Ann's Birthday in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl

I always suspected that the deck was stacked a little in favour of Ann in Friends of Mineral Town. In Harvest Moon Boy & Girl, I have similar suspicions. Some say that your childhood playmate will turn out to be whichever girl you marry, but I always believed it to be Ann, irrespective of your ultimate choice of spouse.

In any event, there are a few events that involve Ann that are worth experiencing in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl. One of these is her Birthday Party at the Inn.

I was a little tardy with this one, as I had become too accustomed to Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS... in those games, you cannot access your postbox. In FoMT and MFoMT, many wonderful surprises would come via postal service, but it had been a long time since I played either of those games.

It therefore was 20 Summer before I ever looked at the postbox, idly wondering whether or not the option existed in HMBG... I was deluged with old post! First, there was the announcement from the Supermarket to the effect that the Large Rucksack now was being offered. As I had purchased it the first day it appeared on the shelf, that notice was irrelevant.

The next notice was from the Clinic, to the effect that Bodigizer XL now could be purchased. As I felt that the price of these medicines was too high, especially in view of the potency of the Hot Spring, that too was not important to me.

It was the third item of post, however, that made me extremely wroth with myself. This was an Invitation to Ann's Birthday Party at the Inn on 17 Summer. I had forgotten that her birthday was celebrated at the Inn in FoMT and MFoMT, and had played through her birthday in HMBG, merely giving her a Spa Egg at the Goddess Spring in the morning...

I realised I had to experience the event, even if I did not save the results afterwards... Unfortunately, being of a stubborn and obsessive disposition, I knew secretly that once I went back in time to experience it, I would continue with that path, losing the work I had done from 17 Summer through 20 Summer in other slots...

There was one more announcement, this one from Doug to the effect that the Inn would be open from 6.00 p.m. on 17 Summer. Now, this announcement is rather misleading. To me, it would imply that the party would be AFTER 6.00 p.m. but in fact, what it means is that you must go to the Inn at any time between 11.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. if you wish to experience the Birthday Party Event.

Having resigned myself to the idea of replaying three days of the game, I performed all my usual chores and then took a spa egg to the Supermarket to have it gift-wrapped. At noon or thereabouts, I went to the Inn to see what would occur. (I was uncertain at this point of the meaning of Doug's announcement.)

The event in fact triggered when I entered the Inn shortly after noon. My rival Cliff was there as well as Ann and Doug. Both cake and pie were displayed on the table. Ann and Doug both appeared to be delighted to see me and Cliff was his usual morose self, muttering sadly about his sister, harping on her resemblance to Ann.

When I gave Ann her gift-wrapped egg (very nicely wrapped, I must say!), she was thrilled, telling me with great courtesy that my mere presence was gift enough, but obviously pleased by my offering.

The only negative result of this event is that it ends only at 6.00 p.m., thereby depriving me of about half of my ordinary working day as well as the shipping deadline. No matter... Ann's heart was boosted to green by the event and I now may be able to persuade the Harvest Goddess to place her in the role of 'sweetheart' for the Hot Spring Event.