Known for their Harvest Moon franchise, Natsume had a bit of a surprise for me when announcing a non-HM related game. Currently the company is celebrating 10 years of Harvest Moon titles and had two for me to check out along with two other titles that really fit with what they’ve been doing for so long.


Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility

I remember seeing this game last year in all of its untranslated Japanese glory. Needless to say it’s come a long way and looks great. The motions to do the actions are there, along with simply choosing an option and hitting a button. To select different items such as the watering can, you simply use the Nunchuk to select it and off you go. When one gets far enough in the game, you’ll get upgrades to your tools to make it easier to grow produce on your farm. Tranquility has more to offer than just farming, traveling is part of the daily routine.

It was fun to wander around the garden, but even better to check out the barn which housed the ostrich. You’re actually able to take the ostrich out for a spin and use it as transportation to get around quickly. This will be important for getting around as there’s tons of land to be commuting on.

For all those that like mini games, they will also be in the game, but I didn’t get to see them while I was there. So all in all I’d say it’s coming along nicely and feels like it’s almost complete though I’m sure there are things to tidy up here and there.


Harvest Moon Island of Happiness

In this DS title, you are among five individuals stranded on an island. You must survive by growing crops and generally doing the normal activities you would in an HM title. While you cultivate the land, you’ll also attract new settlers to your island who can provide other services.

The most exciting part of this new game besides what you’d generally do is the online elements. Players can connect to the web via Wi-Fi Connection and compete with others in what they grow. Been having a great week with those bananas? You’ll be able to check to see if you are the best grower out there for that week. While the overall rankings will not change, weekly amounts will reset, giving those new to the title a chance at glory.

It feels great and the animations are smooth, I’m just hoping they won’t have a problem with the online aspect of the service.

Princess Debut

This game was the one that caught me off guard. I honestly wasn’t expecting something that wasn’t Harvest Moon or Rune Factory from Natsume. As soon as I was shown what it was about though, it all made sense.

In Princess Debut, you play as a princess trying to win the heart of a prince. You’ll have thirty days to do so by getting ready for the big ball. While trying for that goal, you’ll be practicing your dancing from the Waltz all the way to the Tango.

As the dancing is one of the most important aspects of the game, it’s only fitting it be fun to do. It’s a bit of Elite Beat Agents, minus the tapping on beat, but more so the portions of following the paths. In this you’ll stay in the lines and go from point A to point B in one smooth motion.

The actual dancing in the game you’ll see on the top screen was motion-captured using professional dancers. It looks great in motion and is a treat to look at when you can when you’re not busy with performing moves on the touch screen. One added bonus to the dancing is that it’ll actually show you the dance moves to a particular dance, provided you’re in the correct mode.

If that’s not enough, the game will have many things to unlock and 14 different endings.

Although the demonstrator seemed to imply this is along the lines of what they do, I found it to be something different and great. Between the different game play style and the Japanese animation feel the character art has, it’s looking to be a great new IP for them.

Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Having not played the first one, I can’t comment on the differences. That said, Rune Factory 2 is looking quite good. It continues on from where the last game left off and has more of the same type of game play. For veterans, you’ll be happy to note that the menus have been redone so that they’re easier to access using the touch screen. What’s new in this one is the fact you’ll be able to play as your child to continue on the story. You’ll also be able to experience new game play while connected to Wi-Fi Connection.

Rune Factory 2 although not quite my cup of tea is looking to provide those RPG fans out there something to cheer about on their DS. Between tons of side quests to help your village and dialog to fill a few books, it’s a safe bet that those who enjoyed the first will want to come to the second for more.

Overall

It’s great to see Natsume push a new IP and I hope they do well in that area.  It also seems they are planning on continuing to push out great Harvest Moon games for the crowd that enjoys them.  It’s worth mentioning that along with the games, they’ll have some Harvest Moon themed accessories for the DS available as well.