Been there. Done That. But wait this isn't Animal Crossing, it's Harvest Moon.
First thing first, the graphics of Magic Melody are almost exactly like Animal Crossing. It's cutesy and charming, but not too much to look at. The thing that is really confusing is that even with the minimalist approach to the graphics, there are still times when the frame rate takes a hit. The frame rate only seems to drop when there are more than 3 characters on screen and you haven't gone into a building for awhile. It's not that it hurts the gameplay, but it is noticeable and annoying at times.
The sound of the game is also similar to Animal Crossing. The music isn't really varied, which can get old after hearing the same thing for an hour. It's not that it will drive you to light firecrackers off next to your ears to get the music out of your head, but it makes you wish that the next season comes quickly just so you can hear something different. Thankfully even if the music gets too annoying the gameplay will make up for it.
When you first start the game, you get to choose your gender and your name. The game then has you arriving to the village to be part of the village's "Exciting Ranch Plan". The mayor gives you a choice of three locations to start off in. Each has their own advantage and disadvantages that you will have to deal with until you can buy more land. Once you have chosen your house, three gnomes show up and ask you to save the Harvest Goddess who has turned to stone. They tell you that you have to collect notes to help save her. There are 100 possible notes to collect, although only 50 are needed to revive the Goddess. After the gnomes are done telling you this, you meet your rival Jamie. Your rival is always the opposite gender as your character and doesn't believe that you are capable of saving the Harvest Goddess.
After all that, the game lets you free to do whatever you want. The house that you start off with has a set of starter tools that will help you start making money. You can go fishing, chop wood, plant crops, explore one of the mines, raise animals, or attend any of the town's festivals. You can also talk to the towns people and make friends with them. The more hearts you get with people, the more people will move in and more benefits you can get. Also, you are able to woo all the girls/boys (depending on gender) and even marry them. If you decide to get married you will even have a kid. It's also even possible to marry your rival, although it is more difficult and actually brings about the ending of the game.
Some new things have been added to the game to keep it fresh. The first thing that is noticeable is the stamina bar. The stamina bar keeps your farmer from being superman and will require you to pay attention to how tired your character is. However, it seems that your character loses stamina too quickly even with the best tools and all the power berries. It keeps you from being too busy, but it is possible to restore stamina if you eat some food.
Another thing that has been added is the ability to upgrade your house, build another house, and buy more land to farm and raise animals on. Since you start out with only a limited amount of space, it is necessary to buy more land in order to make more money with crops and have more area for barns and chicken coops. It keeps you motivated to keep earning money to get more land and to upgrade and furnish your house to your liking.
The final thing that has been added are mini games. There areonly a few mini games that are initially unlocked, but as you play the single player you unlock more mini games. You can play the mini games by yourself or with up to three friends. They aren't really impressive, but they are a nice diversion from the main single player game.
It may be hard to think that a game that's main focus is about farming can be fun, but it is. It may be different, but if you give the game a chance you will become addicted to the game. And for Harvest Moon fans, this game will make you happy and keep you playing for a long time.