Harvest Moon has been around for a long time, and has stayed popular among its niche audience. This is a simulation game that centers on farming, with a little romance and fishing thrown in. In all the games, the central theme is to make a success out of the farm by working very hard growing crops and making money, becoming acquainted with the townspeople and eventually getting married. Along the way, there are many opportunities to interact with various items and critters around the village. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody is patterned on the same basic gameplay as the previous editions, but at the same time has been fashioned into a much more open-ended game in the style of Animal Crossing.

Ordinarily, trying to change a game by using features from another series doesn’t work out very well. However, here this marriage of gameplay elements from both series works very well, as the best of both series is melded together into a cohesive and intelligent design. The end result is a very engaging and fun game to play, with only a few minor issues with the interface and button controls.

Unlike previous editions, there is no background story as such. Farmer Girl or Boy simply moves into town, and once there, finds out that the local Harvest Goddess has been turned into a stone statue, and only by collecting magic musical notes, will the spell be broken. There are 50 of these notes to collect, some of which practically fall into the player’s lap, but some are hard to earn. This main collection theme adds depth to the game.

At the beginning of the game, Farmer Girl/Boy will be equipped with a few basic tools and necessities, like a fishing rod, a hoe, a watering can, a fridge and a dog, and a house. Other things - like seeds, animals, buildings and upgraded tools - will be added over the course of the game. Some items are given to the player from other characters, but most have to be paid for with money. Yep, money is a crucial element in this game, and you will spend much of your time trying to earn as much as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of the possible money-earning activity is curtailed by a limited amount of stamina, which depletes rapidly. This short stamina is used as a strategy tool to force the player to make decisions about storing food for energy, and what tasks to do first, but it is ultimately too limiting. It really shortens the days by forcing the player to sleep in energy emergencies, when other things need doing.

But, when there is stamina for the tasks, the different things to do are interesting and varied. Fishing is really fun, and mining for ore and rocks in the mine is neat, too. The wild creatures in the forested areas are crucial for the magical notes, and can be picked up and cuddled. Searching for plants to sell for money or to use in recipes is a big part of the game, and there are many unique items to find. A light role-playing aspect has been added to the tools; they are available for upgrade by using them repeatedly for experience leveling.

As in Animal Crossing, people are constantly moving in and out of the town. A map displays the shops in the town, and it’s easy to see the new ones. It’s important to talk to all the townspeople, as they will warm up to Farmer Girl/Boy quickly and also may give out important notes or books. These books are full of information on many things, and some of them are required to do things, like cook recipes. Also like Animal Crossing, there are different species of fish to catch. These can be eaten or sold. Many plants can also be eaten or sold. However, these items aren’t labeled in a catalog as they are found. The addition of festivals is also very similar to Animal Crossing, but there are fewer of them and they aren’t as interactive.

This Harvest Moon is also much more similar to the GBA versions than the GameCube editions, as in the focus on running around and doing many other things besides farming tasks. This adds much to the gameplay, as does the ability to upgrade more items than before, like adding a cheese-making machine or a machine that knits wool into cloth, which increases the money that can be made from just plain wool or milk. Another interesting additional feature is the inclusion of mini-games for 1-4 players, some of which are immediately available, and some which are unlocked as the game advances. These are fun but simple games, that kids will probably enjoy more than adults.

The first tools are in a storage box, and only a few can be placed at first in the rucksack for immediate use. The most useful tools are the watering can, hoe, and the fishing pole. The remaining spaces need to be kept open for placement of foraged items, such as plants, honey and the fish that are caught. This is where the interface gets a little bogged down, due to an awkward assignment of control buttons and a less-than-informative manual. For some reason, taking an item out of the rucksack, then placing it back, is accomplished by two different buttons. Further, accessing the rucksack is still another button! This gets confusing. While opening the rucksack and choosing one of the items probably should be different buttons, having a third button to place the item back in the rucksack is not a good design. The same button should be used for both functions.

Another issue with the interface is the lack of instructions on how things work. For instance, using the “A” button at either a watering trough or the river fills the watering can, but this little tidbit isn’t mentioned in the manual. And sometimes while the instructions are in the manual, they are hard to find. However, these are minor issues and become easier as the game progresses. A nice thing about the interface is the way the menus are designed. They are easily accessed and can be scrolled through with the R or Z buttons. The layout and format for these menus is perfect.

An interesting underlying theme is the supposed rivalry between your character and the other farmers. The main competition is a farmer named Jamie, who is determined to free the Goddess first. The statistics of the outputs for Farmer Girl/Boy and Jamie can be accessed through the menus.

Natsume can be proud of their entire series of Harvest Moon games, but this edition is better than the previous ones released for the GameCube. The characters are cuter, there’s much more to do, and the gameplay has been streamlined so that farming is easier than before, without taking away the challenge. The open-ended play makes it more attractive for younger players, although they may need some help navigating the controls and menus. And, the inclusion of the mini-games is a great idea, even if they are a little simplistic. This is a great simulation that will appeal to all ages, and one that will definitely hold attention for a long time. A good choice for families, especially with the summer holidays almost upon us.

Gameplay: 8.5
This game is a little hard to figure out at first, especially if players are new to the Harvest Moon series, but because there is no time pressure and much of the gameplay is open-ended in nature, there’s plenty of time to settle in and become familiar with the way things work. After a few hours, a certain rhythm develops and things begin to get fun. There are a few minor annoyances with the control buttons, but these are truly minor.

Graphics: 8.0
While the style of the drawings for the characters, backgrounds and environmental objects is simple in design and detail, the effect is nice, with cutesy and colorful animals and people. We liked this look much better than the other Harvest Moon games, because of the lighter and brighter tone.

Sound: 8.0
The music is really catchy and fun, but the sound effects are minimal

Difficulty: Medium
The game has a somewhat steep learning curve at first, but things soon get sorted out. The open-ended play ensures that there is plenty of time to learn on the job.

Concept: 7.0
While there are new features to the Harvest Moon model, these have been taken from other games, so aren’t really new or innovative. However, much thought was evidently put in to just what features to add, and how to integrate them with the essence of Harvest Moon. The result is very pleasing.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The mini-games are designed for multi-players, but can be played singly against the game, as well.

Overall: 8.5
This is a really cute game! There’s a whole lot to do, and I just wish I had more time to spend with it. Hopefully this summer I’ll be able to really sit down and enjoy it. A nice choice for families and all ages, and one that is guaranteed to last a long time.