A Striking Simiilarity in Sunshine Islands

The main plot in Sunshine Islands is founded on Sun Stones and raising Heart Levels is a method by which you can obtain many of the Sun Stones you need to raise islands from the bottom of the sea, but Friendship brings other rewards in the form of Event that occur at 6 Hearts between various Characters.

One of these subsidiary Events occurs at the Inn when Sabrina reaches 6 Hearts. It involves two of the Mineral Town characters, Karen and Popuri. It is a clever event that 'responds' I believe to some of the comments made by veteran Harvest Moon players when Characters in new Harvest Moon games resemble other Characters from the past. When Island of Happiness was released, a few players wrote that Sabrina was the 'Mary-look-alike' in the game. In 'A Striking Similarity', Karen and Popuri go so far as to mistake Sabrina for Mary! The creators of Island of Happiness and Sunshine Islands thereby used this resemblance to create an entertaining event.

A friend of mine who is playing Animal Parade complains that the game moves too slowly for his liking and that he grows weary once again of his daily chores. Ironically, he is an individual who is a creature of his habit in his own real life and does not really like to have his daily routine altered much. Nonetheless, if he cannot expect another major change in the near future in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, his interest quickly wanes.

He asked me (again) why I do not become bored... I have written about this before, actually. For me, Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games offer endless delight in the details. Instead of waiting impatiently for the next major advance in the plot, I find myself surprised and delighted by a new bit of dialogue or a minor event that uncovers a secret from a character's past or a detail about his/her 'Most Favourite' Gifts. Any one who is not involved with the character studies in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game loses a great deal of the enjoyment that these series have to offer.

For me, experiencing an Event like 'A Striking Similarity' is as exciting as any major plot development. Similarly, I was delighted when Ray confided at 4 Hearts that he was a teacher before he became a fisherman, giving me a little window into his personal history. Yes, his official profile does mention that he was a 'former scholar' but it still made me happy to hear it from him... In Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town, I loved the subsidiary Events that dealt with Jeff's aspirations and accomplishments as an artist. It delighted me to find his paintings as well as references to him as an artist in OTHER Harvest Moon games.

These small but satisfying Events and dialogues are what give the daily routines their spice and allow one to continue to find fulfillment in a game even after the Main Plot has been completed. The general rule for most Harvest Moon games is that new Events will continue to occur for five years at least. Any one who lacks the patience to live the idyllic life of a farmer in any Harvest Moon setting for at least five years is missing half of the game.

Vaughn's Secret Heartbreak

One morning after marriage, Vaughn's dialogue changed. It was not a matter of a change in Affection as he had been at maximum at the time of our marriage. I was pregnant with his child, but had been for some time.

I gave him a piece of chocolate as usual and he turned to me and remarked, almost offhandedly, 'I don't have any good memories of my childhood. I don't want my kid to feel the same way.'

His confession broke my heart. No wonder I fell in love with him. Like Skye, there are deep undercurrents of sorrow that made him an outsider, some one with a heart of gold but who had been hurt early in life to the point where he had to develop defences against intimacy. The fact that both Skye and Vaughn CAN lower their defences and show their innate nobility of spirit is what makes them irresistable. He may be taciturn and slow to smile but once he opens his heart to you, Vaughn is a true gentleman and a thoughtful, considerate husband and father.

It is going to be almost impossible for me to allow Sabrina to marry him in my next game, but I need to do that if I ever am to experience their Rival Marriage and meet their child.

N.B. Actually, his dialogue changed precisely 10 days after the announcement of my pregnancy. It changed once more before the baby was born, when he began to use my nickname and assure me that I would be a good mother.

Rejecting your Gifts at Red Heart Level in IoH

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In Island of Happiness, the heart levels of characters will continue to increase, even if you never speak to them or give them any more gifts, if you wear the Friendship Pendant and if you continue to make advances in the game (such as bringing new residents to the Island, winning contests and such). What is different in Island of Happiness is the requirement that you speak to an individual regularly if you wish to have ANY gifts accepted by him/her.

For example, with all the bachelors at orange or red heart level now in the game, they will REJECT my gifts if I fail to speak to them regularly. Even a Thanksgiving Gift will be rejected...

Heart levels do not appear to decrease at all when a gift is refused. Once an individual begins to reject your gifts, you need to speak to that individual EVERY DAY for five days in order to lift the 'social curse'. This applies to all individuals and not only eligible bachelors/girls.

Notwithstanding this situation, any bachelor or eligible girl at orange/red heart level WILL accept an invitation to a romantic Festival or Event even at a point when he/she would reject a gift. I have tested this thoroughly now.

The Harvest Goddess Festival is approaching again in my IoH game. Sad to say, the guy I really wish to invite is NOT on the Island once again. Vaughn so far NEVER has been on the Island on 7 Spring, the day on which one makes the invitations to the Harvest Goddess Festival. If I live single long enough, one year the 7th of Spring will fall on a Wednesday or Thursday but at this point, it has not occurred.

I experienced the Harvest Goddess Festival event with all the 'easy' bachelors first: Denny, Elliot and Pierre. This year, I could invite either Mark or Shea, but not Vaughn, only because Vaughn is nowhere to be found.

Rather to my surprise, I discovered that Shea completely ignored this Festival, even at maximum 10 hearts, full red heart level. He continues to speak of his primary concerns: hunting and eating, no matter where we meet! I expect that dancing for the Harvest Goddess may be an 'alien' ritual to him. He certainly did not attend last year, and I daresay he won't be in attendance this year either.

I bowed to the inevitable and asked Mark to go with me. I fancy him in any case, although my heart still is pulled more by Vaughn for some reason. What is infuriating is that Vaughn WILL be at the festival always, and he will squire Sabrina, my RIVAL to it! Somehow, she manages to get to him with her invitation on a day when he is not on the Island... She must have his address and be able to send a trained carrier pigeon to him, as no ships are sailing today.

Tomorrow, therefore, on 8 Spring, however much I enjoy Mark's attentions, my heart will be soured a little by the sight of Vaughn dancing attendance on my Rival, even though she is a friend of mine. The worst moment always is when the bachelors and my Rivals display large red hearts for one another in the course of the dance. I suppose I shouldn't be greedy, though. It is rather exciting to be the 'belle of the ball' on the Island, with all the bachelors in love with me, but ultimately it is far better to allow the Rival Couples to marry.

Choking on a Rice Cake

This Event was so hilarious that I had to share it. I often replay Events, including Festival Events in order to satisfy myself that I have experienced all possible variables.

In HM Cute DS as well as in other Harvest Moon games, characters attending the New Year's Day Rice Cake Festival often refer to the possibility that some one could choke on a rice cake. Here are some of these remarks:

Hardy: I was just worried that somebody might choke on something... But then, I may be the one who chokes on rice cakes...
Elli: If you eat rice cakes too fast, you might choke on them! Be careful.
Kassey: I almost died once, a long time agao. I choked on a rice cake!
Patrick: My older brother almost choked on a rice cake once.

In Island of Happiness, this sorry situation can occur to YOUR character randomly.

Sabrina warned me of the possibility, saying that: 'If you eat rice cake too fast, you could choke... So be careful.'

Even so, I never dreamed it could happen to ME.

The first couple of times I played through the Event, nothing untoward occurred. I took my 'share' of rice cakes home with me. The reason I replayed the event a couple of times actually was the realisation that the number of rice cakes given to you is random. One time I obtained only one; another time I received 12. I was trying to discover what the maximum number could be when I actually CHOKED on a rice cake at the Festival!

You can see my character doubled over in the centre of the group, choking on her rice cake while the Islanders watch. Another screenshot shows her actually pounding the rice cakes. I loved that detail.

What a wonderful game this is! Fans of Harvest Moon may be aware of the fact that there is more than one version of each of the Heart Events. The next Heart Event will vary depending on your response during any Heart Event. In other words, there are different 'paths' for the Heart Events for any Eligible Girl/Bachelor in Island of Happiness. You would be required to play a dozen games at least to experience all of them. The fact that you can play either as a girl or a boy means that Island of Happiness actually is TWO separate games in a single cartridge.

There are dozens of 'optional characters' that only will come to the Island if you complete specific goals. They tend to be linked to accomplishments in one of the activities such as mining, fishing or ranching. Some of them appear to be linked to Island improvements, such as paving another road.