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.

He May Not be a God, but... He's definitely Romantic!

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The Harvest King is magnificent but he is immortal and it is difficult to compare any God with a mere human. At 8 Hearts, however, the Wizard's dialogue won my heart when he told me:

Wizard: I haven’t lived as long as the Harvest King or Harvest Goddess... But I wouldn’t trade a long life for the opportunity of having met you...

At 3 Hearts, each Character in Animal Parade will confide a Wish to you. I'm afraid that the Wizard is rather maligned when his Wish is conveyed to the Wishing Shrine. His original Wish, as confided to Freya was that he wished he could have a telescope that would pierce the very heart of the universe. This is a deeply profound philosophical wish but when his Wish is transferred to the Wishing Shrine, it becomes 'I want a super-powerful telescope'. This makes him sound like a child who wants a particularly cool toy rather than a magician who wishes he could solve the ultimate mysteries of the universe.

Never mind, though. At least Freya understands him perfectly. Thank God there are three save slots in Animal Parade, allowing her to stay true to the Wizard in one while still dallying with an Immortal God in another!

Incidntally, although one can begin to court the Witch Princess from the instant when she is transformed by the Wizard from a Frog back into a Princess, my own advice would be to wait until you have the Secret of the Animal Whistle. Until then, you will be forced to smash and chop your way through the maze of the Fugue Forest whenever you wish to visit her. Once you have the Secret of the Animal Whistle, the Hippo will glide effortlessly and instantly into the swamp-filled clearing, taking you directly to her door. Although you do need to collect materials in the form of lumber and Material Stone for building upgrades, courting the Witch Princess is far less frustrating if you can bypass the Fugue Forest Maze.

A Frog Transformed into a Witch Princess

To complete the Quest of the Green Bell in Animal Parade, you must help the Wizard transform the poor Frog in the Hut of the Witch Princess back into a Princess...



I was unable to find a method of obtaining Good Cornmeal before the beginning of Summer in the first year. As far as I know, therefore, the soonest one can complete the Green Bell Quest is the 1st week of Summer in the first year.

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.

Chocolate, Small Fish and Rubbish as gifts in IoH

One of the most interesting aspects of any Harvest Moon game is the individual nature of the responses of each of the characters you meet to gifts. One of my very first guides actually was a 'Taste Tests' Guide for 'Friends of Mineral Town'. My character, Aloysius, took a part-time marketing job with an undisclosed firm from another village in which he interviewed every character in Mineral Town with respect to their responses to different items. He catalogued these responses and, after sending the results to his 'employer', his findings were published on IGN...

After that, I produced more traditional 'Characters Guides' for each Harvest Moon game. I have created one for Island of Happiness in fact. You will find the link on the right side of this page. As yet, it is a 'work in progress' as I still need to transfer a host of responses from my Game Journal to the Guide.

The genius of Harvest Moon is found always in the details. Friendship is an integral aim in any Harvest Moon game and the gift of an item that an individual likes invariably raises his/her heart level. Island of Happiness is no different in this respect, but the actual responses of the characters can be very amusing or clever at times.

In Island of Happiness, you can raise EVERY character's heart level a little simply by speaking to him/her. This includes the heart levels of Eligible Spouses as well. Giving the individual an item he/she particularly loves will boost heart levels faster but a simple greeting suffices in truth.

If you have any free time during the day or night, you should travel to one of the outer areas of the Island to meet and greet every one there periodically. If you have a Teleport Stone, this becomes less time-consuming, but you still must travel the various paths to find every one in the area. Favourite gifts vary from person to person, but I have found there are three basic items that will please almost every one: chocolate, small fish and eggs. Every one will like ONE of the three. Some will detest the other two; some will like two out of three of these... each individual is unique, but you can't go wrong if you have all of these in your pocket when you go out to visit people on the Island. Having some Rubbish in your rucksack can be useful as well.

The old axiom that one man's rubbish can be another man's treasure always is proven in Harvest Moon. An old Boot usually will be accepted enthusiastically by one of the children in any Harvest Moon game, where most adults would be insulted by such a gift! The Witch Princess loves Fish Bones but, if you try to give her another variety of Rubbish, she will be offended.

Having a little free time to kill before midnight, I visited the Island Inn primarily to speak to Mark and in order to speak to all subsidiary characters as well. I gave Taka and Vanessa each a small fish, as they share a love of this item. Karen and Popuri refused to accept ANY gift from me as I hadn't spoken to either in a couple of days, but speaking to them was enough to set me back on the path of friendship...

When I went into Hiro's guest room, I decided to have a bit of fun with him. I therefore gave him an 'Empty Can' I had fished out of the river an hour ago. He surprised me a little when he responded enthusiastically (with music): 'How do you know what I like? Thank you.'

I didn't have the heart to admit that I hadn't known at all, that I had given it simply in jest... His response will be added promptly to the Characters Guide, however.

I did know that quite a few characters liked Empty Cans, but had not known him to be one of them as a former successful executive in a large firm. I had thought he would disdain any form of Rubbish. It goes to show once again that any character can surprise you in Harvest Moon!

The Witch Princess and Toadstools in Island of Happiness

One of the most colourful characters in Harvest Moon is the beautiful if mischievous Witch Princess. To my delight, she is one of the characters in Island of Happiness. As in HM DS and Cute DS, she never leaves her Hut in ordinary circumstances. She is a voracious reader, an expert in herbs and a collector of teddy bears. In Harvest Moon DS, if you wished to court her successfully, you had to allow 50 of your Animals to die, rather a cruel requirement for any Animal lover.
In IoH, there is no such requirement.

Screenshots include some of the Witch Princess' ordinary dialogue at different times of day, the remark she makes once you marry, the interior and exterior of her charming Grimms' Fairy Tale style hut and her favourite item, a Toadstool, growing wild in another area of the Forest. Toadstools can be found randomly throughout the map during the Autumn season. Throw one into your Seed Maker to make Toadstool 'seeds' that can be grown on a pallet to the right of your farmhouse. When you have shipped 100 Shitake, you will unlock Toadstool 'seeds' at Chen's Market, although they are not that useful as you can grow only 8 different Mushrooms on the pallets at any point in time. One Toadstool growing there is sufficient to meet ordinary needs, especially as they grow in the Wilds so profusely.

Once planted on a pallet, Mushrooms of all varieties will continue to grow through all seasons, including Winter. They are found in the Wilds, however, only in the Autumn season.

In terms of growing fungi, it is the Matsutake that is most needed. You will not find more than one or two in the Wilds in any Autumn season. They are the 'Truffles' in other Harvest Moon games and are even more rare on the map in Island of Happiness. You will unlock the seeds at Chen's Market by shipping 100 Toadstools, but it is far easier to gather one from the Wilds in Autumn, pop it into your Seed Maker and then throw those seeds on one of your pallets.

Even though Matsutake is the most valuable variety of Mushroom, the humble Shitake is the most useful in terms of Cooked Dishes. Even in your first Autumn, you should be able to cook 'Grilled Mushrooms' and 'Foiled Mushrooms' and 'Steamed Egg Custard', three simple recipes that feature Shitake. They are wonderful cooked dishes in terms of Energy recovery early in the game. It therefore is a good idea to convert a couple of Shitake to seeds to grow on the pallets throughout the year.

The Bewitching Witch Princess

The Witch Princess in Island of Happiness lives in a wonderful little Hansel-and-Gretel styled cottage deep in the forest. She has the same vast library of books that she had in HM DS/Cute DS but her collection of bears now is visible to the casual visitor as you can see.

Note the map of the Island that appears on the upper screen. This is a wonderful resource that displays the current position of every important character on the Island.

Island of Happiness Preview

Island of Happiness, a new Harvest Moon game for the DS that will be released in August, promises the player excitement, new characters and a multitude of new challenges.

In this game, items, new options and characters, including some of the Eligible Girls/Bachelors are unlocked gradually, and in most cases, depend on your own achievement of goals.

The graphics are wonderful. Events are accompanied by a title screen on the upper screen of the DS that gives them a picturebook quality. Whenever you speak to characters, instead of a static portrait on the lower screen to accompany the dialogue, the eyes on the portrait actually blink!

In terms of farming, there is a new option to grow Rice in rice paddies in the northwest corner of your farm, but you must unlock this before you will be able to buy the seeds or enter the Rice Paddy area.

As in Harvest Moon Boy & Girl and the original Magical Melody for the Gamecube, you have an opportunity to play the game either as a boy or as a girl. There is a wide selection of eligible Girls/Bachelors in terms of courtship and marriage.

Most of the characters are new, but players of FoMT/MFoMT, HM Boy & Girl and HM DS/HM Cute DS will be delighted to find visitors from Mineral Town in this game! Karen and Popuri visit in certain seasons and when they return to Mineral Town, Cliff will arrive on the Island. None of these characters are eligible for marriage. In fact, they will have married your Rival in the Mineral Town/Forget-Me-Not Valley games and will speak of their spouses while visiting the Island.

There is a character from HM DS/HM Cute DS in Island of Happiness who is eligible for marriage if your character is a boy. The mischievous Witch Princess lives on the Island with her large collection of bears!

Much more to come in future posts...

Incidentally, I have been working on my guides for Island of Happiness and they should be published on IGN when the game is released in the U.S.

Harvest Moon and the Environment

Out of a hundred emails I receive containing questions about Harvest Moon, at least a quarter of these tend to be desperate appeals for help because the player gives gifts that an eligible girl or bachelor loves and yet, his/her AP keeps going back down to zero!

The reason for this, as I have stated again and again in my Guides, is because the Harvest Goddess who watches over the land is very strict with respect to littering. She has taught her people not to throw items recklessly into the roads, into the seas and rivers or anywhere else... In almost every Harvest Moon game, you will find rubbish or trash bins in the Village Square and in your own house. In some Harvest Moon games, you actually can ship rubbish items such as old boots and empty tins to obtain a little extra income. What you MUST NOT DO is throw the items on the ground or into any body of water.

If you 'catch' an old boot with your Fishing Rod, do not throw it back into the water. Take it to the nearest rubbish bin or ship it... or if you are playing a game that features the little girl May, you can give it to her as a gift and she will be thrilled with it. (She is one of the few individuals who actually LIKES rubbish, apart from the Witch Princess in HM DS and Cute who likes some rubbish items but not others. You can give the Witch Princess your empty tins and fishbones, for example.)

In some Harvest Moon games, you can pull weeds on your own land and toss them aside without incurring any penalties but in Harvest Moon DS and Cute DS, throwing even a weed onto your own field is considered littering. The Witch Princess may give you her own gift of rubbish if you toss 10 weeds, but although you have been given that dubious award from her, you will lose AP with eligible bachelors/girls! Do not drop or throw ANY item on the ground or water ANYWHERE in Harvest Moon DS or Cute DS. Affection WILL decrease when you do...

In some games, it is only the affection and/or friendship of individuals within a specific radius that will decrease when you litter. In others, the effect will be general.

It may be useful to add a note here about throwing a small fish into the ocean in order to catch the King Fish. You must do it if you wish to catch the King Fish in question, but it WILL be considered littering and you will lose affection/friendship in every Harvest Moon game when you do it. Make certain to remedy the loss as quickly as possible... that's the best you can do.

In some games, you actually can go to Confession at the local Church and be absolved for the 'sin' of littering. This is worth doing, actually, if you either have dropped an item by accident or have been forced to throw a small fish into the sea to catch the King Fish. Those players who, when trying to give a favourite item to an individual, have dropped it by accident when the intended recipient has moved away suddenly will lose not only the item and the benefit of the gift but be punished with a littering penalty! We've all experienced this, I expect... I usually reload in such cases, even if I am forced to relive an entire morning...

The Starry Night Festival

Finally, the eve of the eve of the Starry Night Festival has arrived. In other words, it is the 23rd day of Winter and today is the day on which one must organise any social plans for the Starry Night Festival. 24 Winter can be equated somewhat to Christmas Eve in our world. It is on this night that Thomas Santa will make his way down the chimney to place a gift in your Yule sock, provided you have one hanging from the hook on your wall.

Before this, however, it is an opportunity to spend the evening with the bachelor or Magical Girl who has won your heart...

Pursuant to my usual strategy, I intend to spend the Starry Night Festival with each of the bachelors and Magical Girls in turn.

I began with the Witch Princess, now at Orange Heart level. With her customary forthright manner, she basically asked me for an invitation to my farmhouse. I gave it graciously and awaited her arrival the next day.

The Festival begins at 6.00 p.m. If the Starry Night is to be spent at your farmhouse, you actually must exit your farmhouse at 6.00 p.m. in order to initiate the event.

At 6.00 p.m., I left my house and found the Witch Princess at the door. She was as ebullient as ever, only slightly disappointed to discover I hadn't prepared any food for the occasion.

She then offered to make me some of her 'special witch food'. It was almost enough to persuade me NOT to marry my darling Skye and to propose Best Friend status to the Witch Princess instead. After all, what could be better than a life spent sharing 'witch food' with a real Witch Princess, and one as beautiful as she is mischievous?

The delightful madcap Witch Princess

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When Harvest Moon DS first was released, I was as entranced by the mischievous Witch Princess as I am about Skye in HM Cute. The only problem there was the necessity that you kill 50 of your livestock in order to satisfy her marriage requirements.

Even so, I remained rather attracted to her... and find her fully as enchanting in Cute. She is the ultimate rebel against conventional society and some of her pronouncements are hilarious.

When you attain Orange Heart with her, she will tell you: 'Nice to see you, Freya. Let me know if you die. I'll bring you back with my potions.'

She made a similar offer in the original Harvest Moon DS... As helpful as she may be here, how on earth are you supposed to let her know if you are dead?

Her glee when she receives a piece of Chocolate Cake at the Winter Thanks-Fest, a gift that formerly was intended only for boys, is fully in character. If she did not require the death of so many beloved animals, I would not hesitate either to wed her or make her my official 'Best Friend'. Unfortunately, although this is possible in the original Japanese version of Cute, it is not possible in the upcoming Natsume English edition of the game.

Incidentally, whenever she gives you her special gift, she will tell you that it has no value, but this is a small misrepresentation on her part. If you carry her gift or the gift of the Harvest Goddess in your rucksack for a full day and night, you will gain points towards the next level of your Farming Degree.

The Winter Thanksgiving Festival and the Magical Girls

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In Harvest Moon Cute, you can court the Magical Girls as well as the bachelors but the actual 'Best Friend' status instead of marriage has been eliminated from the English version by Natsume. On the Winter Thanksgiving, Chocolate Cake given to one of the Magical Girls will be accepted as a Thanksgiving Gift and raise the AP of the girl by 1000 points in the same fashion as it will affect any bachelor.

Only the Harvest Goddess oddly enough will not acknowledge the Chocolake Cake as a special gift but will consider it an ordinary offering like any other.

Leia: Oh! A Thanks-Fest present? You're thoughtful, Freya! Thank you! I'll give you some in Spring.

Witch Princess: A Thanks-Fest present for a boy? It's mine now! Hahaha! OK, that was mean. I'll give you something in Spring.

Keira: ........................
................................
...........................hum

You will say: 'I think she likes it' and it raises her AP by 1000 points so it obviously had the desired effect on her.

I wonder if the Magical Girls will bring me Cookies at the Spring Thanksgiving if I remain unmarried...