Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2003)

I am a very picky person of nature and I seldom rate “things” perfect. However, the Harvest Moon series is special so I’ll make an exception.

This is a game based on a rather dull idea, and the thought of running a farm is quite boring, However, This game is actually great (I just tried to be objective)

First some general information: The in-game time does not follow real time. Also, time stops when you are not playing. The game gives you 2 game files and saving and loading is close to instant. If you want to play as a girl, buy “More friends of Mineral Town”

As a new farm owner your abilities are limited and so is your farm. Your inventory space is small and your axe can not cut tree-trunks. As you understand, most things in this game are upgradeable. You will be introduced to different people; some are present in town only in certain seasons while most are permanent citizens.

The world of Mineral Town is divided into the town, a beach, your farm, a mine and a forest. What so many RPG games forget is the one thing that makes Harvest Moon a lot more interesting, seasons. While playing you will see 4 different seasons which changes the game in so many different ways.

By the time the first year ends you have probably established a nice looking farm and even bought some animals. In a certain way you might feel that the game ends here, but that is in no way true! As you continue to play the game you will notice new things that opens up new possibilities and challenges, there is not really an end to this game, just milestones. The game features many secrets, some which are reached in quite untraditional ways.

You will be amazed over how interactive this game is and the fact that almost everything develops and changes in some kind of way. There is always something to do and if you think there is nothing to do that specific day you have probably forgotten something.

The graphics are simple, yet nice to look at. The game changes color-wise throughout the different seasons. The animations are good and suit this game perfectly.

The music suits the farm life well and you will not get sick of it, partially because much of the music changes according to seasons. It is nice the first time you are re-united with the first season you played in and getting to hear that music over again.

When it comes to difficulty this game might look very easy. To progress in the game is quite easy, but the game also features a more challenging side. To unlock all events you have to work hard every day to do the things necessary. You have to know what seeds to buy, when to plant and when you can start harvesting. A lot of the challenge in this game is the fact that there are so many things you have to remember when and how to do. Therefore this game is not suited that well for small kids.

As you now might understand, Harvest Moon offers tons of entertainment for a long time. The game is interesting and challenging and the farm theme is brilliant. The game constantly develops and changes making it very interactive and varied. In many ways this game is perfect for the handheld consoles because it is so easy to bring along and play a bit. That is why I rather play this game on a handheld console instead of the Gamecube or the Wii. You always want to finish one more day or maybe even one more season. It is quite addictive, but at the same time relaxing to play and it is always exciting to see what happens next as you run your farm in Mineral Town.

The game Harvest Moon More Friends Of Mineral Town is a great game for a son of yours. (Because the only character you can chose is a boy) Although the game Harvest Moon MORE Friends of Mineral Town is out where the only character you can play is a girl for any daughters you have.
A lot of people think oh, a farmer game who wants that? Well I HATE farms and stuff but this game is totally awesome!!! You get to raise sheep, chichkens, cows, and a dog. You get to plant corn (which if you put in the windmill thingy you get more fodder for your chickens. You get to plant a lot of other crops, too.
You can even get MARRIED and have a CHILD!!! Go to hm4.com for a LOT of tips.

Special Features
Back to Nature; All of Your Old Friends will be there; New Events and Mini Games; Raise Animals, Grow Vegetables, Make Friends and Fall in Love; Traditional Harvest Moon Game Play with many new Surprises.

Warnings
Use of Tobacco and Alcohol

Details
Players: 1 Player
Controller: Gamepad
Memory Card: No

The warning is because there is a wine shop.

Jlrmt

This game was perfect for me. Well, I'm 12 years old and this is my dad's eBay account so I'm not sure about you. I loved this game, it lets you farm, grow animals and it has 5 possible brides! those 5 include 5 DIFFERENT personallities, looks, family, everything. One problem that I found in this game is, that the character actually looks like a kid, a 12-16 year old kid. So do the girls. The girls are Ann (Second Favorite), Mary, Karen (My personal favorite), Elli and Popuri. Ann is kind of a tomboy, Mary is a nerd, Karen is hot, Elli is a doctor, and Popuri is girly. Every girl has a guy that knew her long before you, and she might fall in love with him. I don't know how long the game is, but I got to a pretty high part, I have a crawling baby, with Karen. I suppose the game is about 15 years long. (Game years, which are 4 months, and you can pass a day by just going to sleep). I guess that's it for my review because this is starting to get like a guide instead a review, and that's what GameSpot is for. And one last thing, THIS GAME IS ADDICTIVE, VERY ADDICTIVE even when it gets boring you can't stop playing, at least I can't.
Bye now, thanks for reading!

this game is f****ng awesome i love that you can do almost anything or nothing at all.. if youve never played a harvest moon game cause you think hey how fun could it be to raise a farm? well at least thats what i thought when i heard of it but it is a great series of games that has unlimited replay value(that means it never gets boring) so even if you dont get it on ebay just get it

A great revival of a classic rpg, I was originally introduced to the series on the PS1 through a friend, although by that time the game had already entered into it's third rendition I believe. Either way, many people would think a game based on looking after a farm by harvesting crops and raising animals would be a pointless game filled with dull and boring game play. However, Harvest Moon is an rpg game like no other and sucks you into the world, cause such remedial tasks such as feeding livestock or selling the latest harvest exciting. The game even gives you the option to develop various working and romantic relationships with the locals which all effects the story and in turn the game play.
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is essentially the original Harvest Moon for the PS1 just miniaturized for you GBA. With the prices people are asking for the original Harvest Moon for the PS1 this is definitely a more affordable alternative to those who missed the boat and did not obtain a copy of this PS1 classic while it was available on retail shelves (such as myself).
Rest assured if you have some time to kill and own a GBA or even a DS Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is an interesting and unique rpg which will provide you with hours of entertainment.