Natsume first stole gamers hearts in 1996 after releasing Harvest Moon on the Super Nintendo. The year is now 2017 and Natsume is back at it again with Harvest Moon: Light of Hope (HMLOH) which was released via Steam on November 14th. This is the first Harvest Moon title available on PC and enthusiasts were hopeful for a classic product.

However, many fans were thrown into a pit of despair after realizing HMLOH consisted of three-dimensional characters in a two-dimensional world. The graphics are a marriage between Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town and Tree of Tranquility which I will admit, is an odd combination. Nevertheless, my unpopular opinion is that I do in fact adore the new addition to the Harvest Moon line.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope begins with a harsh storm with the main character dazed and confused. This leads to the player receiving their farm and learning the basics behind cultivating crops. The one major downside I found whilst play was the inability to use arrow keys to move around. While one can play via Xbox controller, I wanted to attempt to play organically. I found myself hoeing every patch of ground I came across reducing my ability to move around swiftly. However, the classic music playing in the background washed away my anger and transported me to times of old.

While many players are put off by the graphics, I found them to be quite interesting. I enjoyed the three-dimensional Harvest Sprites and being able to enjoy my female character’s side pony-tail. I also liked the background being reminiscent of the games I played as a child. These graphics aren’t typical of the series, but I found them to be a refreshing change.

Overall, I love Harvest Moon: Light of Hope and look forward to logging in countless hours milking cows and hoeing the land. I happily await the chance of finding true love and allowing my farm to flourish. My main mission? To find my savior with the purple hair. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is a refreshing take on a well-loved classic.

Harvest Sprite

Photo Source: Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope can be downloaded via Steam while we patiently wait for the Switch release.

The featured image and media are snapshots from the physical game Harvest Moon: Light of Hope.