Harvest Moon, known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari (which means "Farm Story"), is a video game that lets players experience farming life. It was 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 enjoy a slow-paced country life, which was different from the fast-paced fighting games popular at the time. It took three years to create the game, and it was released near the end of the Super Nintendo’s life, close to the arrival of new 32-bit systems. At first, the game sold few copies, but sales grew over time, and it eventually became a commercial success. The game is considered one of the first games to focus on farming life and cozy, relaxing gameplay.

Gameplay

The player is responsible for taking care of a young man who inherits a farm from his grandfather. The main goal is to fix up 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 friendships with villagers, and gathering food from nature.

For crops to grow, they must be watered every day. If they are not watered, they will not grow, but they will not die. Animals need to 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. If this is not treated, the cow could die. Chickens might die if left outside, where strong winds or wild dogs could harm them. After sunset, the only place in town that is open is the bar, where other players and characters can be found drinking and talking.

Development

Director 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 on PC Engine games, where he studied the basics of game development. As a new resident of the city, Wada often thought back to his simple childhood in the countryside of Miyazaki, Kyushu. He imagined a game that let players live on a farm, including the ability to get married and have children. He wanted the game to be different from the popular fighting games of the time, but worried it might not succeed because no similar games existed. It took Wada two years to gather enough money and support to propose Harvest Moon. During this time, he worked on other games, such as Magical Pop'n. Harvest Moon was the first game he created entirely on his own.

The first version of the game was completed in 1993. Wada wanted the game’s world to look like Alpine European dairy farms but added fantasy and machine-like elements. He got some ideas for the setting from the manga Dr. Slump. To make the game fun, Wada studied Derby Stallion, a series of horse breeding and racing games. However, he simplified the game’s numbers on the screen to help players focus on the environment. The team followed three rules: no fighting, unique features, and interactive gameplay.

Harvest Moon was developed over three years by a team of eight to ten people at Pack-In Soft. Early versions of the game focused on herding cows and talking to villagers. Wada later found that these ideas were too complicated or uninteresting. He simplified the cow-raising system and added new tasks, such as clearing land and planting crops, inspired by his own experiences in The Legend of Zelda (1986). The game also included a goal for players to find and marry a wife. Some ideas had to be removed because of the SNES’s technical limits. Wada learned that adding combat to games could make them more challenging, and making a game fun without combat was harder than he expected.

As development continued, the company that owned Pack-In Soft went out of business, and most of the team left. During the final six months, only three people worked on the game: Wada, programmer Tomomi Yamatate, and game designer Setsuko Miyakoshi. They focused on finishing the game’s details.

Release

Harvest Moon was first released in Japan on August 9, 1996, 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 recommendations, the game sold more than 100,000 copies in Japan. A later review by Edge noted the game’s success despite being released close to newer hardware. The game’s creator, Wada, originally did not plan for it to be translated into other languages. However, 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 drinking “juice” in the game still causes characters to become intoxicated. While many parts of the game were adapted for Western audiences, some Japanese cultural elements remained. For example, townspeople sometimes talk about the church and its religion using terms from Shinto, such as mentioning 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, a gesture that 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-part 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 was radio drama-style voice data meant to guide players and provide tips. Because of the timing of the SoundLink broadcasts, these games were only available between 6:00 and 6:50 PM on broadcast dates. The game was never released outside Japan and, like all Satellaview titles, has never been re-released as a standalone product. Online Satellaview emulation fans unofficially call the game “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 BS-X download location changed to Bagupotamia Temple. The episodes were titled:

• First Time “Outdoor Life” (はじめての「あうとどあＬＩＦＥ」, Hajimete no "Autodoa Life") released on September 2, 1996
• Fruitful Land and Mind! (大地と心に溢れる実り！, Daichi to Kokoro ni Afureru Minori!) released on September 9, 1996
• We Are All Alive (僕らはみんな生きている, Bokura wa Minna Ikite iru) released on September 16, 1996
• Aim for Ranch Master! (牧場マスターを目指せ！, Bokujō Masutā o Mezase!) released on September 23, 1996

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 unusual. But this farming adventure is both fun and creative." He and the other three EGM reviewers praised the game's unique idea and the many interesting tasks players must manage. Four reviewers from Famitsu praised the game, noting that even during repetitive workdays, the real-time gameplay kept the experience exciting. One reviewer said, "The game really touched me. I’ve never played a game that captures the excitement of wondering, 'What will I do tomorrow?'"

When Harvest Moon was released on the Wii’s Virtual Console, IGN gave it an 8.5, highlighting its still impressive 16-bit graphics and addictive gameplay. In 2018, Complex ranked Harvest Moon 72nd on their list of "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time." IGN also ranked the game 46th in its "Top 100 SNES Games" list, calling it extremely enjoyable.

Legacy

The successful release of Harvest Moon led to the creation of a second game, which became part of a series called Harvest Moon GB. A third game, Harvest Moon 64, was also made. For almost 20 years, new Harvest Moon games were released regularly. Later, new games were released under the name Story of Seasons because of problems with rights when Marvelous moved their localization team from Natsume Inc. to Xseed Games.

Harvest Moon is one of the first games in the farm life simulation genre. Some people also consider it the first cozy game. Engadget called Harvest Moon "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.