A Farming sim that compels you to play it more then any other game in existance. A must have for any sim fan.
For those that are not familiar with the Harvest Moon series. Harvest Moon Back to Nature is a farming sim which puts you straight to work on your grandfathers farm which you have inherited to prove that you can keep it running for the town. You are given a three year term to prove yourself by which if you succeed you will be able to continue playing without any regulations for an indefinite time. Failure to prove yourself however will see your farm being reclaimed by Mayor Thomas and you will have to start all over again.
What makes Harvest Moon Back to Nature so different from other sim games is it's interractivity between the game and the player. The game makes you work hard for every little bit of thing you wish to achieve. From planting your crops to watering your crops, and clearing your land, you have to work hard to maintain your daily schedule.
Whilst you will find yourself barely able to get the daily events done in time to end your day, you'll also find quite a few days where you will be able to relax and do what you like after your daily ritual of crop watering.
The game also features a wide range of festivals at specific dates during each season. In the first year you will be able to participate in most of the events whilst some of them you won't. From the second year onwards however you will be able to participate in all of the events which become quite fun if you spend the time to go to them.
There are over a hundred recipe's you can learn to cook once you get your house upgraded from its normal state. All your buildings can be upgraded at some point or another to accomodate more pets or utilities.
One of the fundamental parts of the game is getting along with the villagers and of coarse wooing your sweetheart to marriage. You achieve this by giving the girl you like gifts each day that they like. Of coarse if you have the guide you will be able to know what they like or dislike, if you don't have a guide then a place like Gamefaqs is for you or go out and BUY THE ORIGINAL!
Whilst getting married and making a family of your own is one of the fundamental parts of the game, its unfortunate that all your wife does is really....nothing. She just walks around the house all day every day not helping you with anything. It was hoped that in future games this would be changed but in this game marrying is solely for the companionship and nothing more.
The Gameplay of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is pretty solid and well tuned. The controls take getting used to at the beginning as they don't reflect on the actual way your character is standing, but within 30 minutes you should have it all figured out. There is also an invisible power meter which shows how much strength your character has left for work. This is replenishable by sitting in the hot springs for 1-2 hours game time. Whilst many people consider the invisible bar to be a downside, it is infact what makes the game special, because it makes you memorise your characters movements when he gets tired to learn when to stop working. If you had a meter to show you then it would be easy and well...thats not the name of the game.
The Graphics may not be on par with games like Final Fantasy and other such games, however it does fit the theme and I must say that the Graphics the way they were are better suited for the game then any other form of graphics at the time. The atmosphere of the game is pleasant and soothing at times allowing you to just sit back and admire the work that went into creating it.
Sounds are wonderful with some voice over sounds at times. They really fit the game and its atmosphere as well as making you feel more of the peacefulness and calmness the game has to offer. I often found myself just listening to the music which was soothing and nice to listen to to relax after a long night at work.
The value for money is great. You are really getting your money's worth no matter how much you pay for this game. To finalise my review, if you are a sim fan of any type of sim, or even a non sim fan, DO NOT judge this game by its name or its look, give it a try and you will be pleasantly surprised and become addicted to it as much as I have. Harvest Moon Back to Nature is by far the best sim game ever to be released on the home console. Now they have to make it Online so fans around the world can go online and play amongst each other.
Don't miss the chance to play one of the most addictive games ever created.