History of Boats in Harvest Moon

More than one player asked me to describe Will's Ship in Sunshine Islands. I promised to make a brief video tour of his yacht. This is the result. In the process, I added footage of various boats from previous Harvest Moon games, including the mysterious boat at the pier in Mineral Town (FoMT/MFoMT), the small boat that takes you to the Island in HM DS/Cute DS and the Ship that brings Mineral Town visitors to and from Sunny Island in Island of Happiness.

Curiouser and Curiouser... Dance of the Pregnant Women...

Three of my erstwhile Rivals left the Island to have their babies in Mineral Town, followed instantly by their husbands. Pierre returned the very next day, claiming a need to continue to search for good ingredients, but Denny and Elliot remain absent.

Rather to my surprise, however, I arrived at the Harvest Goddess Festival to find all three pregnant women there with their husbands dancing attendance on them.


Natalie: Yo, Freya! I came back for the Harvest Goddess Festival.

Julia: Hi, Freya. I cam back today for the Harvest Goddess Festival.

Lanna: I wanted to see the Harvest Goddess Festival, so I cam back!

Elliot: Hello, Freya. Julia insisted we go to the Harvest Goddess Festival.
I just came along with her, but I’m glad that I did. It’s exciting!

Denny: Yo, Freya!
Lanna insisted on dancing at the Harvest Goddess Festival.
We got the doctor’s permission to come back for the day.

Pierre: I’m here with Natalie.
I’d really prefer that she rest…
But she looks happy, so I’m glad we came.

As their appearance had not chaqnged, it was difficult to tell whether they were pregnant or recovering from the delivery of their babies... whatever the circumstances, they remained 'Absent' on the Individuals List and the next morning, had taken the ship back to Mineral Town apparently.

This is a most intriguing game! If their 'couching' were similar to mine, they would no longer be pregnant but would be recovering from the blessed event. My child was born two full seasons after the announcement of my pregnancy. The Rivals left the island two full seasons after the announcement of THEIR pregnancies. This would have led me to suspect that the birth of their children would be accomplished immediately... but until the women return permanently with their children, I shan't be able to confirm anything.

The appearance of all of them at the Harvest Goddess Festival was a surprise, however, and it is characteristic of the creators of Harvest Moon to have entered that detail into the game, changing the dialogue of all the individuals involved to suit the circumstances!

Incidentally, see my later post on the return of the Rival Couples for the solution to this mystery!

Why won't Kai come to the Valley in other seasons?

This is a response to a comment by a visitor to this site. The visitor asked why Kai won't visit the Valley in other seasons if you have unlocked the Mineral Town visitors by inserting FoMT/MFoMT into the GBA slot with HM DS or HM Cute DS.

Well, Kai is a guy who only loves Summer and refuses to work in any other season. In FoMT/MFoMT, his beach shack is open for business only during Summer. Likewise, in HM DS/HM Cute DS, he opens his stall on the beach in Forget-Me-Not Valley only during Summer. He may or may not open a stall or cafe on some tropical Island during the other Seasons... there isn't any Harvest Moon game at this point in time that features Kai working in Spring, Autumn or Winter in ANY location.

One does wonder sometimes how Kai manages to work BOTH at his seaside cafe in Mineral Town AND at his stall at the beach in Forget-Me-Not Valley simultaneously during the Summer seasons, but that is a problem in logic that is overwritten by the singular rules of magic embodied in Harvest Moon.

Incidentally, if you marry Kai in HM Cute DS, he will stay in the Valley with you, although he will maintain his philosophy of working only during the Summer season. One suspects therefore that he would not work ANYWHERE in Spring, Autumn and Winter, even in the hottest of climates, but who knows...? Harvest Moon is a saga that we hope never will come to an end.

Where all other visitors from Mineral Town are concerned, their patterns of movement follow ordinary logic: they visit Forget-Me-Not Valley on their 'Days Off'. Thus, Grey visits the Valley on Thursdays when the Smithy in Mineral Town is shut. Karen visits on Tuesday when the Supermarket in Mineral Town is closed. (The Supermarket is shut on Sunday as well, but Mineral Town visitors, apart from Kai, are allowed only one visit to Forget-Me-Not Valley per week.) And so on...

There is a game that may appear in the future where characters from Mineral Town visit an Island on a seasonal rather than weekly basis... but more about that in a month or so.

Trent's very endearing 4th Heart Event

Were I not devoted utterly to Skye, it would be easy to be seduced both by the 4th Heart Events both of Kai and of Trent in Cute.

The Doctor from Mineral Town actually conforms to a rather stereotypical Asian romantic characterisation of doctors as very serious, idealistic individuals who haven't the time to become socially adept, choosing instead to embrace a passionate devotion to humanity. There was a time in Western civilisation when doctors were depicted in much the same fashion but no longer. In any case, Trent's interactions with your character tend to focus on your character's health habits and diet until the final Heart Event.

At this point in the courtship, Trent has become so attracted to your character that he no longer is able to focus on his duty. He no longer even can take refuge in his usual health-related dialogue but is tongue-tied and blushes in your presence.

To make matters worse for the poor man, Elli and Hardy tease him gently about his condition. It is quite a charming event and as both Elli and Hardy intimate, only your character has the power to 'cure' what ails him.

If you do not acknowledge his state, he will be utterly crushed.

It is interesting to compare Elli's character in Cute with her depiction in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl and to note the differences in her attitude. Although she obviously bears the same love for her Doctor in both games, in Cute she graciously steps aside when she realises that the Doctor is interested in your character. In Harvest Moon Boy & Girl, on the other hand, she never loses an opportunity to stake her claim on his heart!

Kai secretly visits Mineral Town in early Spring???

One of the joys of Harvest Moon is the way one can follow characters and the threads of a tale from game to game. Harvest Moon Boy & Girl may be very similar to 'Friends of Mineral Town' and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' in its characters, events and even much of its dialogue but there are some surprising differences and startling new events that delight the true Harvest Moon fan.

In the first week of gameplay, as a girl in HM Boy & Girl, I triggered an event with Cliff at the Church. Carter declared his intention to go to the Supermarket for supplies and asked me if I would watch the Church in his absence. Cliff, half-hidden in one of the pews, overheard and became extremely agitated at the thought of being left alone anywhere with a GIRL. He told Carter he would accompany him to the Supermarket. Both of them went out the door and I was left alone in the Church.

What possessed me to investigate the Confessional rather than simply walking out the door I never will know but I am very pleased that I did.

I was not terribly happy to be in the tiny dark room alone.

'Ugh, this is no fun...' I thought.

I had been there only a moment or two when Kai entered the Church.

Looking for Carter, he thought perhaps that the priest might be in the Confessional. Kai entered and began his own Confession!

I now had a choice either to tell him that I wasn't Carter or simply to go ahead and hear his confession. As dearly as I wished to hear his Confession, I knew that declaring myself was the right thing to do, so I told him that I wasn't Carter.

Outside the Confessional, he introduced himself. Carter and Cliff duly returned, putting an end to this intriguing encounter. Kai said he would look forward to renewing our acquaintance in Summer...

'The 7 Brothers That Live in the Forest'

The history of the group of Sprites in Mineral Town who later become the 'Legendary Harvest Sprites' of Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon Cute DS is to be found in a book in the library in Mineral Town in 'Harvest Moon Boy & Girl' for the PSP.

In my first Heart Event with Mary at the Library, I afterwards was able to explore the books in the shelves, both upstairs and downstairs. Among them was a seven-volume set entitled 'The 7 Brothers That Live in the Forest'. One by one, I read the books to the accompaniment of a lovely little song that appears to be reserved solely for this particular event. (In fact, I have noticed that HM Boy & Girl has many delightful little melodies, far more than I expected.

For the sake of those HM fans who may not have this particular game but who may be interested in the story of the 7 Harvest Sprites, I am including the text of all seven books here.
These books were not written by Basil... It looks like they were written a long time ago. They're titled 'The 7 Brothers in the Forest' volumes 1 through 7...

'The 7 Brothers That Live in the Forest - 1'

A long time ago, there were 7 little brothers who lived all apart from each other. The brothers were not very friendly with the villagers because they were small and the villagers seemed big and scary. Each brother had a different favourite colour and liked a different favourite thing, so they figured they would always live apart.

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest -2'

One day Chef, whose favourite colour is red and who likes to cook, realised he had a problem.
'I love to cook, but there's nobody to eat my delicious food...'

Hoggy, whose favourite colour is yellow and who loves to sleep, also had a problem.
'I love to sleep so much I don't want to get up and cook, but then I just get hungrier and hungrier.'

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest -3'

You can hear the sound. Hoo Hooooo, at night. Something sparks in the darkness.
'Ahhhh!' Shiver-shiver-shiver... Timid likes the colour green because it's easy for him to hide in the forest. But even then he's scared. You can hear the sound, Hoo Hooo, at night. Something sparks in the darkness.
'Hai, Yaaaa!
'Crumble-crumble-crumble...
Bold loves purple because he can hide in the shadows and use his battle cry 'Hai, Yaaa!' to defeat large enemies.

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest -4'
Stylish Aqua loves the colour light blue.
'Sigh... I'm running out of provisions fast. I like being stylish, but when I work I don't have the time...
'Ughhh... That's as much as I can do... Ahh!'
Staid is very serious and a hard worker. He likes the colour blue and everything he wears is blue, so he is easy to spot.

'Staid, said Aqua, 'let's live together. It's got to be better than living alone.'
'Aqua', said Satiad, 'what brings you here, and with a story like that?'
'Well you see,' said Aqua, 'whisper...whisper... whisper...

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest - 5'

'Ha ha ha, so that's it,' said Staid. 'Sure, let's live together. But what's the point of everything being clean if you're still hungry?'
'Even when your stomach is fully, your heart remains hungry if things are not clean,' replied Aqua.
'OK, so you do the chores like the cleaning and the laundry.'
'So, all I have to do is eat?' asked Hoggy.
'Yes, all you have to do is eat. I enjoy watching you eat my food and being told it is delicious,' replied Chef.
'I don't understand, but that's fine by me.'
'Ha ha ha, what a mess you are,' laughed Bold.
'Oh, it's you Bold,' squeaked Timid.
'Who did you think I was?'
'I don't know, but I'm scared of everything in the forest.'
'Well then, you should stay with me. I 'm not afraid of anything.'
'OK, if that's what we do...'
'If we're going to live together...'
'We'll need a bigger house...'
'Let's leave the forest for a bit...'

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest -6'
So Chef and Hoggy, Staid & Aqua and Timid and Bold all decided to leave the forest for a while. The first one to find the house was Staid.
'Hey, I found a house that's just right for us.'
'Yes, it's a lot smaller than a human house, but it's just the right size for us.'
'But there's a light on inside.'
'Let's go in.'
'Hey, wait... Aqua'
... Crash!
'Oh...'

'The 7 Brothers in the Forest -7'
'Hello brother, long time no see.'
There in the house was the youngest brother, Nappy.
'Oh, it's you Nappy. You surprised me. How did you get this house?'
'The people of the village built it for me.'
'What?'
'I always thought there'd be a time when we would all live together, so I had them make 7 beds.'
'What made you think that?'
'Because look, all of you are here.'
'What?'
When Staid and Aqua turned around, they saw the rest of their brothers walking toward the house.

FINIS

The Delights of General Conversation in Harvest Moon

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Players who are unfamiliar with Harvest Moon may not be aware of the incredibly detailed landscape in which they find themselves. Dialogue is part of gameplay and indeed speaking to individuals is vital in terms of unlocking events. Giving items that the individual likes is very important as well, but beyond that, there is a wealth of information, both important and completely frivolous, that can be gained from general conversation. Often you will gain information about history or individuals from other towns... you may gain important information about the man or woman you love. Sometimes, it is nothing more than highly entertaining.

Whenever I purchase or acquire a Blue Feather, I show it to every one possible in order to experience their responses to it. I am not speaking of eligible bachelors or girls here but of individuals in general, from the elders of the village to the resident Harvest Sprites.

Here are some of the Forget-Me-Not Valley individual responses in Cute:

Valley residents:

Ruby: Oh, a Blue Feather! How romantic. Good luck!
Lumina: Oh, are you getting married? Invite me to the wedding!
Hugh: Whoah, what a pretty feather! Will you give it to me? Oh, you won't?
Muffy: A Blue Feather? You're proposing, are you? Who are you proposing to?
Nami: Hm... You're proposing? Good luck.
Nina: Long ago, my husband proposed to me with a Blue Feather. Good luck.
Galen: I used to spend a lot of money on Nina, too. Do your best.
Celia: You'll be fine, Freya! Good luck!
Flora: How romantic. Please do your best.
Cody: You're going to propose? i don't know who it is, but be strong.
Patrick: Congratulations. Who is he?
Kassey: You want to marry me? If you insist! What? That's not what you meant?! You're going to dump me and marry some other guy?! Who is he?!
Sebastian: congratulations! To who...? Oh, pardon my rudeness.
Romana: Ho ho ho! Don't mock me.
Van: Will you be selling that? Hm? Keeping it, are you?
Takakura: So you've finally decided to marry, eh? Then the ranch's future is safe. Good luck!
Mukumuku: Mofaaa! Mofa mofa. Mofa!
Hardy: What is this? Are you proposing to me? Ha! You must be joking.
Daryl: What's this? A Blue Feather? Not interested...
Murrey: Where do birds that colour live? I wants to see how they taste!

Visitors from Mineral Town:

Ann: What?! You're getting married? Congratulations!

Harvest Sprites:

Paige: This is a Blue Feather. You should give it to some one you love.
Sammy: Oh! A Blue Feather! Who are you going to give it to,Freya?
Gigi: Oh! Freya, that item you've got is so cool!
Yacht: I hope some one special will give one to me one day, too!
Fry: I've never seen that before! How pretty!
Riviera: It's a Blue Feather! This Feather is full of wonders!
Fisher: Freya, you're supposed to give this to some one really special to you!
Rod: You're giving it to me? Freya, you know I can't marry you. I can't take it. Freya, I understand what you're trying to say. Thank you!

The interchange with Kassey is almost a little event in itself. The same is true with respect to the dialogue with Rod of the Fishing Team. Marvelous Interactive, the company that creates Harvest Moon, never ceases to amaze me with its attention to detail. Natsume, in patiently translating the game into English for us without sacrificing any of the thousands of wonderful details, is equally amazing.

So many games cut corners. When Peter Jackson made 'King Kong', EA games produced a game but in their haste to bring the game out at a time that would capitalise on the interest in the film, they produced a shoddy game that only served to disappoint fans. (I am not obsessed with King Kong myself, but it is a good example of a game that sacrificed quality in order to have the earliest possible release. Many game producers force the release of new games at the Christmas holiday season in order to maximise sales, to the detriment of the intrinsic value of the game. Fans of Harvest Moon sometimes are impatient with Natsume when delays are announced with respect to the release of a new game, but I would rather wait and have the best possible game in every instance. You can't have it both ways, and every Harvest Moon game is a gem.)

The Boys from Mineral Town: Kai and Grey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harvest Moon Cute for DS

All other projects must be set aside now. A moment ago, I received an advance copy of 'Harvest Moon Cute' for the DS. This is the 'girl version' of Harvest Moon DS and it has been awaited eagerly since the original 'boy version' was produced. I will begin on it at once.

The sad part of this, as with an advance copy of any game made for the DS system, is that I cannot keep my game ultimately. It is not a retail cartridge and therefore belongs to Natsume. My life as a girl in Forget-Me-Not Valley will be wiped, along with the game itself and the cartridge will be used then for data in a different game entirely.

Most players of Harvest Moon games, including myself, become very attached to their Harvest Moon character and life. In fact, I recently received a series of emails from a player's mother. Her son lost everything in 'Innocent Life' because he failed to perform the actions necessary to avert the volcanic eruption and subsequent destruction of the island. 'Innocent Life' is one of the few Harvest Moon games, apart from 'Save the Homeland' with a time limitation for specific goals.
I personally prefer the games that do not impose dire consequences for 'failure' to perform specific actions in a specific time period. In any case, I could understand and empathise with the grief of the player who lost his cat, his dog and his robot when the volcano erupted. In fact, one of the reasons I write guide for games like 'Innocent Life' is to allow a player to enjoy the game fully without worrying about any negative consequences. By following the guide, the player can be assured of success. Some players revel in uncertainty and like to pit their wits against the game, but others would prefer simply to enjoy their lives in the world of Harvest Moon. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to approach the game, but I personally will do everything in my power in my own games to prevent catastrophes of any kind. My heart grieves when any animal dies in Harvest Moon. I always try to sell the animal before he/she exceeds his/her life expectancy in order to prevent that awful scene by the gravestone!

In any event, I am off to Forget-Me-Not Valley now to embark upon a new life as a girl farmer. Even though the data ultimately will be lost, I will endeavour to forget that sad future and enjoy my adventure to the fullest, creating a new guide as I do.