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It was over 10 years ago that the first Harvest Moon game came out on the SNES, and in keeping with the series' sports-game-like longevity, Natsume is releasing two new Harvest Moon games this month, Island of Happiness for the DS and Tree of Tranquility for the Wii. On the DS, you get classic Harvest Moon gameplay on the go--and controls so slippery, it feels like you've replaced the stylus with a stick of butter. Rest assured, the same dependable farming sim is here, but the awful controls make it hard to enjoy.
The story has always taken a backseat to the gameplay in the Harvest Moon games, and this one is no different. Your impetus for farming is a shipwreck at the start of the game. After washing ashore on a deserted island, you run into a small group of survivors who, instead of searching for rescue, are turning the barren patch of land into a bustling community. The characters who populate the world are interesting and varied, though much of the dialogue and interaction with them is optional, so if you'd rather focus on farming, you can do that without being forced to be social.
If you've played a Harvest Moon game before, you'll know exactly what to expect when it comes to farming. Things will start slowly in your first year--money is tight and resources are slim--but as your land expands, so will your opportunities. In addition to the various crops to tend, you'll have chickens, sheep, cows, and other critters to look after and upgrades to make on your property. You can even get married and have kids, though that's a bit creepy since your onscreen avatar never looks a day older than 11. With new responsibilities popping up all the time, you'll never be without something to do. Within a few in-game years, you'll see the island go from a decrepit floating rock to a thriving metropolis. Natsume has managed to cram a lot of content into the game, giving you an almost endless number of things to care for, tend to, and make money off of. The challenge in this particular Harvest Moon game is finding the motivation to play that long.
Like all the other games in the series, at its core, Island of Happiness is a game about doing chores. Past Harvest Moon games were charming enough to keep us pulling weeds and milking cows all day. Island of Happiness certainly has that trademark Harvest Moon charm, but the touch-screen controls are such a chore themselves that they ruin the experience.
