Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Encyclopedia
, published in the U.S. by Natsume
in 2001, is a farm
simulation
game, part of the popular Harvest Moon series of video games. It was the first PlayStation 2
Harvest Moon game released, and the second to be released in the U.S. on a non-Nintendo console.
, who ask him to stay on the farm and help them.
The area is slated to be demolished within a year to make way for a resort
and amusement park
. The goal of the game is to find a way to save the town before the year's end.
As said before, the goal of the game is finding a way to save the village from turning into a resort. There are 9 possible endings depending on the people you befriend and the scenes that trigger. For most of the endings, the character is involved in a quest of some sort (digging out a treasure, looking for magical ingredients, etc.). After getting an ending, you get the option of restarting the game, but keeping your money and animals, so that you can continue to care for your farm, going for a different ending. Each time you get a new ending, it gets saved in the Ending List, and you get the profiles of the villagers involved in that ending.
and a horse
. The horse can be used to get around the village faster, while the dog can be trained for useful tasks, such as herding cows into the barn
.
The player can also own cows and chickens. Happy chickens and cows have the potential of giving golden eggs and golden milk. Eggs and milk are parts of recipes and can be used for cooking as well as for gifts or for profit.
IGN
rated the game at 8.8, or "Great".
Natsume Co., Ltd
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan founded on October 20, 1987. Its American branch, Natsume Inc., is located in Burlingame, California...
in 2001, is a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
game, part of the popular Harvest Moon series of video games. It was the first PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
Harvest Moon game released, and the second to be released in the U.S. on a non-Nintendo console.
Overview
The player takes on the role of a 21-year-old man whose grandfather, Tony, recently died and left him his farm. Upon arriving at the farm, nominally to pick up his grandfather's belongings, the player's character encounters three "Harvest Sprites" and the Harvest GoddessGoddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
, who ask him to stay on the farm and help them.
The area is slated to be demolished within a year to make way for a resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
and amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
. The goal of the game is to find a way to save the town before the year's end.
Gameplay
Like other Harvest Moon games, the player must tend to his or her farm by growing and selling crops and gathering produce from his or her animals. Although it may seem at first that you are able to marry and have a child (i.e. The many bachelorettes in the game), however, this game does not contain that feature, possibly because you only play the game for a total time of one year, making it one of the three games in which marriage to anyone is impossible.As said before, the goal of the game is finding a way to save the village from turning into a resort. There are 9 possible endings depending on the people you befriend and the scenes that trigger. For most of the endings, the character is involved in a quest of some sort (digging out a treasure, looking for magical ingredients, etc.). After getting an ending, you get the option of restarting the game, but keeping your money and animals, so that you can continue to care for your farm, going for a different ending. Each time you get a new ending, it gets saved in the Ending List, and you get the profiles of the villagers involved in that ending.
Animals
As in other Harvest Moon games, the player can also adopt a dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
and a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
. The horse can be used to get around the village faster, while the dog can be trained for useful tasks, such as herding cows into the barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
.
The player can also own cows and chickens. Happy chickens and cows have the potential of giving golden eggs and golden milk. Eggs and milk are parts of recipes and can be used for cooking as well as for gifts or for profit.
Reception
The game received positive reviews and has a Gamerankings standing of 76%.IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the game at 8.8, or "Great".