Since the era of the Super Nintendo, the Harvest Moon franchise provided gamers with a chance to take a deep breath and unwind with some chill farming simulation gameplay. But it was the third game in the series that really put the franchise on the map when it arrived 20 years ago on the Nintendo 64.
Harvest Moon 64 debuted in the U.S. on December 22, 1999 and acted as a direct sequel to the original Harvest Moon for the SNES. The Japanese title for the game, Bokujo Monogatari 2, implies this – the second game, on the Game Boy, was simply called Bojuko Monogatari GB. However, some older versions of characters from the SNES title appear in the game as well, such as Ellen. The game plays out in a similar fashion to the original, with the player being left in charge of an abandoned farm. It’s up to them to restore it to its former glory – but they can also train and race a horse, participate in the town’s various festivals and competitions, and date and marry one of five eligible bachelorettes.
HM64 introduced some gameplay aspects that would be carried over to future installments, such as providing a limited amount of time per day to work, as well as a limited amount of stamina. This created a time management aspect to the game that was not present in the original Harvest Moon.
The game is probably best remembered for its characters, which proved to be so popular in this installation of the franchise that they would go on to appear in numerous other entries. The bachelorettes in particular were popular due to their well written personalities. Worth noting is that there is a rival for every lady’s affection, and should the player choose not to pursue a particular girl, another lad will marry her instead.
Though criticized for some graphical bugs and poor audio quality, Harvest Moon 64 ended up being one of the most popular entries in the franchise due to its addicting gameplay and comforting atmosphere. It ranks as one of the best reviewed titles in the series, and helped set the standard for the dozens of entries that followed.
