Cats in Harvest Moon and elsewhere

This does not have sufficient Harvest Moon information to qualify as a real tutorial about ANY game, but it does include a few tips about Cats in Animal Parade and Sunshine Islands. It showcases Beauty's Kittens in actuality.



Although this video primarily features the Kittens, I would like to thank ILuvHM for her detailed research about all the Wild Animals and Pets in Animal Parade. The wealth of information about Pets and the Characters who love them now contained in my Character Guide owes much to her.

Shortcuts and Instant Transport in Animal Parade

There are a number of ‘shortcuts’ that can be created in Animal Parade, through the completion of various quests. Apart from actual shortcuts, there are methods of transport that either allow you to travel to a new destination or reduce your travel time from one district to the other.

The first new path that is created is the repair of the bridge that allows you to travel to the Garmon Mines District. The second is the first use of the Animal Whistle that allows you to establish trust with the Wild Animals, granting you access to the Harvest Goddess Spring.

When your first Animal reaches 5 Hearts, you will be able to ride him/her. A Cow is rather slow, however. It is only when the Horn Ranch is upgraded to allow Hanna to sell Horses that you will have the potential to obtain a means of Transport in the form of an adult Horse with 5 Hearts that can cut your travel time in half.

Next, you can persuade Bo to repair the Mine Cart by feeding him repeatedly until he completes the task. This gives you a shortcut between the Garmon Mines District and the Church Grounds.

When you ring the Blue Bell, you will restore the Ferry Service between Harmonica Town and Toucan Island. When you purchase a return Boat Ticket for 400G from the Fishery, you will be able to travel instantly from Harmonica Town to Toucan Island and back again.

After you find all three Lost Circus Animals, Theodore will impart the Secret of the Animal Whistle which will allow you to travel instantly to your Farmland, Harmonica Town, Flute Fields or Fugue Forest from any location on the Map. What this means essentially is that you always will have a method by which you can return home instantly, even when you are in an area that is NOT an Animal Whistle destination. Furthermore, it gives you instant access to the swamp where the Hut of the Witch Princess is situated, allowing you to visit her without being forced to navigate the maze of Fugue Forest. An added bonus is the ability to discover what a 'piggyback ride' actually entails!

The final shortcut is created by the Harvest King himself when he grants you instant access via teleport from the Garmon Mine entrance to the Mountaintop. This shortcut is useful for a number of reasons, apart from allowing you to visit the Harvest King effortlessly. It gives you instant access to the Hot Spring at the Mountaintop as well as the 45th floor of the Upper Garmon Mine. Your chance of obtaining rare ores and gems improves when you mine in the last few floors of any mine, which means that starting at the 45th floor and working downward will give you more opportunity to find Gold Ore and Rare Ore.

As you can see, apart from the pure motivation of restoring the Goddess Tree, there are more selfish reasons to complete Quests in Animal Parade!

Usefulness of Dialogue in Animal Parade

A friend of mine who is playing Animal Parade and who tends to be very impatient by nature, complained bitterly when he discovered that the Purple Bell Quest required that he raise at least 10 Characters to three hearts.

He wrote: 'Your help with HMAP has brought me into my first winter and I've hung
all the bells and encountered the bell in the church -- and learned the
grim news that I must make lots of friends (your guide says 10 with 3
hearts each) before that final bell will ring. To me that sounds
extremely boring -- making the same rounds day after day with a gift
list in my hand, talking to people as I've already done for a year. The
only hearts I have are from my cow!'

By reading the Walkthrough, he then discovered that there was a further Quest AFTER the Purple Bell Quest as well as a multitude of subsidiary Quests and goals. If 'the only hearts' he has are from his Cow, he obviously has not experienced ANY of the Courtship Events either! Courtship and Marriage often are the most popular aspects of any Harvest Moon/Rune Factory game. To many players, the actual plot is subsidiary to the excitement of winning some one's heart and having a family.

Obviously, every player is different where any Game is concerned, but in terms of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, a player who does not enjoy dialogue or Events really misses much of the point of these games. In Animal Parade, moreover, the variations in dialogue are incredible. For example, in logging dialogue for the Harvest Festival, I discovered that there were at least THREE different possible dialogues for Characters on the day of the Harvest Festival. There may have been more than four, but I logged four for many of the Characters.

This by no means exhausts the dialogue possibilities in terms of the Harvest Festival actually, as every character spoke of the upcoming Festival on the previous day as well.

On the actual day of the Festival, speaking to some one BEFORE your character entered any Contest early in the day elicited one dialogue. Speaking to some one AFTER your Character entered and won any Contest elicited another dialogue. Finally, speaking to some one after the Festival ended elicited another dialogue.

On any ordinary day, there are at least four different dialogues that can be experienced with any Character. One relates to the weather, one relates to the season and one is based on current Friendship/Heart Level. Beyond that, there is a set phrase that each Character has that is constant throughout the game.

In terms of Festival dialogue, you often can learn useful facts by speaking to Characters. The Harvest Festival, with its Cooking Contest revealed a wealth of useful information about various characters.

Here are some of the dialogues on the day of the Harvest Festival:

Chloe: I made Baked Potatoes for the contest today! They’re hot and delicious! (pink heart)
Toby: There are a variety of ways to cook fish. A lot of thenm are quite simple, too. I can always give you a few pointers.

Maya: I entered Seafood Stew into the conteset! But my grandma said my secret seasonings aren’t so secret!

Gill: I entered my Ratatouille in the Cooking Contest. It has vegetables, so it’s healthy. I actually don’t like bell peppers, but I don’t mind if they’re cooked.

Selena: I was going to enter a dish I learned from my dad in the cooking contest... But it came out all burned! Sigh...

Witch Princess: have you been to the Harvest Festival? What won first place? Was it ice cream? Actually... I’m not really interested!

Bo: I’ve made a mushroom saute for today’s cooking contest. I may not win, but I did as well as I could’ve!

Mira: I entered a vegetable dish in the cooking contest. My husband didn’t like carrots, so I had to get creative for him to eat them.

Ramsey: I love buckwheat noodles. I often make my own... I hope we harverst plenty of buckwheat this year.

Luke: I learned to cook by watching my father. I can make all kinds of stews! Bo’s always telling me to stop though!

Kathy: I love cheese, so I entered my seafood gratin in the Cooking Contest. The only problem is that it’s not that great when it’s cold.

Hayden: They’re holding a cooking contest for today’s Harvest Festival. Are cocktails okay?

Luna: Hey, what did you enter in the Cooking Contest? I made my specialty, pumpkin pie. It’s not too sweet, and it’s also in season!

Candace: Today is the Harvest Festival. Is your dish ready? I decided on a dish that uses herbs, since I like herbs...

Renee: I’ve entered my salmon cream stew in the cooking contest. The salmon and milk really complement each other.

Barbara: I made stir fry for the contest. It’s quick and easy ... and it’s full of vitamins.

Phoebe: Did you enter anything into the contest? I’ve entered tempura noodles. It takes longer to make the noodles by hand, but the taste is worth it.

Shelly: I made a chestnut pie for the cooking contest. Peeling chestnuts is a pain, but you can use them for a lot of different desserts.

Irene: Did you make something for the Harvest Fstival? I made croquettes!

Ruth: I submitted my spinach risotto for the Cooking Contest. Spinach is good for you, and it’s quite popular among burly sailors!

My own personal favourite, if not particularly useful in terms of likes and dislikes of Characters, was Calvin's declaration:

Calvin: In ancient times, these festivals would involve sacrifice!

Some of the declarations are more overt than others. In some cases, you must 'read between the lines' but most of the Characters speak of a 'Most Favourite' when they announce their entries. Other information that is provided, in Gill's case, is a Most Detested Item. Apart from information that is useful in terms of giving gifts to an individual, dialogue can tell you what sort of dishes are likely to win 1st Place. Bo speaks of 'Mushroom Saute' as his entry and confesses that he 'may not win' the Contest with it. In fact, it is only dishes with a very high shipping value that will win 1st Place. The same is true with respect to the Vegetable Contest, the Fruit Contest and the Flower Contest. Shipping value is ALL that counts!

Restoring the Goddess Tree in Animal Parade

Here is a video of your character's first encounter with the Harvest King, when you attain 'Hero' status and climb to the top of the Mountaintop to ring all 5 Bells, thereby summoning him:



The quality of the video is terrible. My camera is nearing the end of its life, alas, but I hope players will find enjoy it nonetheless.

The Harvest King really is something else! He is everything an Immortal should be...

Animal Neglect in Animal Parade

I'm afraid that, initially in writing my Guides, I took the advice and pronouncements of other Characters in Animal Parade as 'gospel' where Animal Care rules were concerned rather than testing it myself. In particular, I trusted the dialogue of Cain, Hanna and Renee, all Animal Care specialists. I was told, at various Friendship Levels that Animals would lose Friendship if you neglected to feed and care for them and that they would become ill if they were left outside in bad weather.

They may indeed become ill if they are left outside, but Heart Levels do not decrease in all cases. I tested the effects of neglect by leaving my Animals outside for over a week, through a rainstorm and beyond, and not one became ill, nor did their heart levels decrease. Furthermore, I was able to ride my Horse, although he hadn't been fed in 10 days.

When an Animal finally DID become sick, Cain arrived, huystled me to the Barn and then gave Animal Medicine to the poor creature himself. It was two days later that the first Chicken became ill. Once again, Cain arrived, took me to the Barn and himself administered Animal Medicine to cure the poor bird.

Two days after this, an Animal died and I was treated to the saddest Event iimaginable in the Cemetary. Cain officiated at a Funeral, giving me a scolding about Animal neglect. When a second Animal died two days after this, only Finn and I were at the graveyard. Finn blamed HIMSELF for not feeding the Animal!

So that is my own personal experience with Animal neglect. Obviously I never would allow any of this to occur in my REAL game. I promptly reloaded back to my ordinary Animal Parade life once I had logged all the results.

The reason I tested this was because of the experience a friend of mine had in his game. He wrote to me as follows:

'My animals were sick and needed medicine -- which I didn't realise because the signs/emblems above their heads looked nothing like the 'sick' signs shown in the instruction book. What I saw looked like one of those metal feeders I've seen on the farm -- like a cylinder with a peaked top and a saucer base. The instructions show a sad, grouchy face.'

He then added:

'Yes, I knew about animal care, but I was confused
by the picture above the animals' heads, which did not correspond with
the 'sick' emblem in the instruction book. Not only did the animals not
give product, but also the neighbors stopped talking to me! That was
unexpected. I was shunned until I cured my animals. When people
stopped responding to me I realized that something was drastically wrong
somewhere.'


When I requested more details, he wrote:

'Some time (days) after those still-mysterious emblems appeared above the animals' heads, I was unable to remove the milker from my rucksack in order to milk the cow. Then, when I attempted to ask to ride the cow, the 'Pet or Ride' choice didn't appear. The cow simply turned to face me when I neared her and pressed A. Then the really strange thing occurred when I walked to the Flute Fields places and went up to any person and pressed A and there was simply no response. The person behaved as if I weren't there. On the other hand, if I went up to a counter to buy something, the interaction was normal. Behind the counter, however, I was ignored. (The reason the animals got sick was that I passed out from exhaustion one day while they were out of the barn, and found them in the rain next morning.)'

As you can see, I experienced nothing of the sort when I deliberately set out to make my Animals ill... The first Livestock animal who became ill was cured by Cain. Likewise the first Poultry animal was cured by him. The next time it occurred, the Animal died when ignored and again once more...

Despite all of this, no 'neighbours' or other Characters ignored me at all. I continued to be able to ride my Livestock and I was able to use the Animal Whistle for transport via Circus Animals... Heart Levels did not decrease initially either with neighbours or with Animals. Finally, after the death of the SECOND animal, only one Cow lost one Heart. All other Animals remained at maximum Friendship Levels... Very strange!

I did not take any stills of these Events but I did record video and will make a video about Animal Neglect for YouTube. The screenshot included here was taken from the video, which is why it is blurred.

Another player tried the same thing and her results were very similar to mine. I can only conclude that the player who experienced the 'shunning' has experienced some strange glitch.

I'd be interested in the experiences of other players. If possible, do as I did and try it, then reload so that no Animal truly suffers!

Animal Parade Items and Shipping List Guide

When I first created the Items and Shipping List Guide for Animal Parade, I basically organised categories of items in a logical fashion, listing Crops by season and Fish and Cooked Dishes in alphabetical order. As any player familiar with Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games will be aware, this is NOT the way items usually are listed in the games themselves. In Animal Parade, the fact that Trophies are awarded for the completion of some of the Encyclopedia Lists gives an added incentive to players to complete each List Category.

I therefore have added new sections to the initial half of the Items and Shipping List Guides that provide the Encyclopedia Lists in the order in which they appear in your Bookshelf. In English, the lists are not alphabetical but when an item is missing, a player now can refer to the first part of the Guide to determine precisely which item is missing. He/she then can go to the second half of the Guide for details about the item. If the item is one that is found in the Mines, for example, it is in the second half of the Guide that players will find all the details as to how and where Ores and Gems are found or obtained. The first half simply gives the Mining List in the game order for the purpose of obtaining the Mining Trophy. Likewise, it is iin the second half of the Guide that you will find all Recipes in alphabetical order, giving ingredients, shipping values and Energy Recovery Values. In the first part of the Guide, you simply will find the completed Recipes Lists as they appear in your Bookshelf.

I have included information about Important Items that cannot be shipped but which are vital to the Plot at the very end of this Guide. Details about all the Maps sold by Barbara and those that are obtained in the course of the search for Capt. Bluecoat's Treasure are included, with information about the locations described in each as well as any rewards.

Animal Parade is a game with enormous scope. As there are limits on the size of a Guide that IGN will publish unzipped, I have had to remove the text of Events, especially with respect to Characters, from the Walkthrough and General Guide. You now will find these Events now either in the Courtship and Marriage Guide or the Characters Guide. All Guides remain 'works in progress'. I try to add Events and dialogues on a daily basis to the Characters and Courtship and Marriage Guides.

I now have added a section on Theodore to the Characters Guide. It is here now that you will find the text of all the Events that deal with the Lost Circus Animals and the Secret Power of the Animal Whistle.

For Mars-Frog and Dustin: Birthday Surprise Party in Animal Parade

The Celebration of your Birthday while you remain single both in Sunshine Islands and Animal Parade is rather wonderful. Two of my good Harvest Moon/Rune Factory friends were kind enough to remember my (real) Birthday this year. I was remiss in not wishing either of them a Happy Birthday on the day. Belatedly then, here is a little video about Birthdays in Animal Parade, dedicated to Mars-Frog and Dustin:

Streamlining your Gift Routine in Animal Parade

This is a question that one may ask in any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game, although there usually is a wider variety of Gifts with different values in Harvest Moon than in Rune Factory. 'Most Favourite Gifts', whether there is but one for each Character or a fairly good selection as in Animal Parade, have a higher point value in terms of increasing Love and/or Friendship but how significant is the difference in terms of a timeline?

In a game like Animal Parade, Heart Levels tend to increase rather slowly compared to some other Harvest Moon games. Even so, when progress in terms of the main plot is added to the equation, the rate at which Friendship/Love increases actually make sense.

As long as you have not neglected an individual completely, you should find that most Characters will reach 3 Hearts at the same time that you need 10 Characters at 3 Hearts in order to ring the Purple Bell, which is the 5th Bell, otherwise known as 'The Bell of Happiness'.

Giving Characters 'Most Favourite Gifts' as opposed to 'Favourites' did allow them to reach 3 Hearts faster, but the difference in time was not that significant.

If you are the sort of player who concentrates solely upon one Eligible Girl or Bachelor, then you probably will give 'Most Favourite Gifts' to that individual on a daily basis, experiencing all Heart Events at the earliest possible moment in order to marry as quickly as possible. If, however, you wish to advance the Heart Levels of EVERY Character, it may make more sense to give simple Favourites rather than Most Favourites on a regular basis to EVERY ONE.

One reason for employing the latter strategy is the need to organise a Rucksack rather like Father Christmas every day to deliver Gifts to every one. Even with the largest expanded Rucksack, a player may find it difficult to carry specific Most Favourite Gifts for every one.

On the other hand, by carrying a stack of Herbal Tea, a stack of Sakura Seashells, a small stack of Cocktails, a couple of Boiled Eggs and whichever Shellfish is currently in season as well as a small stack of seasonal Flowers, you can achieve a 'single heart' response from almost every one. There are a few exceptions, but almost every Character will be very happy with one of the above. One of the more difficult Characters to please may be Phoebe, but both she and Bo will be more than happy with the Gift of a Mushroom (White, not Common). Even this streamlined selection of Gifts will occupy 7 slots in your Rucksack, but if you attempt to add specific 'Most Favourites' for every one, you will find it to be a task of herculean proportions. Another problem is the burden it places on your memory. It is difficult enough to remember all your Chores. If you add the necessity to pack your Rucksack with a dozen different items as Gifts for individuals, you may go a little mad with the strain.

If there are nine Characters who love Herbal Tea, it is far simpler to remember this list than to assign a different item to each of nine different individuals.

Finally, although it is better to grow, collect or cook your own Gifts, there are times when it is convenient to know which Characters love the least expensive items on sale at local shops.

For example, there are quite a few Characters who will accept Remedy happily. Remedy is sold at the Choral Clinic for 180G. Likewise, there are quite a few who love Coconut Cocktail or Raspberry Cocktail, the least expensive Cocktails on sale at the Brass Bar for 200G. If you arrive on Toucan Island without any Gifts for Samson or Sue, it is good to know that both will be pleased to receive Pineapple Juice, sold at the Pineapple Inn for 160G.

By making Sakura Seashell and the Shellfish that are found at the Beach very popular with a large percentage of Characters, however, there really is no need to spend money in order to make friends. You can begin immediately in Spring with a daily routine of collecting items such as these and handing them out as gifts. Herbs are accepted as well if you cannot afford the Pot you need to make them into Herbal Tea.

The photograph shows Julius' Response to one of his Most Favourite Gifts, a Rose. Although a Rose will elicit the burst of hearts that indicates the highest point value, he will respond to a simple Herbal Tea with the single heart that denotes a Favourite. The point value difference is not that significant at the end of the day.
Furthermore, simple 'meeting and greeting' DOES have a point value. With Characters at 2 Hearts, again and again I have raised their Heart Levels to 3 with a simple Greeting, obtaining thereby their Wishes before I ever gave a Gift to any one that day.

Running A Cottage Industry in Autumn making Perfume

Making Perfumes in Autumn

The most valuable Flower, Blue Mist Flower, can be grown in Autumn. The cost of the Seeds is 50G when purchased directly from the Marimba Farm and the Flower has a shipping value of 390G.
Decent Perfume can be made by placing two Flowers of any value or type in the Mixer. Its shipping value is 390G. You therefore can make Decent Perfume in any Season. Purple Perfume, requiring 4 Lavender Flowers is a Spring project but in Autumn, there will be three new types of Perfume that can be made. These are Red Perfume, requiring 4 Roses, Yellow Perfume, requiring 4 Moondrop Flowers and finally Shining Perfume, requiring 5 Flowers with a combined shipping value of 1600G.
The values of Autumn Flowers are:
Blue Mist Flower: 390G
Growth Rate: 3-7 Days
Chrysanthemum: 90G
Growth Rate: 3 Days
Cosmos: 100G
Growth: 3 Days
Moondrop Flower: 120G
Growth Rate: 3 Days
Rose: 220G
Growth Rate: 3-5 Days
The Recipes for all possible Perfumes are:
Decent Perfume: 390G
Ingredients: Any Flower x 2
Energy Value: 10 SR
Purple Perfume: 430G
Ingredients: Lavender x 4
Energy Value: 10 SR
Red Perfume: 910G
Ingredients: Rose x 4
Energy Value: 10 SR
Shining Perfume: 1710G
Ingredients: Flower x 5*
*The combined shipping value of the five Flowers must be at least 1600G
Energy Value: 10 SR
Yellow Perfume: 510G
Ingredients: Moondrop Flowers x 4
Energy Value: 10 SR
If you study the shipping values of the different Flowers that can be grown in Autumn, you will find that only the valuable Blue Mist Flower has sufficient shipping value to make Shining Perfume. Although Roses have a higher shipping value than the other Flowers of Autumn, at 220G, the combined value of 5 Roses is only 1100.
You need not use 5 valuable Blue Mist Flowers in order to create Shining Perfume. It is more profitable to use the fewest number of Blue Mist Flowers in the Recipe, augmenting the quantity required with less valuable Flowers.
There are a number of possible combinations:
4 Blue Mist Flowers (1560G) + 1 Cosmos (100G) = 1660G
4 Blue Mist Flowers (1560G) + 1 Chrysanthemum (90G) = 1650G
4 Blue Mist Flowers (1560G) + 1 Moondrop Flower (120G) = 1680G
3 Blue Mist Flowers (1170G) + 2 Roses (440G) = 1610G
As you can see, as the value of Shining Perfume will not vary, whatever the combined total value of its ingredients, you should use the least valuable Flower, such as Cosmos or Chrysanthemum as the 5th Flower for maximum profit. 3 Blue Mist Flowers with 2 Roses is the most efficient use of shipping values, as it exceeds the required 1600G only by 10G.

Small but Certain Value of Dialogue in Animal Parade

Relationships must be built slowly and with infinite patience in Animal Parade. It takes longer than it did in Tree of Tranquility, as the ability to give multiple gifts on a single day that existed in ToT is not an option in Animal Parade.

Players have been doubtful, in fact, of the value of simple dialogue in Animal Parade, but I have confirmed, more than once, that 'Meeting and Greeting' any Character each day, even if you cannot give that individual a Gift, DOES have a point value in terms of increasing Friendship and/or Love.

It is when I was collecting wishes from Characters that I received confirmation of this fact. More than once, a Character who had been at 2 Hearts attained 3 Hearts when I first greeted him/her even before I presented a Gift. The Character responded to my simple greeting with his/her Wish.

The value of Dialogue is not as great as the value attached to any preferred Gift and certainly not comparable to a Most Favourite Gift. Nonetheless, it is worth the effort to meet and greet EVERY Character on a daily basis, even when you have to do it with empty hands. I myself have erred on occasion by passing by a Character, thinking to myself that I would return later with a Gift... It would have been better to make the greeting, no matter what. Often, one does not have the time to return later to a specific district on any given day.

In terms of Greetings and Dialogue, I confess I have been a little careless in not confirming whether or not dialogue about the Season is based on heart level. I have noticed that Characters have more than one 'seasonal' Dialogue for each of the Seasons, but I have not confirmed yet whether it is randomly chosen or based on heart level. I believe that Animal Parade contains a greater variety of dialogue than any other Harvest Moon game to date. Characters will speak of the weather and of the season as well as giving the set dialogue that is associated with each Heart Level. In addition, there are at least two set Dialogues that are associated with each Festival. One occurs on the day prior to the Festival and the other occurs on the actual day of the Festival. If you show a Pet to any Character, he/she will respond to that action as well. Finally, there are dialogues that are linked to the main Plot. Each time you ring a Bell, specific Characters will remark upon it. You will find that only certain Characters speak of any Plot development but if you do not speak to every one, you will not know which individuals do make a point of commenting upon the Melody of a Bell or the change in the Seas or Winds.

I should not neglect to mention one of the most interesting set of Dialogues in Animal Parade, which is the response to a specific outfit or Hat/Accessory. I have posted about this aspect of the game previously. Each of the Eligible Bachelors and Girls is linked to a specific Hat or Accessory. When your Character speaks to the individual while wearing that Hat or Accessory, you will experience a special comment that acknowledges your outfit.

Of course, in addition to all of the above, there are the responses to Gifts, which vary widely according to the degree of liking or detestation the individual possesses for that particular item. Furthermore, there are special Birthday Gift dialogues that acknowledge Most Favourites and Favourites when given on the Character's Birthday.

I have not been able to confirm yet whether or not the act of showing a Pet to a Character has a value in Friendship Points, nor whether or not wearing the special hat or accessory actually affects Heart Level. Obviously, if there is an effect, it is not significant, but it would be useful to know the precise point value if any.

It is interesting to note the effect that Heart Level has on the subject of Dialogue for each Character. At low heart levels, the Character tends to provide general advice about practical matters, whether it is farming, cooking, energy, fishing, ranching or mining. As heart levels increase, the dialogue becomes more personal. He/she will confess likes and dislikes, emotions and will relate personal history. Animal Parade is very 'true to life' in this respect.

Suggested Walkthrough for 1st Week in Autumn, Animal Parade

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The following sections are taken from my Animal Parade General Guide and Walkthrough, but perhaps it will be helpful to a few players if I post them here.

I understand that, as some one who is writing Guides, my own priorities may be somewhat different from some players, as one priority always must be to complete the Lists as quickly as possible for the Guides. Other players can take their time in obtaining a specific item or Crop if they prefer to focus on a different aspect of the game, but I must grow all possible Crops, catch all possible Fish and obtain all possible items from the Mines, among other things, if I am to complete a Comprehensive Guide of any Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game.

Nonetheless, I do believe that the following Walkthrough for the first week in Autumn represents a successful strategy in the 1st Year. Without making any reference to the 'Most Favourite Gifts' of any specific Eligible Girl or Bachelor, there nonetheless is a good reason to grow staples in the first Year in order to be able to cook all Dishes.

The Trophies that are given for completion of various Encyclopedia lists, including the Cookbooks, are another reason to 'diversify' farming in the first year. In the
2nd Year, your Character will be able to specialise in one specific high-value Crop in each Season if he/she prefers, in order to gain the highest Farming Titles, but in the 1st Year, I believe it is important to grow ALL Crops and Flowers at least once.




Walkthrough: 1st Week in Autumn

At the start of any Season, your first task always is to clear your Field of any withered Crops, cut down any Weeds that have appeared overnight, till any squares that the Weeds occupied, then plant your entire Field with new Crops.
In your first Autumn, you may not have been able to afford a second Field yet. If this is the case, you may have decided to chop down at least two of the Cherry Trees on your Field near the end of Summer to plant Trees that would begin to bear Fruit in Autumn. In fact, if you planted new Trees in the 3rd week of Summer, they should begin to bear Fruit at the very start of Autumn. Chestnuts, Coffee Beans and Olives are the Crops that you can obtain from Trees in Autumn.
You do not need six Cherry Trees in any case. Two will be perfectly adequate to produce any Cherries you might need for Gifts or Cooked Dishes in the second year. It therefore makes sense to chop down the remainder both for the Lumber they will provide and the space they will give to new Trees of different varieties. When you have more Fields, you can plant new Cherry Trees for the beauty of their blossoms in Spring, but with only a single field, it is wasteful to allow a Tree that will not bear fruit again until next Summer to occupy 9 squares.
Remember always that your Field needs to be fertilised regularly and this is true with respect to the squares that any Tree occupies as well as those occupied by ordinary Crops. If your Cherry Trees begin to yield nothing better than Decent Cherries in the latter half of Summer, you should fertilise the land on which they were planted again.
On the 1st day of any Season, your expenses in Farming will outweigh your profit. You therefore need to find profit in Shipping in other ways. Making new Recipes is one way in which to augment your income on the 1st Day of a new Season. Although no Autumn Crops will have ripened apart from the Fruit on Autumn Trees, there will be a fair number of new items that can be found in the Wilds.
Clams will be found on all the Beaches in Autumn and they are used in more Recipes than any other variety of shellfish. You can make Clam Soup, Butter steamed Clams, Seafood Doria and Sauteed Clams. These are all Recipes that require Clams specifically rather than generic Shellfish as an ingredient.
In terms of wild Berries, you will find Cranberries for the first time. From these can be made Cranberry Juice, Cranberry Ice Cream, Cranberry Candy and Cranberry Cocktail as long as you have stored some Sugar for Candy and Ice Cream Recipes as the Marimba Farm will not sell Sugarcane in Autumn.
By Autumn, you should have at least two Cows in your Barn even if it is not upgraded to the next Level but you should have been able to afford the upgrade by now, giving you the opportunity to house two Cows, a Sheep and a Horse. If you do not have the upgrade, it is far better to invest in two Cows than to buy a Horse at the earliest opportunity as Milk is one of the most useful items in any Harvest Moon game. You never can have too much Milk. Although you can purchase Milk at Horn Ranch, your money would be better spent in other investments if possible.
Cranberry Candy and Cranberry Ice Cream will add about 1000G to your Shipping Total on the 1st day of Autumn.
In your first Autumn, you will be introduced with an ingredient that is as revolutionary as Sugar or Coffee in Harvest Moon in the form of Olive Oil, made in a Mixer using a single Olive. If you planted at least one Olive Tree in the middle of Summer, it should yield two Olives daily, enough to make two new Recipes on 1 Autumn.
Olive Oil is one ‘Cooked Dish’ that does retain its Rank. You therefore may be encouraged to make Shining Olive Oil from a Shining Olive rather than shipping it as an Olive, although the Shipping Value of the Processed Item is only 10G higher than the raw ingredient.

Olive

Growth Rate: 14 Days, half a season
Yields: Crop in Autumn
Decent: 120G
Good: 140G
Perfect: 160G
Shining: 270G
Olive Oil: (Value by Rank)
Ingredients: Olive
Decent: 130G
Good: 150G
Perfect: 170G
Shining: 280G
For the most part, Cooked Dishes are not significantly higher in shipping value than the combined value of the raw ingredients used to create them, but there is an exception in the form of Sauteed Mushroom if you use a Common Mushroom to make it. It makes a nice Recovery Item as well. Decent Olive Oil has a Shipping Value of 130G and a Common Mushroom ships for 40G, giving a combined Shipping Value of 170G. You basically double that value by cooking the two items in a Frying Pan.
Sauteed Mushroom: 310G
Ingredients: Mushroom, Olive Oil
Energy Value: 150 SR
Many Characters will speak of the Autumn Season as the Season that is most bountiful in terms of Crops.
Ruth at Marimba Farm will caution you as follows:
Ruth: A lot of vegetables harvest in the fall. Decide on what you want to grow.
In later years, when you own more than one field, you will have sufficient space to grow ALL Autumn Crops and Flowers if you wish during the Season. In the first year, you need to plan your strategy a little.
Remember that Grass does not grow during Winter. You either need to cut and store sufficient fodder to last through the Winter season or buy it from Horn Ranch.
As Cain will tell you:
Cain: The grass will only grow through Autumn. You should prepare Fodder for Winter.
At this point, you should have been able to complete all the initial Bell Quests and be at the stage where you need to earn the ‘Hero Title’ in order to ring all 5 Bells at once. This, however, is only one consideration when deciding what Crops to grow during the autumn season in your first year.
You may be tempted to plant your field with the Crops that have the highest shipping value, but another goal that should be considered is that of completing your Cookbook. Many Dishes require Rice as an ingredient and Rice is an Autumn Crop in Animal Parade. You can buy Rice from the Marimba Farm in all Seasons once the Shop reaches Level 3, but purchased items always are sold at inflated prices.
Rice Seeds cost 30G and take only five days to mature. Decent Rice is sold by the Marimba Farm for 420G. The temptation to plant costly Blue Mist Flowers throughout your Field should be weighed against the need to have a fair quantity of Rice for your Kitchen. My own recommendation would be to plant Rice and other Autumn Crops for Cooked Dishes in the first week, reserving only two rows in your field for every type of Autumn Flower, including Blue Mist Flower. Once you have harvested and stored at least servings of Rice as well as producing a few of each of the Autumn Crops for other Recipes, you can vary your strategy to concentrate on Crops and Flowers with the highest shipping values.
Remember that Fertiliser must be renewed in order to have a good probability of obtaining Crops of the highest Ranks. When Crops have variable growing periods, such as 3-5 days rather than 3 Days or 5 Days, it is the Crop grown in a well-fertilised square that has the most potential to be harvested in the shortest number of days.

Rescuing the Last Lost Animal

On the 1st of Autumn, you will have your first opportunity to rescue the third and last Lost Animal from Theodore’s Circus. You will have owned the Recipe for Vegetable Pizza since you first obtained the Quest to find the Animals but one ingredient in the Recipe in the form of Bell Pepper only becomes available for the first time on 1 Autumn at the Marimba Ranch. You should be able to buy the Seeds on 1 Autumn as well either from the Marimba Farm or from Taylor.
If you opt to perform the last Quest as early as possible, you can buy a Bell Pepper, then make a Vegetable Pizza, provided always you saved a Potato in Spring as that is another seasonal ingredient that will not be available in Autumn. Humphrey the Hippo is submerged in the lovely swamp area that surrounds the Hut of the Witch Princess. Go to the shore to the left of her Hut and use the Animal Whistle to cause him to emerge from the murky depths. You can do this at any time once you have obtained the Quest from Theodore actually but without the Vegetable Pizza, he will refuse to budge.
After feeding him the Vegetable Pizza he craves, you will receive a Letter from Theodore the next morning:
: Invitation to a Special Circus
Ahem! This is Theodore of Theodore’s Circus of Wonders! Humphrey the hippo came back! Thank you very much!
As thanks, I’d like to invite you to a special performance of my circus, featuring all my lovely animals!
-Theodore
As the ‘Special Circus’ will occur on the 22nd of Autumn, irrespective of the day on which you complete your final rescue mission, you may wish to wait until a Bell Pepper is harvested from seeds you have planted. Doing so will not delay the ultimate reward.

Mining for Salt

You can find Rock Salt in all three of the Mines in Animal Parade. It must be ground into Salt in order to be used in Recipes and until you repair the Watermill next to your original Farmhouse, you will be obliged to take all Rock Salt to the Big Windmill east of Horn Ranch. Salt, like any of the substances ground at the Windmill is produced in four different Ranks. Unlike the other items, however, the original raw ingredient in the form of Rock Salt is free from Rank. The Rank of the Salt you grind depends on weather and wind conditions. Another section of this Guide gives the variables of every type of wind and weather condition and the effects on Salt, Coffee Beans, Spicy Pepper and Sugarcane.
Salt is an ingredient in a number of different Recipes but it is onnly when you have access to Olive Oil that you will be forced to collect a fair amount of Salt if you wish to make all the Cooked Dishes that use Olive Oil. All of the Pasta dishes require both Olive Oil and Salt. Rank disappears when Salt is used in one of these Recipes so even Decent Salt will suffice but you must spend time in the Mines if you wish to find sufficient Rock Salt to complete every Recipe.


The Versatile Yam


A number of Characters will praise the Yam. Yams are highly regarded in every Harvest Moon and Rune Factory game. In Animal Parade, they can be used in sweets as well as appetisers, main courses and snacks. There are Yam Cocktails, Yam Ice Cream and Yam Cake as well as Yam Rice, Yam Stew and Yam roasted on a Bonfire. Chase will hint at as much when he tells you that:

Chase: Fall has many food items that you can use in many ways, like Yam.

Spinach is another useful Autumn Crop. It can be boiled in a Pot, fried in Olive Oil, used to make a Cake as well as Vegetable Juice and Steamed Egg. Steamed Egg is an interesting Recipe to note because three out of four of its ingredients are of very low shipping value when shipped separately as raw items. Shrimp is a generic term both in Animal Parade and Tree of Tranquility and refers to any crustacean. You therefore can use Freshwater Prawn or Crawfish in any Recipe that calls for Shrimp rather than using the more valuable Rock Lobster or Lobster.

Steamed Egg: 644G
Ingredients: Egg, Mushroom, Spinach, Shrimp
Energy Value: 200 SR

Steamed Egg is cooked in a pot. Another Pot recipe that uses Spinach, Rice and Onion is Spinach Risotto with a shipping value of 730G. If you have any interest in courting Luke, one of his favourite Dishes is Boiled Spinach. As one might have suspected, any Spinach Dish has a fairly decent Energy Recovery value.
These are only a few examples of reasons why a player may wish to grow all Crops in the first Autumn.


Quick Cash and Long-Term Investments

In the first Autumn, you may be presented with two conflicting needs. The first is to plant Crops in your denuded Field that will mature as quickly as possible to give you some income for the new Season. The second is to plant the slow-growing Crops such as Pumpkin as early as possible in order to reap the greatest benefit from them in terms of multiple harvests.
Pumpkin IS a Multiple Harvest Crop in Animal Parade, unlike many other Harvest Moon games where it is a Single Harvest Crop. You therefore should plant a few Pumpkins on 1 Autumn if possible.
A number of Autumn Flowers take only 3 Days to mature. They may not be quite as valuable at the Blue Mist Flowers that can take longer to blossom, but they will give you a quick turnover that will benefit you in the 1st Autumn.
Rose Seeds, even if not unlocked yet at the Marimba Ranch, can be purchased from Taylor and usually take only 3 days to mature, although they can take as long as 5. A Rose ships for over 220G and with four Roses, you can make Red Perfume, which ships for 910G. It may not be as valuable as Shining Perfume, but it delivers quick profits.

Honeybees are likely to produce Royal Jelly in Autumn as well. This is an important item and another reason why a Field that contains both Crops and Flowers may be to your greatest advantage.

Both Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games allow players to make their own choices ultimately. A Walkthrough gives nothing more than a few suggestions. If a player wishes to forge ahead independently by trial and error, he/she is as likely to do as well if not better in terms of his/her own priorities as by following some one else's Walkthrough.

Wild Animals and Pets in Animal Parade

Animal Parade has some wonderful Events and options involving both Ranch Animals and Wild Animals. The Wounded Bird Quest may be my favourite of all the 'optional Events'. I do enjoy Theodore's very colourful Circus and I think the Pets are more interactive and entertaining than they were in ToT, although ToT was very exciting where the Wild Animals as Pets were concerned.

Here is a video that gives some of the Events as well as the behaviour of a Wild Animal once it becomes a 'treasured member of the household'.

Kiffle in two Worlds

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Tree of Tranquility was the first Harvest Moon game to allow a player to domesticate the wide assortment of creatures that we had encountered in the wilds in almost every old Harvest Moon game. Players of A Wonderful Life and Another Wonderful Life constantly asked how one could take the Turtle home, for example, and a host of Urban Legends arose on message boards and false guides giving bogus instructions on how to make the Turtle Nina raced into a Pet. To set the record straight once and for all, one could NOT make the Turtle into a Pet in AWL or AnWL. Nor could the Monkeys that appeared in the Hot Spring in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl be domesticated....

In Tree of Tranquility, however, almost any Wild Animal you encountered could be persuaded to become a Pet if you befriended him/her with some dedication. Those of us who are animal lovers in any world were thrilled.

I have to admit, however, that the Pet option in Animal Parade is the best I have experienced, even more entertaining than Tree of Tranquility. Some players may shrug in response, if they subscribe to the gaming philosophy that ANY sequel has to be better than its predecessor, but that is not the case always. In fact, where Harvest Moon and Rune Factory are concerned, every game stands alone, even when the sequel is marketed as the 'female' counterpart of an original 'male' version of the game. MFoMT is so much more than the 'girl version' of FoMT and yet, FoMT is as good a game as MFoMT in a different way. The same is true of HM DS and Cute DS. They are two excellent games, both worth playing. But enough of this...

In Animal Parade, the size of your house determines the sort of Pet you can keep, but you can raise the Friendship Levels of all Wild Animals in anticipation of a time when you may be able to keep them as Pets. Furthermore, you can release existing Pets into the Wilds again in order to keep a new one. I am an absurdly sentimental person even when playing a game, and I cannot imagine that I will have the heart to relinquish any Pet for the sake of another in Animal Parade.

Nonetheless, although my heart was set on gaining the White Cat as my Pet, especially in view of the fact that Beauty now has three little adorable White Kittens, I became seduced by the Squirrel in Flute Fields. The problem was that I passed through Flute Fields daily but the little peninsula at the Lighthouse is out of the way. I had to make a concerted attempt to visit the White Cat and catch a Fish for her each time I did. The Squirrel, on the other hand, was thrilled to accept any Herb I collected along the way or even a Common Mushroom. Likewise, with countless Common Mushrooms at my disposal, it never was a hardship to slip the Baby Boar one, even though I had no desire to take him home with me.

I resisted the Squirrel for some time after the option to Adopt him appeared at 6 Hearts, with my avowed intention of adopting the White Cat firmly set in my mind and heart. On the night when I experienced the Event in Fugue Forest with all the Wild Animals, however, my heart caved. I had hoped that the Event would raise the Heart Levels of ALL the Wild Animals by a full Heart Level, but it does not do that. It raises Friendship Levels a little but not by a full Level. The White Cat, therefore, remained at 5 Hearts and the darling little Squirrel cavorted so charmingly that I surrendered...

With a Chinchilla named Kiffle, I had to name the Squirrel Kiffle. What a delightful companion he proved to be! His antics are enchanting and he digs for little treasures each time I take him for a walk. Most of the time, he unearths nothing more interesting than a Common Mushroom but he has discovered other Mushrooms as well... Another reason for Adopting him now is the realisation that I may be able to win the Pet Contest next Spring if I begin to train him immediately. Every day that I remain petless in the interest of obtaining the White Cat is one more wasted day in terms of training...

In Animal Parade, as mentioned previously, there is an option to release any Pet back to the Wilds if you decide you would rather adopt another. If you attempt to adopt more than one Pet when your House does not meet the requirements in terms of space, the game will taunt you a little, giving you the option to declare that you wish to adopt another Pet but then telling you that you haven't the space for an additional Animal. This will go on and on until you finally admit defeat and choose one or the other...

As in other Harvest Moon games, you can show your Pet to other Characters when you go out for a walk with him/her. Each Character will remark upon the Pet, but I expect that the comment will not vary from Pet to Pet as the Character invariably refers to Kiffle simply as my 'Pet' rather than 'Squirrel'.

The only disappointment here is that you cannot take your Pet into any building to show him/her to Characters who remain indoors. When I tried to carry Kiffle into the local Shops or homes, he simply disappeared from my arms, awaiting me outside.

In many Harvest Moon games, you actually can gain Affection/Friendship Points with specific individuals by showing them your Dog or Cat. I do not know if this is the case in Animal Parade. It is difficult if not impossible to test as simply speaking to an individual raises Friendship Levels a little... There is no Love Bangle or other Accessory that will display precise point values in terms of Love or Friendship in Animal Parade. Heart Levels are displayed on the Friends page of the Farm Menu but only as full Hearts.

I still intend to adopt my White Cat one day, but for now, my life is immensely enriched by the presence of my Kiffle.

Later:

Incidentally,your Pet will find different items in different Districts and, unlike any Transport Animal, a small Pet can accompany you on the Mine Cart and on the ferry to Toucan Island. It's most satisfying! When he is in the Flute District or Garmon Mines District, Kiffle finds Common Mushrooms or Mushrooms (White). I wonder if he is able to find Fugue Mushrooms in Fugue Forest... That I need to confirm!

In Harmonica Town, the Church Grounds or on Toucan Island, he has been finding Green Herbs. I do not know if the colour of the Herb will vary, but again, something to confirm.

I expect that all Pets give a variety of items depending on where you take them for their 'walk'.

Animal Parade Shopping Guide

For some Harvest Moon games, I published a specific Shops and Business Guide. I think this might be useful with respect to Animal Parade as well actually, not simply to allow players to see what items become available at specific levels but what items are available OUT OF SEASON as well at specific levels. This is information that I find useful personally. For example, if you are courting the Wizard or some one else, like Calvin, who loves Hot Coffee, it is useful to know if you will be able to purchase Coffee Beans out of season from the Marimba Farm if your own stores run out.

Knowing that Coffee Beans are not sold at the Marimba Farm in certain seasons at specific levels may be useful information but it is not VITAL. After all, every Character has many different 'Most Favourite Gifts' in Animal Parade. The most restrictive game of all in terms of Gifts is Rune Factory 2, where there is ONE specific Birthday Gift for each Character and that item is the only one that will be acknowledged on a Birthday. Mind you, there usually are two Most Favourite Gifts even in Rune Factory 2 for each Character that will be accepted enthusiastically on every day of the year. It is only if you wish to obtain the special Birthday acknowledgement that you need to have the specific Birthday Gift in hand on the Character's Birthday.

It nonetheless interested me to discover which Crops were taken off the Menu at Level 3 at the Marimba Farm when Summer changed to Autumn. Among those that disappeared were Coffee Beans, Sugarcane and Tea Leaves. None of these are as fundamental to Cooking as Rice and Wheat, two grains that remain on the Menu once they are unlocked, but they are essential ingredients in many 'Most Favourite' Cooked Dishes. Do you need to have them in every season? Not at all. Are they useful to have? It depends on the Characters you wish to impress, and the alternative Dishes or Gifts that you can make. Sugar, required to make Cakes and Pies in the real world, is NOT an ingredient in Animal Parade in either.
One of my fatal flaws, whether in Harvest Moon or real life is collecting items. I have an almost paranoid fear of running out of necessities, based partly on the fact that I have lived in places where public transport was worse than useless without having the ability to drive. One becomes more careful not to run too low on necessities when one cannot obtain them easily or quickly. Even so, I have to remind myself frequently that not being able to cook a specific Dish at the drop of a hat in Animal Parade because one ingredient may not be available is not the worst tragedy. There is no reason why I should store every item in the game on the off-chance that I may need it to make one Dish.

I have written about this previously in terms of shipping requirements for business upgrades. There are other reasons why you need to ship items as well in Animal Parade. Your Farming Degree Title at the end of every Season depends on your Shipping Totals. Although your Encyclopedia Lists have no connection with shipping and are based simply on obtaining every item once, Farm Degree Titles are.

Another reason I wondered if a special Shops and Business Guide would be useful is the comment a player made a few days ago about the comparative paucity of Red Herbs in the Wild in the Summer Season, wishing vain for a Seed Maker... I realise now that this was my fault as, although I had the Crops and Seeds information in my notes, I had not added the Autumn Marimba Farm Menus to my General Guide yet. You CAN purchase Red Herb Seeds in Autumn, but not in Summer. I have been writing my General Guide as a Walkthrough, progressing through each Season in a natural fashion... There is so much information to add to the Guides. I felt it was best to do it chronologically rather than focusing on any specific aspect of the game and entering all information about THAT aspect instead. I make good progress with the Guides daily but it does take time.

In any event, would it be useful to have a separate little mini-guide that gives information as to the Seasons when specific items are available at the local shops as well as the levels at which they become available? The information WILL be added to the General Guide in the Shops section but sometimes the General Guide is too long and unwieldy to give quick access to information.

Actually, an alternative would be to add the information to my Items and Shipping List Guide. I believe I did that in the Official Strategy Guide for ToT that I wrote. I think that would be my own preference, to be able to look up any item in that Guide and see when and how it can be obtained, whether grown in your own field or purchased from a local Shop. The Items Guide is even more important than usual in Animal Parade because of the Trophies.

I therefore would envision an entry for Coffee Beans that gives the basic information as to cost of Seeds, the shipping values of each Rank AND the methods by which they can be obtained, whether grown in Autumn or sold by the Marimba Farm at Level 2 in Summer with the price when purchased... It adds a lot more work to my table but I think it would be a worthwhile effort.

What I would include is something rather like this for each entry:


Wheat

Wheat: (Lv. 2 Crop)
Multiple Harvest Crop
Growth Rate: 5-7 Days
Wheat Seeds: 80G
Sold in Spring at Level 2 at Marimba Farm and by Tailor’s Seed Catalogue for 160G.
Eat Raw: No
Process into Flour at any Watermill
Official Description: A grain that has been grown for ages. Used to make bread and snacks.
Decent: 130G
Sold in all Seasons at Marimba Farm at Level 2 for 260G
Good: 150G
Sold in all Seasons at Marimba Farm at Level 2 for 300G
Perfect: 170G
Sold in all Seasons at Marimba Farm at Level 3 for 340G
Shining: 260G

Fashion Statements in Animal Parade

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The amount of text and variations in dialogue that exist in Animal Parade astound me. Characters have a wealth of ordinary dialogue that varies with the weather, the season, Heart Level, upcoming Festivals and even the outfit that you are wearing!

I originally included this topic at the end of my Kappa video but then decided it deserved a video of its own. I hope to make one shortly.

In MFoMT, you could increase the AP of local Bachelors by changing your outfit. In Animal Parade, specific Bachelors and Eligible Girls respond to specific items of Headgear or clothing accessories.

I have collected a few screenshots now after my initial discovery that wearing the Red Straw Hat provoked a special remark from Toby.

He said (blushing): What a nice straw hat. It suits you. We’re dressed alike... It’s a little embarrassing.

After Toby mentioned the Straw Hat, I returned to Shelly's shop to see what Hats might appeal to another Bachelor. I instantly recognised that the Fire Bandana would be something Luke would appreciate. Much to my delight, this proved correct when I next spoke to him wearing the bandana.

Luke: Oh, that looks great! I have the same bandana in a different colour! It’s nice, we can match a little.

A setback occurred when I bought the Cowboy Hat for Calvin but he refused to acknowledge it. I could have sworn that the Hat resembled Calvin's own... Nor did Owen respond to the White Scarf even though he sports a jaunty white scarf himself.

As it transpired, I had chosen the wrong Cowboy Hat. There are two very similar Cowboy Hats. One is Tan and one is Brown. The Brown Cowboy Hat only is offered at Level 3, but this is the Hat that excites Calvin's admiration.

With the Brown Cowboy Hat on my head, Calvin declared: Hey, you look sharp today! That ten gallon hat suits you nicely. You look radiant!

My next success occurred when I sported the Round Silver Glasses for Jin. He was quick to praise my new fashion sense!

Jin: Oh my, those wide-rimmed glasses really change your look. They suit you well.

Lighthouse in Animal Parade

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I was not surprised to find that the Lighthouse was the location of the Melody Recreation Apparatus Map. Nor was I surprised to discover that I could catch specific Fish at the Lighthouse that I did not find elsewhere.

What did surprise me a little was the extraordinary detail that was given to this game... but marvelous attention to detail in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory NEVER should come as a surprise really.

I went out to fish in the 'wee hours of the morning' at the Lighthouse primarily in order to catch a small Goby or Sardine for the White Cat I currently am courting as a potential pet. At 3 Hearts, you will obtain the option to 'Pet' or 'Carry' a Wild Animal. It is at 6 Hearts, provided your House is large enough, that you will be able to choose to keep the Animal as a domestic Pet.

In any case, I decided to do a little serious fishing first as it was only 2.30 a.m. and I have a few hours before dawn... I charged my Rod and went to work, only to be distracted by regular bright flashes of white light. At first, I thought it was some kind of graphics glitch, or some problem with my Wii... Then I thought it might be one of those distant flying saucer appearances that DO occur in some Harvest Moon games. I suddenly realised that I should have thought of the obvious: the Lighthouse! It was the Lighthouse beacon, flashing and turning in the night to help sailors find their way to the docks of Harmonica Town.

I have fished at night at the Lighthouse on previous occasions without ever experiencing these flashes, which is why I was confused initially. The fact of the matter is that you must stand in a specific spot beneath the Lighthouse to see the flashes of white light. Stand a few paces to one side or the other and you will see nothing unusual. Furthermore, the flashes occur only WHILE you are fishing. If you simply stand there, you will be able to see the shadows change on the ground as the Light in the Lighthouse turns and flashes but you will see nothing dramatic.

I made a video clip of this, but the two stills I have included here will show how dramatic the light flashes are.

Secrets of the Kappa in Harvest Moon

Although there are far more important aspects of Animal Parade to cover still, I couldn't resist the opportunity to deal with traditional mythology in Harvest Moon, one of my favourite subjects. Here is a little video about the Kappa as he appears in FoMT, MFoMT, Harvest Moon Boy & Girl and Animal Parade.



There was another old GBA game that featured the Kappa. I seem to recall that you could catch him and force him to give you special items in the form of weapons and armour. If any one can remember which game this was, post a comment. It may have been 'Lunar Legend' but I am not certain...

Energy 'Powerhouse' Items in Animal Parade

At the start of the game, the Energy Recovery Value of a siimple Herbal Tea or Grilled Sardine at 80 SR will be viewed with gratitude by your character. With low income and few resources in terms of raw items, simple, easy Recipes will suffice to keep him or her standing through farm tasks and explorations of the Map.

As you become more ambitious, however, you may find that the actual Energy Recovery Values of high-powered Cooked Dishes are good to know.

It will surprise no one that Bodigizer and Bodigizer XL are extremely high in potency where Stamina Recovery is concerned:

Bodigizer: 215G
Ingredients: Red Herb, Pontata Root, Honey
Energy Value: 300 SR
Bodigizer XL: 285G
Ingredients: Purple Herb, Pontata Root, Honey, Egg
Energy Value: 800 SR

Both items can be made in your Kitchen and both can be obtained (randomly) by smashing a Mole over the head in the Mines. You can purchase both at the Clinic after Jin's return.

A Cooked Dish with more Stamina Recovery Value than Bodigizer and yet one that requires few ingredients in Animal Parade is worth noting perhaps:

Pizza: 792G
Ingredients: Pie Crust, Cheese
Energy Value: 500 SR

Pie Crust can be made on a Cutting Board with nothing more than Flour and Butter. Cheese either can be made from Milk in a Cheese Maker or can be purchased from the Horn Ranch. I believe that there is NO Cooked Dish with higher SR and no other item, apart from Bodigizer XL that is more potent. Other forms of Pizza, with the same SR value, require additional ingredients. Considered to be Junk Food in the Western world for the most part, Pizza attains a higher stature in most Harvest Moon games for its Energy Recovery values.

The Kappa in Animal Parade

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The Kappa, like the Harvest Goddess and the Witch Princess, is an important character in Harvest Moon. In 'Friends of Mineral Town' and 'More Friends of Mineral Town', you could throw offerings in the form of his favourite Cucumbers to the Kappa into the Lake on a daily basis until he finally rewarded you with a Blue Power Berry. In 'More Friends of Mineral Town', you actually could court and marry the Kappa and have a very human baby with him. Like the Harvest Goddess, the more beautiful and desirable Eligible counterpart in FoMT, he would not deign to share your bed or home. I myself found the prospect of marriage to the Kappa a little repugnant, despite his magical abilities. The fact that his head is shaped to create a bowl at the top, allowing him to carry the water he needs to survive on the top of his head, is not the only aspect of his appearance that is a little off=putting to a human woman such as myself. Traditionally, in Japanese lore, he was believed to be a sort of vampire, preying upon horses in particular, dragging them off to his watery lair.

In both FoMT and MFoMT, you actually could catch the Kappa with your Fishing Rod although, like the King Fish, you could not keep your catch... You automatically would toss him back into the lake. It is a random occurrence. The first time it happened to me, I was so terrified that he would detest me forever that I reloaded my game at once! I later realised that there were no lasting ill effects to catching the Kappa on the end of your hook...

Which brings me to Animal Parade, and the appearance of the Kappa on rainy days in Harmonica Town. Simon, when he gives you an Old Camera, urges you to take 'lots of pictures'. In fact, using your camera is the only way to change your point of view in terms of camera angle in Animal Parade. Incidentally, you can see him at night as well but only when it rains. On a sunny day, he will not appear.

There are many interesting details to be seen if you use your camera. For those who have attained all goals, finding little bizarre objects such as a Garden Gnome behind the tree in the northwest corner of your own farm is only one of the delights to enhance your life... A rubber duck can be found as well, but only when visibility is good on 'fine' days.

Note that these objects constitute a sort of ongoing 'Treasure Hunt' in themselves as they WILL move from location to location even in a single game. The Garden Gnome, situated beneath the large tree in the northwest corner of my Field appeared quite suddenly next to the Hot Spring on the night of a Typhoon. The next morning at 6.00 a.m., it had vanished and was neither beneath the large tree NOR beneath the small Tree at the Hot Spring.

Other players have seen the Rubber Duck floating... this item still remains lodged in the upper window of my Watermill.

You will see the Kappa if you use your camera while standing on the bridge at the entrance to Harmonica Town. You need to use the 'Zoom' feature to be able to see him properly. With your camera, you can capture a photograph of him for your Album.

Sadly, when I play Harvest Moon and Rune Factory nowadays, I often am so concerned to copy out all price lists and shipping values for items as well as logging all important Events that I sometimes lose sight of the sheer pleasure of living in the Harvest Moon or Rune Factory universe. The 'view through the lens' in Animal Parade, as well as Simon's recurring advice, should provide me with a gentle reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed. In Animal Parade, characters often tell you not to try to do everything at once, to 'go at your own pace' and to relax a little...

Little treats such as the view of the Kappa peering out of the water provide ample reason to spend a little time sightseeing between farm and ranch chores and the need to catch fish and mine for gems and ores.

I probably should add that, where the Kappa is concerned in Animal Parade, it appears to be impossible to befriend him. I took his traditional favourite Cucumbers to the bridge and tried in vain to throw them into the water as an offering. No matter where I stood, whether on the bridge or below it on the pier, the only options I obtained while holding a Cucumber were the usual ones of 'Eat' and 'Put Away'. Oh well, I hope that he will be aware of my attempts at least and not drag my Horse into the water, even if I will not be able to persuade him to help with the watering.

As mentioned earlier, in traditional Japanese lore, the Kappa has a particular fondness for Horses and tends to make off with them, dragging them into the murky depths of his watery home. The Japanese would write messages on Cucumbers, including the names of their children, then throw them into the water as propitiary offerings to the Kappa to look upon them with favour. When befriended, the Kappa often would aid farmers by watering their crops. No doubt he would use that little bowl of water situated so conveniently on the crown of his head...

N.B. I would like to thank Kickastina who alerted me to the presence of the Kappa on rainy days in Animal Parade... I needed a break from typing out lists of shop upgrades!

The Wizard and the Crystal Ball in Animal Parade

The Wizard in Animal Parade is far more than an ordinary 'fortune-teller' and yet, when you find his Crystal Ball, as reward, he will tell Fortunes for you to let you know the state of every Bachelor's heart... except for his own.