No one warns you that when you marry a mega nerd while you are a mega nerd, you will have a massive video game collection that will eventually need to be organized. Recently, I decided to tackle that task and started with the PlayStation 2 titles. You see, this is the one console where we have many duplicates. He was a PlayStation kid, whereas I was a Nintendo child, but this era of games seems to be where our interests aligned. This, my dear reader, is where I found a gem of a game I have not thought about in ages: Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon. Ultimately, I hope you are as excited about this as I am because, without further ado, we are getting into it.
The Plot of Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon was released in the US in 2007 and set in 2022. The player is a male android named Life, created by Hope Grain. Life’s primary directive is to help save the island. Humans once relied on machines to do everything. Therefore, the Spirits of the isle sealed themselves away. Rumor has it that with the Spirits sealed away, Flame Mountain, the local volcano, will erupt and destroy everything. Life was created to open and explore places no human has been in many years. Players must appease the Nature and Water spirits to keep the Fire Spirit in check. Overall, it is a beautiful story about the importance of balance between machines and nature.
Features Unique to Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
- Enhance the size of the farm with gems.
- Cook delicious meals.
- Plow the fields and grow unique crops.
- Make friends with the neighbors.
- They are apprehensive about talking with an android but will warm up over time.
- Use a Bas&ket Rail system to send crops to the shipping bin.
- Raise animals.
- Mine and fish to collect more funds to expand the farm.
- Drive around in a sweet buggy.
- And so much more!
Thoughts on Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
As a kid, I loved this game but was upset that my character could not get married. I loved the family side of the game in other Harvest Moon titles and expected this to be the same. I wanted my cute little farm, a sweet wife, and a child I could carry around and show off to the other villagers. However, as an adult, I have a different point of view.
After playing this game for several hours, I found myself getting a bit lonely. Life is not allowed to leave his farm until he has successfully harvested his first shipment of crops. You only need to talk to your fellow villagers to advance the story. Friendships should be more critical for a video game about being a robot Pinocchio.
Fortunately, I found a few parts of my playthrough more enjoyable than I remembered. First, driving the buggy around the island was a blast. I love riding a virtual horse as much as the next gal, but more games need an exciting vehicle. Second, the farm automation was interesting. I forgot you get a helper bot to water crops or clear the fields. As a kid, I could never collect all the Harvest Sprites in other titles; my Battlebot pal is easily obtainable here. Finally, having to go in for a check-up every Sunday was an interesting mechanic. Usually, I only care about time when it pertains to a heart event or store being open in similar games. However, this is a mechanic I do not recall seeing in other titles. Overall, this game is a gem, and I recommend digging it out of your collection if you have a copy.
Odds & Ends
As of writing this, Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon is not on the PlayStation store. However, for a similar game, I recommend checking out the article on Lightyear Frontier. It is more space-themed than futuristic, but I think it has the same vibe.
