Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (牧場物語～ワンダフルライフ, Bokujō Monogatari: Wonderful Life) is a video game that was released in Japan on September 2003 and March 2004 in North America for the GameCube. It was developed and published by Marvelous Interactive, and is part of the long-running Story of Seasons series of video games. The GameCube version offers connectivity with the Game Boy Advance game, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
North American GameCube cover art
Developer(s)Marvelous Interactive
Publisher(s)
SeriesHarvest Moon
Platform(s)GameCube, PlayStation 2
Release
September 12, 2003
  • GameCube[1]
    • JP: September 12, 2003
    • NA: March 16, 2004
    • EU: March 26, 2004
    PlayStation 2[2]
    • JP: November 11, 2004
    • NA: October 28, 2005
    • EU: November 16, 2005
Genre(s)Simulation, role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

A special edition version titled "A Wonderful Life Special Edition" was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2004 and North America in 2005. It was later re-released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 with improvements upon lag issues rooting from the PlayStation 2 port.[3]

Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life, the girl version of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, was released for the GameCube outside Japan in July 2005.

Gameplay

The player starts the game with one cow, and can later acquire additional, higher-quality cattle as well as sheep, chickens, and a horse. The cow will stop producing milk after 40 days, and will have to be impregnated for her to continue making milk. In addition to these traditional Harvest Moon animals, this is the first game in the series to feature ducks and a goat.

The player starts the game with a dog, and has the choice of floppy or pointed ears. Later in the game, the player may receive a cat from Romana. Seen in the wilderness are a tanuki, a lizard, and a turtle, as well as a chihuahua that appears to be a pet at the dig site.

Also notable is the Mukumuku, who resembles an abominable snowman. The Mukumuku can only be seen during Winter near the tree in which the Harvest Sprites live, and the surrounding area commonly referred to as "the forest."

The player's farm has three fields, with varying levels of fertility. Plants must be watered more than once per day and nourished with fertilizer to obtain high-quality fruits and vegetables. Each crop has its ideal growing season, and will do poorly if planted at the wrong time of year. To obtain the highest quality crops and seeds, the player must water and fertilize the crops every day.

The game offers a variety of crops and trees, and offers the ability to create hybrid crops. The player can do this by feeding any two different seeds or crops to a talking plant, Tartan, who appears after befriending Takakura and visiting him in the morning, from Chapter 2 onwards.

This is the first Harvest Moon game in which the player not only has a child after marriage, but the child ages to adulthood as well. The player's son will look similar to their wife, and have a unique set of interests and talents. The child's developing personality may be influenced by taking him places, introducing him to people, and giving him gifts related to various fields. At the end of the game, the (now adult) son will choose one of seven possible careers: farmer, rancher, musician, artist, scholar, athlete, or scientist. If he becomes a farmer or a rancher, he will take over the family farm, although he can not marry.

The game can also end early if certain actions are taken, such not marrying by the end of Chapter 1 or causing the player's wife to divorce.

Connectivity

If the player connects a Game Boy Advance with Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town or Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town to the GameCube while playing A Wonderful Life, the two games can exchange information. Initiating the connection requires going to the mountain path next to the vegetable farm where Celia lives in A Wonderful Life, and throwing an offering into the Harvest Goddess' pond in Friends of Mineral Town. Non-player characters (NPCs) in Forget-Me-Not Valley will begin to make comments about events in Mineral Town, and vice versa. In addition, some NPCs will make periodic trips to Mineral Town, returning with new items to sell or hints for the player.

Plot

Opening Scene

When the player begins the game, they see a coastline in Forget-Me-Not valley. Takakura, an old man who used to be the protagonist's father's best friend, is speaking (or thinking) to his father, stating: "He wasn't unhappy. But he didn't seem to have a direction in life. One day, I went to see him. I told him about the farm you left to him. Your son didn't seem to know much about farming, but he was willing to give it a try. So I brought him to Forget-Me-Not-Valley.". The protagonist is then seen walking down the village with Takakura, and he explains how he and the protagonist's father owned the farm. He then shows the protagonist the barn, the tool shed, the chicken coop, the food storage, the protagonist's house, and his house. Soon, two dogs will appear and the protagonist chooses one to keep while Takakura attempts to find an owner for the other one. Takakura agrees to show the protagonist around the valley and introduce him to the villagers: Tim, the owner of the Inner Inn, his wife Ruby, and their son Rock; Nami, a girl staying at the Inner Inn, Wally, his wife Chris, and their son Hugh; Galen and his wife Nina; Griffin, the owner of the Blue Bar and his daughter Muffy; Romana, her granddaughter Lumina, and their butler Sebastian; Vesta, a farmer, her brother Marlin, and their helper Celia; Kassey and Patrick, twins who create fireworks; Cody, an artist; Daryl, a scientist; Gustafa, a musician; and Carter, a scholar, and his assistant Flora. Celia, Nami, and Muffy are three eligible bachelorettes (in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition, Lumina is also a bachelorette). Additional characters include a doctor named Hardy, a salesman named Van, and a homeless guy named Murray. Afterwards, the protagonist meets the Harvest Sprites: Nic, Nak, and Flak.

Story
The Beginning

In this chapter, lasting a year, the protagonist begins in his house at 5 AM. The player is now in control of the game, and starts with a cow, a milker, two records, a hoe, a sickle, a watering can, two tomato seeds, and 3000G. The Lodger in the food storage can be used to purchase more tools, animals, and buildings, or to sell animals. Sometime in this chapter, the protagonist will receive a horse from Takakura and a rare blue feather from the Harvest Sprites, which can be used to propose to one of the bachelorettes at the very end of the year. The protagonist may have a chance to meet Mukumuku, a creature that only appears in the winter. Throughout the story, Daryl attempts to capture Mukumuku, but is constantly thwarted by Murray and potentially Van. There are also side quests to do such as unearthing things at the dig site (if you find any tablets, then Carter gets to keep them) and giving Murray the money he needs to go home. If Murray is given enough money, he will reward you. The protagonist must marry in this chapter, or he must leave the town and lead to the game's end. Celia will propose to the protagonist should he not use the blue feather to propose to any of the bachelorettes. Refusing this proposal will also cause the game to end.

Happy Birthday

In this chapter, lasting two years, the protagonist has a son whose personality depends on his mother. The protagonist's house will now have an extra room, a kitchen and dining room, and will also gain a refrigerator and two bathrooms. The protagonist may receive a cat from Romana (this may not happen until later chapters), and his toddler can be picked up and played with. The dig site also gets bigger. Some characters' appearance has changed and new people (consisting of Kate, Grant, Samantha, and Dr. Hardy) move in. An additional house is now in the village. If the protagonist chooses not to marry Nami, she will leave town. Van now sells toys and a goat, which may only be purchased in spring. The Seed Maker may be obtained from Daryl if it had not been purchased in the first chapter, and Tartan may be acquired. Ducks may show up at the protagonist's farm starting in this chapter if a pond is owned. Galen has moved, and now lives in a shack on hill beside Vesta's farm. His wife Nina has died of natural causes and her grave is beside Galen's shack. Dr. Hardy now lives in Galen's old house. The protagonist also unlocks some opportunities at the beginning of this chapter such as discovering Tartan after befriending Takakura, or receiving an alarm clock from Grant. Failing your married life will result in a divorce, which will cause the game to end.

This chapter was renamed to "A Birth" in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition and the protagonist's child may be a daughter instead of a son.

Happy Harvesting

In this chapter, lasting three years, the protagonist's son has grown into a seven or eight-year-old and can no longer be picked up and played with. Hugh and Lumina's appearance have changed again and the protagonist's house and dig site have expanded. The son's future career may be swayed by befriending villagers with similar careers. Befriending people will also allow the protagonist to obtain tools or items from them. Nami returns in this chapter (if the protagonist does not marry her). The protagonist can also buy a teddy bear from Van.

Happy Farm Life

In this chapter, lasting two years, the protagonist's son is a teenager and wants to be independent. The protagonist has aged, as have most people in the valley. His house is now even bigger. The son's career cannot be changed now without confusing him. The ruins have grown even larger, so you can dig a lot and make a good profit. The protagonist can also buy a flower pot from Van. If the protagonist befriends Cody, he may receive a sculpture from him starting from this chapter.

To The Journey

In this chapter, lasting one year, the protagonist's son is now a young adult, and his wife has aged. The son's actions mirror the protagonist's from chapter one, such as harvesting and looking for a spouse. The ruins are even bigger. There is no possible way for the son's career choice to be changed now.

The Twilight

In this chapter, lasting one year, the protagonist and other villagers have aged again. The protagonist's son is now certain of his career, and can no longer be swayed. The game ends with the protagonist's death and Takakura thinking to his father about how Forget-Me-Not Valley fares after the protagonist's death.

Heaven Chapter

The heaven chapter can only be played in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition. In this chapter, the player may play at any pace or chapter they wish. The protagonist gets his wife and son back, along with their money, animals, and crops.

Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life

This story is exactly the same as Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, but with a few differences: the protagonist is female instead of male and the bachelors are Rock, Marlin, and Gustafa.

Development

The American pre-order bonus was a collectible dog plush that was included in the game when ordered from participating websites.

An updated version called Oh! A Wonderful Life was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 in November 2004. The English language version was called A Wonderful Life Special Edition and was released in late 2005. While very similar to the original version of A Wonderful Life, some extra items and events were added in addition to an updated soundtrack. The most notable changes were the ability to have a daughter, the ability to marry Lumina, and the ability to continue playing after death.[4] On May 16, 2017 it was announced that a remake of the Special Edition was scheduled for the PS4 with a tentative 2017 release planned.[5] The PlayStation 4 version of the game is said to have fixed most of the lag from the PlayStation 2, making the game more playable, added trophy support, better resolution and quality. However, some lag issues and little glitches still remain.

The girl version of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life, was released for the GameCube in the English-speaking world in July 2005. In this game, the player goes through the storyline of A Wonderful Life as a female character, and can court and marry one of three male NPCs, Marlin, Rock, and Gustafa. The game offers connectivity with the Game Boy Advance game Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town.

Harvest Moon DS, the first game in the Story of Seasons series to be released on the Nintendo DS, has the same setting and features most of the characters from A Wonderful Life.

Reception

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life received largely positive reviews upon its initial GameCube release. IGN gave the title an "Impressive" 8 out of 10 rating, praising gameplay and lasting appeal while also noting its "monotonous" audio and upsetting lack of festivals.[11] A Wonderful Life garnered an 8.7 rating from Ryan Davis of GameSpot. Echoing other reviews, Davis considered it "a fun and potentially addictive game that, if you let it, will gladly consume any free time you choose to give it."[10] The publication went on to name it the best GameCube game of March 2004.[12]

The Special Edition released for PlayStation 2 did not receive such strong praise. IGN's Juan Castro gave it a score of 6/10 and remarked "The differences, including an increase in brides, choosing the gender of your child and the ability to play forever, make little difference. What does make a difference, though, is the drastic drop in framerate, increase in load times and muddy graphics."[4] Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine gave it a 7/10 rating.[13]

References
  1. "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Release Dates". Gamespot. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  2. "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition Release Dates". Gamespot. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  3. "ESRB Lists Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland Games for PS4". Anime News Network. January 2, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. Castro, Juan (February 23, 2006). "Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life: Special Edition Review". IGN. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  5. Romano, Sal (May 16, 2017). "Harvest Moon: Light of Hope announced for PS4, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  6. "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life for GameCube". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  7. "Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life for GameCube". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  8. "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  9. "Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life for GameCube Reviews". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  10. Davis, Ryan (March 25, 2004). "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  11. Irwin, Mary Jane (March 15, 2004). "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  12. Staff (April 2, 2004). "GameSpot's Month in Review for March 2004". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 4, 2004.
  13. "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
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