A new Harvest Moon title from Natsume and Rising Star Games is on its way to the PlayStation 4, PC, and the Nintendo Switch.
Titled Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, the game will have players set out on a new voyage looking for a fresh start. Unfortunately, the ship the player is riding on is hit by a monsoon, causing it to go down. The player drifts into a tiny harbor town, now in a decrepit state because of the storm.
"[I]t will be up to the player to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse...but it won't be easy!" says the description. Natsume confirmed Light of Hope via Twitter, exclusively for the aforementioned consoles, which surprisingly doesn't include the 3DS. Harvest Moon has long been a staple title for Nintendo handhelds. It's possible that because the Switch is also a portable handheld machine, Natsume skipped a 3DS version of Light of Hope altogether.
'Harvest Moon: Light Of Hope'
By tending livestock, gathering materials, growing crops, making friends, and more, you can eventually try to revive the town's lighthouse and rebuild the town itself. Those attending E3 will be able to play the Switch and PC versions of the game at Natsume's booth. The company has yet to announce a release date for Light of Hope.
While the most recent Harvest Moon outings have received poor to lukewarm reviews, fans of old school SNES games may be pleased with Light of Hope. According to Hiro Maekawa, president of Natsume, the forthcoming Harvest Moon title is a "SNES-style nostalgic game" with a robust story and clear objectives.
20 Years Of 'Harvest Moon'
In celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary, Natsume is set to rerelease Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland for the PS4. It's also rereleasing Harvest Moon 64 for the Wii U. This year is certainly a big one for the popular farming franchise.
'Harvest Moon' vs. 'Story of Seasons'
Light of Hope follows Harvest Moon: Skytree Village, released last year for the 3DS. It's worth noting, however, that the last "true" Harvest Moon game was A New Beginning for the 3DS. This is because Natsume, the publisher of Bokujō Monogatari games — or "Harvest Moon," as we've come to know it, — has split with the original developers but still owns the name. Therefore, the original developers are barred from using the Harvest Moon name for their series if they release them stateside. Because of this, it's now releasing mainline Harvest Moon games under the Story of Seasons moniker.
This just means that all Harvest Moon games after A New Beginning do not involve the original Harvest Moon developers in any way, but are instead made and published solely by Natsume. In short, it's named Harvest Moon, but it's technically not made by the developers who have created past Harvest Moon games. If you want to play the games made by the original developers, then you should turn to the Story of Seasons series for that.
Expect due coverage when we learn more, especially when E3 hits this June. Meanwhile, sound off in the comments section below if you have any thoughts about Harvest Moon: Light of Hope!
