Games within Games in Harvest Moon

This is nothing more than a quick post to respond to a player's question about Cute.

The player asked: After scrolling through your guides, I didn't see anything about it so I decided to ask you. :D
In harvest moon Cute, when i pressed A next to the telephone, suddenly I was 'transported' to a screen that had multiple people in the game, in the Excavation Site, then a question saying 'how many muffys were there?' & there were options. When I tried again, nothing happened. How do I make it happen, & what'll happen if I answer correctly? (End of comment.)

What the player is describing is one of the Mini-Games available both in Harvest Moon DS and Cute DS. It is not the Telephone that gives you access to this game but the Record Cabinet in your house. The information is included in my HM DS General Guide in Section XXVII, under the heading of 'Mini-Games'. I believe I included it in my HM Cute DS General Guide as well but if not, please let me know and I will rectify the omission.

In many respects, HM DS and HM Cute DS are identical. If a player cannot find information about an aspect of the game in one of my Cute Guides, please look at the corresponding HM DS guide. For example, I did not duplicate the 'Perpetual Calendar' guide but it is as valid for HM Cute DS as for the original HM DS.

Here is the information about the Mini-Games in HM DS/Cute DS:

XXVII. Mini-Games:


There are a number of mini-games in the DS version of Harvest Moon that can be
accessed only by performing a specific action.


How many Girls?:


This game can be played from the start of the game if you go to your record
cabinet at 6.01 a.m. precisely and press 'A'. To do this, you need to exit the
house as soon as you awaken at 6.00 a.m. and re-enter it immediately. When you
press the 'A' button, you will open a little game.

In this game, there will be 12 girls on the screen, each facing one of the four
directions. There may be more than one of any given 'eligible girl' in the
game. In other words, there may be three Floras, two Muffys, four Celias and
two Namis and one Lumina. The configuration of 12 girls will flash on the
screen for a moment and then you will be asked a question. The question may be
as simple as how many of the girls were Lumina? You may be asked instead how
many of the girls were facing east.

If you guess correctly, the only prize you will obtain is a few points towards
your Farming Degree. If you want to make certain to win, save your game BEFORE
you press 'A'. If you lose, reload and play again.


Which Bear?


This mini-game can be played only at the stroke of midnight if you press 'A' in
front of your television. You will see the Witch Princess with three bears.
She will sprinkle coloured powder on the bears and you will be required to
choose the bear she indicates after she changes their positions rapidly. This
game will last for ten rounds if you keep winning. If you choose correctly 10
times, you will gain 100 AP with the Witch Princess.

N.B. This game is NOT available in the English version of the game once you
purchase the DVD player. All you can do with the television then is to use it
to watch DVDs once you have purchased the DVD player and a DVD. If,
therefore, you wish to play the Three Bears game, do not buy the DVD player
immediately. You do need the DVD player to experience Lumina's 2nd Heart
Event, however.


Gladiator Girls


This mini-game can be activated only at 4.44 a.m. when you press A in front of
your doghouse. The Witch Princess will officiate here, choosing an opponent
for you from the eligible girls in the game.

When the game opens, she will say: So you're finally here. Let's test your
power and see what you're like. Here we go.'

You will engage in a typical turn-based RPG battle with the girl the Witch
Princess has chosen. If you win, the Witch Princess will choose another
opponent for you randomly. One by one, you will be forced to battle against 5
of the eligible girls in the game. The Mineral Town girls are included as
well. An interesting aspect of these battles is the addition of your 'rival'
for each girl. The rival in each case will aid the woman he loves, and both he
and the girl herself will attack. If you manage to emerge victorious from all
five encounters, you will be able to fight the Witch Princess herself! Defeat
her to win the Battle Master item.

Recover Stamina Twice.
Recover Spirit Twice.

In classic RPG turn-based combat style, you will be able to choose from a
number of different moves whenever it is your turn. The choices are:

Attack
Defend
Dodge
Charge
Special
Escape

If you have sufficient Spirit, you will be able to choose to execute a 'Super
Move' by choosing the 'Special' option. These include Super Attack and Super
Healing. If you choose 'Super Healing', the Harvest Goddess herself will come
to the arena to heal you, showing a big red heart and restoring your Stamina.

The Accessory that you equip before you activate the game will have some
influence on your Stamina and Spirit. It therefore would be wise to equip one
that does boost your Energy. The best of these would be the Witch Princess
Earrings as it restores Stamina and combats Fatigue. If you would rather see
your opponent's levels of energy during the battles, equip the Truth Ring
instead. (I opt for the Witch Princess Earrings myself.)

I personally found it easiest to win these battles if I used 'Defend'
occasionally and 'Super Heal'. The Defend move allowed me to recover some
Stamina, probably because I had equipped the Witch Princess Earrings.

If you win the game against the Witch Princess, it will be 4.00 a.m. You will
have the 'Title Bonus' in your hands and you will not have had any sleep! The
title that the Witch Princess gives you for winning the battle is 'Battle
Master'. The document she gives is described as: Title Bonus: Whatever it
is, you get it when you get a title.



Harvest Goddess Counting Game


Players familiar with FoMT or MFoMT will know this game as the one that the
Harvest Goddess plays on the television with you during the first five days of
the New Year. In this game, however, it will not be available until you have
rescued 60 Sprites and made 20 offerings to the Harvest Goddess. If you guess
correctly twice or more, you will win a random number of a random upgraded
level of seeds. If you continue to give her offerings each day, she will play
this game with you again periodically.

Incidentally, as the prize is a random number of seeds, you cannot have any
tool equipped in your tool slot when you play the game or the Goddess will tell
you that you cannot carry the prize, even if there are empty slots in your
rucksack. Make certain, therefore, that your tool slot is empty before you
drop the offering into the Pond.

Harvest Goddess: You've come so many times that I've beocme familiar with
Mineral Town. Let's play a game. I'll put out a card between 0 and 9 and
you guess if the next is bigger or smaller. If you guess correctly a few times
in a row, I'll give you a prize. Good luck. I'm starting.
Comparing to First is this one
Bigger
Smaller

You then choose 'Bigger' or 'Smaller'.

Example:

Harvest Goddess: That was three. Before was three. You chose Bigger so...
They are the same. So we keep going.
Comparing to Next is ...3?

777777777777

That was 7, before was 3. you chose Bigger so...

That's correct.

N.B. It can be a little confusing because of the manner in which she speaks of
the numbers in this game. If you wish to guarantee that you win the game, save
your game before you drop the offering into the Goddess Pond and then reload
either if you lose before winning a prize, or if you win seeds that are not
particularly valuable.

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I do have a question myself for players. The Witch Princess' Mini-Game could not be activated in the original English version of HM DS. Is it possible to access it in Cute? I never had time to test that myself.

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Other 'mini-games' that are an integral part of regular gameplay include the games played at the Casino in HM DS/Cute DS.

It is not only HM DS/Cute DS that offers the player an opportunity to play various mini-games. Tree of Tranquility has a separate menu for the Mini-Games unlocked in that game. You do need to unlock the full menu but once you have done so, you can go directly to that menu to play a mini-game instead of being obliged to trigger it again in the course of regular gameplay.

Most Harvest Moon games in fact include 'mini-games' even if they are included in the regular game. In MFoMT, one could play a number of mini-games with Won. His 'Apple Challenge' game as well as his slot machine game are two ways in which the player can become rich quickly in MFoMT.

Finally, who can forget the ubiquitous Mole who pops up in game after game to wreak havoc in your Field? 'Whack-a-Mole' is a venerable mini-game that has been featured in many Harvest Moon games. In ToT, it can be played either as a Mini-Game or whenever you encounter a Male in the Mines. Prizes for whacking the Mole in the Mines consist of Recovery Items such as Pontata Root...

Note: The screenshot is simply one of the Witch Princess in her home with her beloved Bears in Island of Happiness. The Mini-Game in HM DS/Cute DS is quite different, and is accessed through the television.

The Villa is a Hive of Activity

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There are many events that occur at the Villa, apart from the constant stream of regular visitors who come and go on a weekly basis.

The event with Karen is described in another post. There is a rather hilarious event that involves Van and a 'pot' with a history that dates back to Won, another famous character from 'historical' Mineral Town. The premise of Harvest Moon DS (in both male and female versions) is that it occurs hundreds of years AFTER A Wonderful Life and Friends of Mineral Town. Although characters have the same names and same appearance as their predecessors, they supposedly are NOT the same individuals, but rather their descendants.

In the event with Van, he attempts to sell a rare 'pot' to Romana for 10000000G. Romana replies that the price is far too high and asks him to knock off 'three of the 0s'. Van's response is to reduct the price to 1000000G. In the original FoMT and MFoMT as well as AWL/AnWL, Won's rare item was described as a vase rather than a pot. I am not certain if it is simply a different translation of the original Japanese word or if they are two different items.

Other events that occur at the Villa are events with Sebastian in the kitchen and Romana in her bedroom. There are events between Kate and Lumina as well. All these events are based on your friendship level with the parties concerned. Some are triggered at 100 FP but others at 200 FP. Somee will be familiar to players of the original English boy version of HM DS but others are new to English players.

Many players wondered about Mary's movements. She alone of the young Mineral Town visitors never stayed at the Inner Inn. You could not find her in the guest bedroom at 6.00 a.m. nor could you find her on the road from Mineral Town at any hour. In Cute, she is kind enough to explain her whereabouts between 6.00 a.m. and 8.00 a.m. on Monday, the day of her weekly visit.

Although she claims that she works in the locked room, she will not allow you entry! Perhaps she is lost in her creative labours and will not even hear your attempts to enter...