Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town

I have to admit that the farming life is as appealing to me as digging a ditch but then a little GBA game called Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town comes along and I just can’t stop putting long hours of hard labor to keep my farm. Maybe its the strangely addictive daily chores or the fact that the game plays like a really good RPG, but for those gamers searching for a different kind of game the Harvest Moon series is a rare and enjoyable treat. Now Natsume is adding more farming fun with Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town and trust me when I say you’ll love these kinds of chores.

Ok, so doing actual chores in a game sounds downright boring and even more so when you have to do the same chore daily. Yet the simplicity of this concept and a town brimming with colorful characters that bring an entire community to life makes this an enjoyable experience. Unlike Friends of Mineral Town with its male protagonist, More Friends introduces a female leading character (whom you get to name yourself) that is tired of her dull city-slicker lifestyle. Looking for a new life she discovers a farm for sale in Mineral Town so, selling everything she owns and quitting her job, our girl moves there to find herself (and love) among soil and cows. It’s not going to be easy, though, and there are hardships aplenty, but each decision you make determines the success of your new venture. 

The farm starts out with slightly barren fields and an empty barn and chicken coop and all you have are six basic tools, a dog and just a few dollars. Your first task is to generate money by growing vegetation in your field, harvest the crop and then sell it via a shipper named Zack. First you have to clear the fields of obstructions like rocks, lumber and weeds using tools like a sickle, hammer and a hoe (just to name a few items available to you at the start of the game). Then you soften the soil in a three-by-three pattern and finally plant seeds to water (using a watering can, of course). When your vegetables are ripe for the picking you rip them out and place them in the bin for the shipper to pick up. Believe me, even when you do this for your tenth time it never gets old.

Tending to your animals is also a big part of the game since, like vegetation, if you don’t look after your livestock they will not produce for you. You just don’t spend time feeding your sheep, cows or chickens either. You have to talk to them (“You’re a pretty lamb, aren’t you?”) and you’ll even find ways to impregnate them. Cows, naturally, should be milked on a regular basis while sheep need to be sheared and chicken eggs need to be collected or placed in an incubator to hatch a chick or two. Like harvesting crops you can turn a profit by selling cow’s milk, wool from sheep or chicken eggs, but it all depends on how much care (brush your cows and sheep) you give your animals.

Yet life isn’t all toil and routine check ups for your livestock, there’s a whole town to explore and you’ll want to do that since the town is filled with people that can make farm life easier for you. The town consists of many businesses and areas of interest like a supermarket, a library, a winery and even a beach where you can go catch fish when you’re in the mood to go fishing. Town is also where you’ll meet five townie bachelors you can chose to date and eventually marry. If you thought romancing a girl in Friends of Mineral Town and the GameCube’s Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life, More Friends will still require you to woo your potential mate with gifts and attending the town’s many seasonal festivals.

Before you know it hours will have passed and that’s the result of making what would have been repetitive farm duties downright addictive. Sure it can be a bit frustrating losing crops thanks to going into town to buy medicine for a sick lamb or being treated in the medical clinic for fatigue. Keeping the farm running successfully means a lot of work but with good connections you will succeed (treat people right and they’ll lend a helping hand). There are also Harvest Sprites you can befriend and later hire on as farm hands during the busy harvest season. Another helpful (and neat addition) is the fact that you can connect your Game Boy Advance to your GameCube to transfer goodies from a Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life to this game.

More Friends of Mineral Town is not a bad looking game although much of what we see can look pretty plain. The town itself is big and there are some colorful scenery to take in but it's essentially nothing to write home about. On the other hand, the sound offers a lot of different tunes and nice sound effects. It’s the type of game you won’t mind keeping the volume up.

In the end, Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town remains to be a series that continues to offer an unusual yet addictive concept that makes this one a real gem. Don’t let the farm work fool you into thinking this is a repetitive one-trick pony, it’s actually strangely enjoyable. If you never played a Harvest Moon game this is the one to try.

Gameplay: 9.2
Farming couldn’t be more satisfying than this. Sure keeping your farm up and running is a task that has you working overtime but there’s a lot of fun to be had in the process.

Graphics: 7.0
Not the most visually detailed of games, More Friends of Mineral Town shows off a collection of anime-styled characters and a huge playing field. Its simplistic design is not an eyesore but the series’ look is starting to get a bit dated.

Sound: 7.5
There’s a theme song for every moment and area in the game and most of the tunes are actually pretty good. There’s a jazzy feel to the music and it's great stuff. The sound effects are decent enough.

Difficulty: Medium
Weather conditions and seasons pose a challenge during the harshest seasons and animals tend to get sick regularly. Courting the bachelors you like the most takes work but not as much as Friends of Mineral Town.

Concept: 9.5
This is a lengthy experience but you’ll have plenty to do and see. Filled with all the usual Harvest Moon mini-games, this could have been your basic sequel but a female main character definitely makes a difference. GameCube owners with their copy of Another Wonderful Life can connect their GBA (using a GBA Cable, of course) to “download” extra content. 

Overall: 8.9
Another addictive and enjoyable Harvest Moon game, More Friends of Mineral Town is a good time at the old farm. Its unusual gameplay might not suit everyone but for those gamers willing to give it a shot it won’t disappoint in the very least. If you’re a fan buy this one already.