Harvest Moon, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari (which means "Farm Story"), is a farming simulation role-playing video game created by Amccus for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was first released in Japan by Pack-In-Video in 1996, in North America by Natsume Inc. in 1997, and in Europe by Nintendo in 1998. It is the first game in the long-running Story of Seasons series, which was previously called Harvest Moon in Western countries.
The game's director, Yasuhiro Wada, designed Harvest Moon to let players experience a peaceful country lifestyle, which was different from the fast-paced fighting games that were popular at the time. It took three years to develop and was released near the end of the Super Nintendo's life, close to the launch of new 32-bit gaming systems. At first, the game sold few copies, but sales grew over time, and it eventually became a commercial success. The game is recognized as one of the earliest examples of farm life simulation games and cozy games.
Gameplay
The player is responsible for taking care of a farm inherited from his grandfather. The main goal is to fix and keep the farm in good condition. The player chooses how to spend time on daily tasks, such as clearing land, planting crops, selling harvested crops, raising animals, attending festivals, building connections with villagers, and gathering food from the wild.
Vegetables need water every day to grow. Without water, they won’t grow, but they won’t die. Animals must be fed once daily to stay healthy and productive. Chickens only need to be fed, but cows require more care. Cows must be spoken to, brushed, and milked regularly to stay healthy. If a cow is not fed for one day, it may become sick and could die if not helped. Chickens might die if left outside, where they could be blown away by storms or eaten by wild dogs. After dark, the only place in town the player can visit is the bar, where other characters in the game come to drink and talk.
Development
Yasuhiro Wada first thought of the idea for Harvest Moon during his early years living in Tokyo. His first job was as a production assistant for PC Engine games, where he learned about game development. New to city life, Wada often thought back to his simple childhood in the countryside of Miyazaki, Kyushu. He imagined a game about living in the country, including the ability to get married and have children. He wanted the game to be different from the fighting games popular at the time but worried it might not succeed because no similar games existed. It took Wada two years to prepare the budget and build relationships to propose Harvest Moon. During this time, he worked on games like Magical Pop'n. Harvest Moon was the first original game he created.
The first version of the game was finished in 1993. Wada wanted the world to look like Alpine European dairy farms but added fantasy and machines. He got some ideas from the manga Dr. Slump. To make a simulation game fun, Wada studied Derby Stallion, a series about horse breeding and racing. However, he reduced the number of numbers on the screen to help players focus on the game. The team followed three rules: no fighting, unique gameplay, and real-time actions that felt natural.
Harvest Moon was made over three years by eight to ten people at Pack-In Soft. Early versions focused on herding cows and talking to villagers. Wada found that raising cows was too complicated and not fun, and village interactions were boring. Later, he simplified cow care and added tasks like clearing land and planting crops, inspired by his experience in The Legend of Zelda (1986). The idea of marrying a wife became a main goal in the game. The team had to remove or change some ideas because of the SNES’s technical limits. Wada learned that combat could add challenge and depth, and making a fun game without it was harder than he expected.
As development continued, the parent company of Pack-In Soft went out of business, and most of the team left the project. In the final six months, only three people worked on the game: Wada as director, programmer Tomomi Yamatate, and game designer Setsuko Miyakoshi. They focused on finishing details to complete the game.
Release
Harvest Moon was first released on August 9, 1996, in Japan for the Super Famicom. It came out after the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 were launched. At first, only 20,000 copies were sold. However, after positive reviews and word-of-mouth spread, the game sold over 100,000 copies in Japan. A later review by Edge noted the game’s success despite being released close to newer gaming systems. The game’s creator, Wada, did not think it would be translated for other regions, but it was localized for North America and Europe. It was released in North America on August 17, 1997, and in Europe on January 29, 1998. According to Natsume Inc.’s Adam Fitch, the game sold "a decent amount for that time." The European version included language translations for Germany and France.
When the game was localized, all references to alcohol were changed to "juice," even though players clearly knew "juice" meant alcohol. While many parts of the game were adapted for Western audiences, some Japanese cultural details remained. For example, townspeople sometimes talked about the church and its religion using terms from Shinto, such as referring to a "God of the Harvest" and a "God of Business." In the "New Day" cinematic scenes, a character eats an onigiri, a traditional Japanese food. The news anchor on TV in the game bows to the audience in a welcoming way, which is not common in Western countries.
The game has been re-released on the Satellaview, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.
BS Bokujō Monogatari (BS 牧場物語) was a four-episode special version of the original Harvest Moon released on the Satellaview. Each episode had to be downloaded by players from St.GIGA (on the BS-X cartridge at NikoNiko Ranch) during a specific broadcast week and time. The game included "SoundLink" narration, which used radio drama-style voice data to guide players and offer helpful tips. Due to the timing of the SoundLink broadcasts, the game was only available between 6:00 and 6:50 PM on broadcast dates. It was never released outside Japan and, like all Satellaview titles, has never been re-released as a standalone game. Online Satellaview emulation fans unofficially call it "BS Makiba Monogatari." A single rerun of the broadcasts occurred from November 4 to November 30, 1996, between 5:00 and 5:50 PM. The download location changed to Bagupotamia Temple. The episodes were titled:
Reception
The game received mostly positive reviews and has a GameRankings score of 73%. Crispin Boyer wrote in Electronic Gaming Monthly, "An RPG about farming? That sounds difficult to sell. But this exciting farming adventure is both fun and unique." He and the other three reviewers from EGM praised the game's creative idea and the many interesting tasks players must manage. The four reviewers from Famitsu said the game was well-made, noting that even during repetitive workdays, the real-time gameplay kept players interested. One reviewer said the game "really connected with me. I've never played a game that shows the excitement of wondering, 'What will I do tomorrow?'"
When Harvest Moon was released on the Wii's Virtual Console, IGN gave it a score of 8.5, highlighting the game's still beautiful 16-bit graphics and fun gameplay. In 2018, Complex placed Harvest Moon at number 72 on their list "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time." IGN ranked the game 46th in its "Top 100 SNES Games" list, praising how enjoyable the game is.
Legacy
The successful release of Harvest Moon led to the creation of a second game, Harvest Moon GB, which became the start of a series. Another game, Harvest Moon 64, was also made. For almost 20 years, new Harvest Moon games were released regularly. Later, because of problems with rights when Marvelous moved their localization team from Natsume Inc. to Xseed Games, new games were released under the name Story of Seasons.
Harvest Moon is one of the first games in the farm life simulation genre. Some people also consider it the first cozy game. Engadget said Harvest Moon is "one of the most quietly influential games in the industry." According to Edge, millions of gamers have played farming simulation games since Harvest Moon was released.