HMOtaku > Games > A Wonderful Life

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life

Developer: Marvelous Interactive Software
Distributor: Natsume
System: Nintendo Gamecube
Genre: Role-Playing (RPG), Simulation
Perspective: 3rd-Person Perspective
ESRB Rating: [E] for Everyone (ages 6+)

Release Dates:
September 12, 2003(Japan)
March 16, 2004 (United States)
March 26, 2004 (Europe)
March 25, 2004 (Australia)

Other Information: This game was very popular after it first came out; it promised many new and unique features to the series, whereas most of the games beforehand had been more traditional. AWL focuses very heavily on its "lifespan" aspect: you actually get to live out all the years of your life (in chapters, of course; they wouldn't make you play out 30 years)! That's probably the game's biggest strength.

Introduction:
Your father has recently passed away, and among the people there to pay respects was a man by the name of Takakura. A close friend of your father�s, Takakura tells you that he and your father both had the same dream: to find a small farm out in the country somewhere and run it together. They finally found an abandoned farm in a place called Forget-me-not Valley. Since your father has passed on, it is decided that you will take his place. Thus, you and Takakura come to the valley, ready to start a new life.

The game spans 30 years, divided into 6 chapters, each chapter being one to three years long. You can raise crops, raise animals, get married, raise a child, interact with the villagers, and much more. A Wonderful Life promises to be one of the best, if not the best, in the series!