A good first step in a new direction
First and foremost this is still a pretty traditional Harvest Moon game. You still clear land the same way, you still farm the same way, and you still win over the ladies in the same way. That's fine though, because those are the things Harvest Moon fans know and love. What has been added is a story-line that gives everything you do a lot more purpose, as well as dungeons, combat, monster training, and the ability to make your own equipment.
Not all of the new additions are perfect mind you. The story takes a back seat for much of the game. And the combat is pretty basic, and doesn't require much more strategy than "attack as quickly as possible." There's certainly room for improvement in it.
Overall though the new additions are done well. Forging your own weapons and accessories gets addicting quickly. he dungeons are well laid out, and they serve more of a purpose than just a place to fight monsters. You can mine for metals and jewels, grow specific types of crops, and capture monsters. The last part tends to be very important as the right kind of monsters will help you on the farm and are essential to running an efficient farm.
The game is certainly worth pick up, and even if you just play through once, you'll be looking at a solid 35 to 40 hours of gameplay. And like most Harvest Moon games, there's plenty of replay value in this one. Fans of the series should pick it up, and the game is just different enough from previous installments that RPG fans who didn't like the series may want to consider getting this one. Best of all, the game lays the groundwork for a new path for Harvest Moon, and if Natsume plays it right the sequel should be absolutley fantastic.