Strap on your boots and ready your hoe for one of the best Harvest Moon games to date!
The game retains the core elements that made the series so popular to begin with. As a farmer, players can grow crops, raise livestock, and start a family. So, what exactly is so new about this game? One new feature is that players can choose from one of three plots of land as the game begins; the other two can be purchased when enough money is saved. Another noteworthy addition is that the game now allows people to allocate barns and other buildings wherever they want; this affords more customization than any of the game's predecessors ever allowed.
In Magical Melody, there is not just one farmer in town; there is a rival farmer who will try to outdo the player at every festival. For some, this may provide a competitive feel that makes each event more interesting. Whichever gender a player chooses to play as, the rival will always be the opposite.
While the concept of collecting items to accomplish a goal has been in plat formers for a while (like finding the stars in Super Mario 64), it is a new twist for the Harvest Moon series. The Harvest Goddess has been turned to stone, and the only way to save her is to collect 99 musical notes. However, this is a very easy task; musical notes are awarded for doing almost anything. There is even one called the "running in the sun note," which is obtained by simply running around on a sunny day.
The game is presented at a slanted bird's eye view like Harvest Moon 64. It is easy to see that the graphical style was also inspired by Animal crossing. While Harvest Moon games have always have always had a light-hearted feel, this one overdoes it a bit; the characters would fit well among characters from the "Precious Moments" franchise.
The music in the game, while nothing extraordinary, does a good job of setting the feel for each season. The only time you hear the characters' voices is when they do things like giggle or say "hey." These brief clips help to define the personality of each character. The rival, for example, meets the player with a cold "hmpth!"
One problem many people had with A Wonderful Life is that it lacked "real" festivals. Magical Melody does a thorough job of fixing that problem. It has many of the classic events such as horse races and fireworks shows, as well as several new ones. They are a bit on the simplistic side, but the festivals still make a nice distraction from the daily chores of farm life.
Overall, the game is a very nice package. It has all the elements that veteran fans know and love, but also manages to incorporate new features without radically changing the "feel" of the series. For those who liked the previous Harvest Moon titles, this is a must-have game. For those who are new to the series, it is a darn good game to be introduced with.