Graphics

Whilst it is no Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the sheer scale of Harvest Moon: AWL's graphics are more than enough to leave me suitably impressed. They are, undoubtedly, cutesy which has never bothered me but like a wolf in sheep’s clothing they mask an intricate and open-ended game, which should never (but inevitably will) be called ‘kiddie’. AWL presents you an entire world named ‘Wasuredani’, albeit a small one, with no fogging. Almost everything has a shadow and so the fact these shadows suffer a little pop-up in the middle distance is easily forgivable.

If you sit back and take a look at the world AWL presents you (easily done from my perspective, watching my girlfriend play it from my study) it is very hard not to fall in love with the picturesque look and feel, a little piece of the country-side grafted onto your television.

The weather effects and the changes to the environment throughout the seasons somehow keep the game fresh, the pink blossom on the trees in spring turns to green leaves in summer and deep yellows and bronzes in fall. A nice touch, if ever I saw one. Another nice touch, it has to be said, are the real-time clouds, which drift gracefully over the ocean towards you. If you ever take the time to look up at the sky it is possible to predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy when it is about to rain, as ominous black clouds will always be close by.

Overall the visual experience in this game is unlike anything I have personally ever played before. It translates into 3D in much the same way Zelda did, only without the excellent cell shading.

Sound

Gameplay

Gameplay is truly the area in which the Harvest Moon series has always shone; AWL takes on the same farming basics of the rest of the series. It is a strange game, which will not appeal to anyone who does not give it the chance it deserves to show its true diversity.

Many people will just pick up AWL and play for an hour, maybe more or less, and then will be quickly put off by the apparent repetitiveness of the game or, I dare say, the sheer complexity and sometimes tediousness. The fact is that AWL can pretty much be played any way you want to play it, you can choose to spend your time fishing, growing crops, raising livestock, picking flowers, flirting with the local girls, taking part in archaeological digs, cooking… and many, many more things. Simply put AWL is, as its name suggests; a ‘life’, a very deep and highly unrestricted role-playing game that lets you live out a fanciful ‘wonderful life’ running your farm in Wasuredani. AWL is one of the few true RPGs I have ever come across. On top of the huge range of activities available in AWL there is the character interaction, you can speak to people, buy things from them, sell things to them, give gifts and even spend a great deal of your time getting one of three girls to marry you. Marriage does not signal the end of AWL, as would perhaps be expected, but gives you the opportunity to have a child which you can then bring up.

The time in AWL is split into the four seasons, spring, Summer, Autumn (Or ‘Fall’ if you are illiterate or American) and Winter. These seasons are then split into days each either approximately or exactly 24 minutes long (I have not counted), surprisingly longer than the original Harvest Moon. However, unlike the SNES original, AWL does not offer you the opportunity to work late into the night to clear your fields, in fact such annoyances as clearing fields and having to grow grass as a crop (very costly in the original) have been removed in favour of predefined fields and a handy fenced off meadow in which your livestock can graze. If you stay up late the day will eventually roll over to the next and you will waste time sleeping in when you finally go to bed. Later in the game you can add extras to your farm, I will let you find out what these are for yourself.

I suppose I owe the hoe, plant, water, harvest, repeat sequence that has somehow provided a solid gameplay base to Harvest Moon throughout SNES, N64, PS1 and GBA incarnations a mention. Growing crops in AWL reflects the rest of the games, you can plant any crop at any time of the year, and in any field you wish, however they favour certain soil and certain seasons just like the real thing so you might find yourself with a lot of wilted crop.

Once you have successfully grown and harvested your crops you will quickly find out, as I did, that unlike in the original Harvest Moon you cannot simply place your crops in a shipping bin and receive a fat cash sum. No siree, this has been ditched in favour of setting up your own market stall and working hard to attract customers to whom you can sell pretty much any item you can imagine including, of course, your crops. For some reason a shipping bin is supplied for dairy products that you will realise is a godsend when starting out in the game but will hate because you cannot put anything else in it.

I could write until my fingers turn blue about the gameplay in AWL, but to finish off I will pick a couple of activities and go into a little detail.

Fishing
So, it is not the level of fishing you might find in Sega Bass or Sonic Adventure but it is good all the same, just cast your rod, wait for a bite and reel them in. There are many types of fish to catch up and down river and also in ponds, you can sell these, give them as gifts, cook them, eat them or feed them to your dog.

Cooking
Hundreds of possible and oddly named food combinations can be created by combining various crops with fish and other food items. You may not have much control over the cooking but there is still a certain satisfaction when you suddenly find you have invented a new dish.

Archaeology
An archaeological dig site has been opened in Wasuredani and you can go to help out. You can dig up various crystals, artefacts, fossils and treasures, most of which you get to keep. The ‘real’ archaeologists, however, keep important discoveries.

Story

In a way AWL is a story you are actively creating by living out your life the way you want to. However certain scripted events happen from time to time making sure the game keeps you on your toes and making it feel like the rest of the inhabitants of Wasuredani are more than just buyers and sellers of your wares. When the game begins one such event familiarises you with your farm and presents you with a choice of two dogs as a first pet.

Throughout the game these events will give you more to do and help keep you absolutely hooked that is if you are not already plumbed into your Gamecube.

Summary

Overall Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is a fantastic game, although one which is certainly not for everyone. The most hardcore gamers will get a great deal out of AWL, whilst the casual gamer can experience some light gaming and forgiving, diverse gameplay. I would say there is something for everyone if the very nature of the game and the mention of ‘farming simulation’ did not make fellow gamers laugh at me. If you like the sound of AWL, you will love the game and become quickly addicted. If you do not then it is worth a rental, go on – give it a go!

When I think RPG, I think ‘freeform’ even though many RPGs guide you through a set storyline. Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is so close to what I would expect a true RPG to be that I cannot help but think it must be something more. But call it what you will (life simulation, farming simulation, crap) it is an RPG at heart and a very, very good one.

Also, if you happen to already own a Gameboy Advance, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, and a GBA to GC link cable you can explore the world of Mineral Town in AWL, adding even more gameplay. I know I am sold. PH