Im buying this.
Very inerested in this one. Story part sounds good so far. Now they only need to get away from the minecraft style.
I can not wait to play it!!
I've only really played Wonderful Life and Tale of Two Towns, but had immense fun with them, so I'll be looking forward to this!
@Anti-Matter I personally take robust pixelart over halfarsed 3D renders with performance issues any day of the week.
I've always wanted a more mature Harvest Moon game...story wise.
@Einherjar
Ew... pixelart ?
I would like to see Smooth HD 3D rendering for Harvest Moon, like Nintendoland or Mario Kart 8 style.
Cartoonish in HD. Not SNES style of Pixelart. (Ugh.... my eyes cannot take it anymore)
@LUIGITORNADO
The Sims : Harvest Moon Stories ??
You know....
You can WooHoo if you want....
I'd rather double dip on Stardew Valley than fall for these so-called Harvest Moon games ever again!
@Anti-Matter And where is the budget for all that coming from ?
Its a niche series from a niche dev. Expecting Nintendo-esque production quality is...naive at best to be blunt.
And im sorry to hear that "your eyes can't take pixelart anymore".
Your loss, not mine. Like i said, i'd take it over the technical blunders the series has produced for ages now anyday. That, or Stardew Valley.
@GoldenGamer88 "So called Harvest Moon games"
Well, you're not even far off with that, since the true HM series is now called "Story of Seasons". That's the series by the original devs, while the publisher nicked the IP name rights and runs amok with them.
@Einherjar
Well... at least if the graphic is same level with Harvest Moon Magical Melody Gamecube (Better rendering), I will consider it.
I'll just wait for the real Harvest Moon Story of Seasons to come to Switch.
Last few "Harvest Moon" game have sucked. Thankfully, Stardew Valley is releasing on the Switch, so I'll just get that.
@Anti-Matter "it's not all about OMG ultra hd graphics" if the gameplay works that's the main thing
@Anti-Matter Mature story is what I want. Something with weight. AWL kind of had that, but it didn't take it far enough.
A "deep" story by the sea, eh?
Good grief, it's not like pixel-art games are the worst thing ever, @Anti-Matter. Stardew Valley is currently the best Harvest Moon game I've ever played, and it's not even officially in the series! With Harvest Moon, it's all about the gameplay. I honestly think Friends of Mineral Town was the best HM game ever released. It was portable, so the short burst gameplay style fit it perfectly. The characters were lovable. And it never felt grindy. If they can come close to replicating that same feel, this game has the potential to take the farm-life sim genre back from ConcernedApe. As of right now, I'm eagerly looking forward to the Switch release of Stardew Valley.
@DragonbornRito "If they can come close to replicating that same feel, this game has the potential to take the farm-life sim genre back from ConcernedApe."
I would not put too much faith into this game. Ever since Natsume lost the localization rights and stubbornly clung onto the name, the name has become a former shadow of itself. The last few they made have been incredibly disappointing. I wish Marvelous just bought the name from them so they could continue using it.
I've actually never played a Harvest Moon game before even though I love simulation games like Animal Crossing. Anyone recommend the series?
Sounds good, if they they will also bring the graphics either up to new 3D standards or amazing 2D visuals and shorten the loading times or make it open world.
The slow loading, and low poly 3D models with sluggish animations and lifeless faces of past Wii Harvest Moon titles were a disgrace to the series. Harvest Moon SNES and Harvest Moon 64 were the good fast-paced ones (other than some of the great handheld Harvest Moon games for GBC/GBA/DS and the equally beautiful and detailed Stardew Valley). I hope the series returns to its former glory with the new entry and hopefully it's not the Tree of Tranquility or Animal Parade team working on it. Whatever great moments wait inside those games, you need to expect PS1 level of 3D animation, polygon work, and loading times, to be able to enjoy these two Wii games. Magical Melody and Rune Factory are better, at least graphically, but very slow as well. I guess my problem with the home console games is they have too much loading between every area and look bad. And for that the GBA and DS Harvest Moon games were better than the Gamecube and Wii HM games.
I've never played a Harvest Moon game but the limited description of this one actually intrigues me. Maybe this will be my first Harvest Moon game to try out!
@DarthFoxMcCloud Keep in mind Harvest Moon is not Harvest Moon. Story of Seasons is Harvest Moon. Harvest Moon is now a fledgeling new series owned by the former publisher of Harvest Moon, Natsume, who owns the name, but not the team that actually made the games. So Story of Seasons is the continuation of the OLD series under a new name by the old team. Harvest Moon consists of this game, and one prior game that was a weird Minecraft clone, using the name now owned by them.
Yes, it's confusing. Yes, it's probably unethical. But they do own the name!
@Anti-Matter In Story of Seasons
Considering how awful the Minecraft clone that the first Fake-Harvest Moon reboot was, perhaps SNES style will be done better.
@wiggleronacid I've only played A Wonderful Life on the Gamecube, and I enjoyed it. I can't speak for other games in the series, although from what I hear, the past few entries haven't been the best. Stardew Valley is a similar game and is held in very high regard, and it also is coming to the Switch, so I would keep my eye on both. If this Harvest Moon game ends up being not super great, I would definitely recommend Stardew Valley. Probably one of the best Harvest Moon-esque games in a long time.
Hm, I'm skeptical but interested. While both series (HM and SoS) haven't impressed me much lately, Harvest Moon games have been the worse of the two since the split. If they really are going for more of a nostalgic Harvest Moon vibe it could actually be alright, but I'll wait until I at least see some screens or gameplay before I start getting my hopes up.
It's the 20th anniversary of the name not the game.
I will be playing Stardew Valley on my switch whilst waiting for true next game in the series; Story of Seasons for Switch.
Basically finally getting back to the good stuff, and none of that boring mass produced stuff. Hoping this turns out as robust as the Wii Harvest moon, animal parade
I want pocky and rocky 1&2!!! Cmon fellas!
Unless this thing really surprises me when we get actual proper gameplay videos and details, I don't trust Natsume and probably won't bother with this game. I'll just wait for more Story of Seasons, thanks...and Stardew Valley, naturally.
But Stardew Valley soon?
@Dr_Corndog Honestly, I'd say now is the worst time to give it a try. Harvest Moon is a shell of its former self. If you are interested in this style of game, check out Stardew Valley or the Story of Seasons (Original Harvest Moon devs) games. They are much better. Hopefully this game is great, but I would take a wait and see approach.
@Fearful-Octopus Nintendo has nothing to do with the development of this game, so it is no way impacting the release of a Metroid game.
It's not rune factory, so pass I guess.
And why, exactly, couldn't they have just put this on the 3ds?
Natsume needs to end this charade and let Marvelous handle the franchise. With every lame release, the company is further damaging the reputation of this fine franchise.
@wiggleronacid
If you want to play Harvest Moon, look into the older games. Back to Nature and Friends of Mineral Town are fan favorites, but I also liked Harvest Moon 64 too.
Just avoid The Lost Valley, Seeds of Memories and Skytree Village, as those are "Harvest Moon" games that Natsume decided to make themselves after they lost the localization rights to the actual games. The real series is being continued under the name Story of Seasons.
Or just go with Stardew Valley, as KirbyTheVampire suggested. Stardew is incredibly good and offers a lot.
As a Nintendo junkie I loath lack of Xbox release! I can't wait get my Switch! Actually makes me happy to hear a Switch release that isn't on my Xbox, hopefully more third party games come tumbling.
Hopefully battlefield Be on switch by time of purchase, that game would sell systems by it self
Isn't the series called Story of Seasons now?
Awesome, that I will be picking up
"Players begin the game as they set out looking for a fresh start and new surroundings. During their voyage, their ship is hit by a monsoon and goes down. As they drift into a small harbor town, now in a shambles from the storm, it will be up to the player to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse...but it won't be easy!"
Now this looks exactly like HM: Happiness of Islands!
The player's boat was hit by a thunder light and went down....then they started a new life in an isolated island etc...
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