Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Boys from Mineral Town: Kai and Grey







Kai is very easy to please in Harvest Moon, so much so that even though you only can meet and court him in the Summer season, it is easier to raise his heart level to purple before the end of a fortnight than to raise the heart levels of Cliff, the Doctor or Rick. Grey is fairly easy, especially if you spend any time in the mines and can give him ores. I therefore found myself experiencing both Grey's and Kai's purple heart events almost simultaneously.

Although I have a fondness for Grey from my old More Friends of Mineral Town days, I have to admit that his 2nd heart event is fairly dull. Kai, on the other hand, offers you the surf and sun and more poetry than Gustafa ever did, oddly enough.

Events in HM DS Cute are a little more complex than they are in most other Harvest Moon games. Often there are three possible responses or even, in Kai's 2nd Heart Event, four. Giving the BEST response will raise the individual's heart level by 3000 AP. Giving the worst response will lower the individual's AP by 3000 points. Giving the 'middle of the road' response, neither right nor wrong, will maintain the existing AP, neither increasing nor decreasing it.

In Grey's 2nd Heart Event, your choices are simple. Either you let him look at your tools or you don't. Rather sad really that he wasn't given anything more romantic than a tool inspection for his heart event. If you allow him to look at your tools, his AP will increase by 3000 points. If you tell him it isn't necessary, he will interpret it as a serious blow to his self-esteem and confidence and his heart level will drop.

In Kai's 2nd Heart Event, on the other hand, you are called upon to declare your favourite season. If you choose Spring or Autumn, Kai will understand the attractions of each and wax rather poetic about them, even though his AP neither will increase nor decrease in those circumstances. If you choose Winter, however, he will be extremely disturbed and his heart level will drop. Choose Summer if you want him to be 'stoked'. (Every one knows Kai loves Summer, so it is not a tricky question at all.)

As you can see from the photographs of Grey's event, the best he is able to offer romantically is his charming manner of blushing and his eagerness to help you in any way he can.

'Keep your tools happy and they'll serve you well', is Grey's best line... He cannot compete with Kai on that level as Kai describes the cherry blossoms of Spring and the red leaves of Autumn in lyrical terms...

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