Customer Reviews

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a great addition to the Harvest Moon series! I think it is definitely HM at it's best, no doubt.

For those new to the series, the concept is that you are a farmer-rancher who just moved to town. You are given a house, introduced to the townspeople and started a new life. Once you get to your new abode and settle into the town, your mission is to find the Harvest Goddess. Once you talk to her, the problem becomes clear: there are five bells missing and you must find them all to restore the power of nature, reviving the Goddess Tree. Along the way, Finn, a harvest sprite, will guide you. You also have the option to seek the love of bachelors and bachelorettes, provided you know just what they like. A major feature in Animal Parade which differs greatly from other HM titles are the animals. Throughout the "world" you will find and be able to befriend wild animals, if you so choose.

So thats the basis of the game. I will now break up my review into parts:

STORY: I love the adventure in this game! Your quest to find the bells pretty much starts once you locate the Harvest Goddess, and at this point the adventure takes off. You have to complete one side-quest or two before you can actually speak with the Harvest Goddess and begin your quest, but these are simple and take three game days at most. She makes it clear on what your goal is and you can always go back if you have questions. But Finn is very helpful by always giving you hints and guiding you in your mission. Personally, I was able to deduce what I had to do before Finn told me, but if you get stuck then Finn will definitely help (sometimes I did need him to point me in the right direction). The first bell you get provides just the right amount of challenge. Once you get the red bell, this opens up the option to find all the other bells. This really gets the game going. I loved how the adventure was an integral part of the game, not just some optional thing. It is a blast trying to find all the bells because you have to interact with a lot of the townspeople to do so. You might have to complete some side-quests for them or have certain items in order to proceed, but it is always fun and rewarding once completed.

TOWN: The town is well made. I like how there are several places to explore. You can visit Harmonica Town, Garmon Mines, and Flute Fields. Toucan Island only becomes available later in the game (I haven't gotten it yet). Within each place are worlds within worlds, so there is more to explore once you get somewhere. The load screens aren't too bad, either. At first they become tedious, but then you just get used to it. They really aren't that bad, it just gets annoying to see the name of the place pop up every time you go somewhere.

TOWNSFOLK: What I love most about the people in this game is that they are very good hint-droppers. Sometimes they make it really obvious and other times I have to kind of deduce what they are saying, but its funny at how they give me little hints on what to do. There is a good variety on people and they each play a role in the game. It is fun that they give side-quests for you to do, especially since they usually lead to your progression in the game, not just something to do and you get no reward.

DATING: I'm not gonna lie, its hard to get hearts in this game. So far I am at the end of spring (not so far into the game yet but I've been playing it) and I have more hearts with the animals than I do with people. In fact, I have no people hearts. The eligible girls and boys are wide in variety so if you like a certain trade (mining, cooking, jewelry-making, fishing, etc) there is most likely a bachelor/ette perfect for you. Luckily the friends menu allows you to see what each person likes and dislikes, making it easier to give gifts that win points. However so far I've noticed those recommendations only show items that people "like." I have yet to figure out what they truly love and what will earn me hearts. You can also track people on the menu, making it easy to give gifts if you can't find someone.

ANIMALS: I really like the addition of animals to the town. Not only can you have livestock, but there are several animals roaming in the wild. Each location has its own animals. So far I've met such a variety as dogs, cats, boar, squirrel, snake, raccoon, rabbit, frog, turtle, bear, and many more! Its really fun to discover new ones. You can make friends with any animal you meet by visiting it frequently and feeding it something it likes. Like for friends, the wild animal menu shows what they like and dislike. The location stays the same but some only stick around in a particular season or climate, so you'll always know where to find your favorites. If you get enough heart points with an animal, they can become your pet and help you around the game. With the starting house you receive, you can only have pet but once you expand, you get to have more and more. I thought this was a great addition to the game concept.

DIFFICULTY: This game is in the middle. It is not painstakingly hard (obviously its HM) nor is it ridiculously easy (again its HM). It has the right amount of challenge for the seasoned HM fan/gamer but enough hints for newcomers. I would recommend it to any wii fan and especially to fans of the HM series.

CONTROLS: The controls are straightforward and easy. One thing that bothered me for a little was some lack of explanation in the manual. They don't tell you that when you buy new furniture you have to open up the furniture menu to place it. This frustrated me for a while but then I got it. Its not a big deal but they could have explained that in the manual. Another thing is the camera. No complaints there except that sometimes you can't see a path, which means you're missing an entire entrance to a new location. Luckily I was exploring and happened to find this new stretch of beach that was barely visible unless I had been really looking (it was on the edge of the screen thats why, most locations are clearly visible). If I hadn't stumbled across this one path, I don't know how long it would have taken me to find the yellow bell. Guess I was lucky! But other than that, the controls are super.

DS vs WII: I've gotta say I prefer HM on the wii any day. I have island of happiness for ds, and while its a fun game, HM is the type of game that I feel plays better on the Wii. The big screen allows you to experience the world better. You can explore more thoroughly and the graphics are so much better. Overall its just a better gaming experience on the Wii when it comes to HM.

I know this is a long review but I wanted to be thorough. Thanks for reading it all! This is a great addition to any Wii game collection and while it is somewhat addicting, I think its a lot of fun and has good replay value and longevity for a game. Definitely worth the price. A whole lotta fun! I would recommend playing the whole game and taking advantage of everything; don't skip the adventure, thats the best part! Oh and the animals, too!

Have fun!

After several days playing the new harvest moon wii title, I'm not disappointed. The graphics & overall visual experience is very similar to ToT. The story is also similar in set up, with bell quests instead of rainbow recipes. There is a harvest sprite that follows you around as a little ball of light that trails after you everywhere you go. I personally found this annoying, but got used to it eventually. The sprite can be asked questions and it's easier to keep track of quests and requests from characters in this new version that in ToT. The farming is also a bit different, buying seeds in increments of one instead of nine. Energy levels are good, lasting long enough to do some planting, etc. before wearing out. There is also a hot spring right on your land, although it's the red bell quest that must be completed before it's operational. This should prove to be another wonderful game that will offer endless play time. My preschooler loves to watch & play a little, too ... it's nice to have such a family friendly game. Just in time for the long, dark, cold and rainy winter months ahead here in Seattle. :-)

This is my first HM game, and I am totally loving it. I have been playing every second I can for the past week. It's not unusual to sit there and find four hours have passed by. My game preferences are usually the easier games. I love this one because it's easy but at the same time challenging because of the tasks involved. There is always something to do and someone to go talk to. There are no hard battles or killings, so the game is just extremely relaxing but intensely addictive. There are so many animals roaming around, crops to harvest, people to romance etc. It's just great. I seriously don't recommend starting it if you have a project due or major chores to get done. Once you start it is very hard to stop. I'm a 40+ female and think anyone will enjoy this. I'd love to know from others how this compares to the other Harvest Moons and Rune Factory. I now want to go and try those after I've exhausted this one.

Length:: 4:54 Mins

I review mainly 3rd party Wii games on YouTube. To see more of my reviews go to youtube.com/wiiviewr.

I am basically a fanatic of the Harvest Moon series. I like all of the ones I have, except Another Wonderful Life. I would actually title it "Another Not So Wonderful Life". Anyways, this review is not to demean that game, so on with Animal Parade. THE BEST HARVEST MOON GAME YET!!! In Tree of Tranquility, the closest you get to adventure is when the mayor finds out that you've stolen his seedling of hope. In Animal Parade, you venture through the dangerous Fugue Forest to find the Witch that supposedly lives in the swamp somewhere deep in the forest! It's also adventurous when you talk to Perry, the minister-in-training, and he tells you that there are strange noises in the church around 2 in the morning. You check it out at that time, and you hear sniffles... And you see Perry running out of the church, screaming, "IT'S THE GHOST!" And there's so much more adventure than just that!! But I can't spoil this great game.

Anyway on with this review...
PROS
+Raise crops and livestock
+Get married and raise a family
+But the best yet... THE STORYLINE! Find and ring the five bells to save the island.
+Gorgeous graphics
+Beautiful music, unlike ToT, which sounds cheesy, like it was recorded on a bad camera.
+Days are longer. In ToT, it took me about until 7:30 in the morning to take care of five animals. In this game, however, it takes about until 6:10 in the morning. SO much nicer and SO much more time before stores close and your day is over.
+Ride almost anything! Instead of having to buy an Ostrich to get everywhere faster, once you get hearts on your cow and your sheep, you can ride them!!!
+The world is SO much better and so much more... Mystical. Niiice.
+The gameplay is relaxing. It's not overly easy to collect bells and hang them on their frame, either.
+Instead of buying a separate game to play as a different gender, you can CHOOSE your gender! Even better, you can choose to play with the Tree of Tranquility character or the Animal Parade character (It doesn't make a difference in the storyline, but I like to play as the Animal Parade girl. She's cute.)
+SO MANY MORE CROPS! In ToT, breadfruit is your flour and sugar and everything else. But in AP, grow coffee beans, sugarcane, tea leaves, and much much more! Plus you can mill them in the watermill or windmill!
+Your stamina bar is SO much better!!!! In ToT, it's three or four whacks with the hammer and you're at the doctor's. But in this game, you can grow a whole field, water it, and still have a little stamina left!

CONS
=The camera. It's actually pretty good, but there are some places you can't see to go. I would have never found the yellow bell if I hadn't ventured out of the camera's reach.
=It seems... Harder in this game to get hearts up on people. It's not impossible, but every season you get a heart or two, depending on how good your gift is. But the animals get their hearts up so much faster!!!!! I've only been feeding this one dog for 17 or 18 days and it has 2 hearts already! That should be a pro... Ah well.
=The mayor gives you a run-down house to live in when you first move in, and unlike ToT, you HAVE to pay for it. And the materials and money needed for an upgrade are really bad. You need, like, one hundred each of material stone and lumber and 25 thousand to upgrade to a level 2. Then you have to upgrade to level 3 to have kids once you're married. Sad.

STORYLINE
Let's make this brief. The Harvest Goddess has five bells and the Goddess tree that help control the elements of the land, but the people neglect nature a little and the elements weaken. You move in as a farmer, and the new addition to this game, the orange harvest sprite named Finn, constantly bugs you to see the Harvest Goddess. When you finally get to the Goddess Spring (Which takes some... Well, work), she gives you the HUGE responsibility of finding and ringing the five bells and restoring the elements to the island. Once you're done, the Goddess Tree is still dead! So you must summon the Harvest King so that he can revive it with his magical powers.

OVERALL
BUY THIS GAME! I can't think of any more cons because this game is so great! Hmm, let me think... No, that's a pro... That's a pro too... Yeah, I can't think of anything. Only three cons, heh heh! I'd recommend this game to all ages! This game is one of the only ones I have that's adventure without violence. (Want to know my other adventure games without violence? They're all Harvest Moon!) Overall this game is wonderful! Basically Natsume took all the mess-ups in ToT, erased them, and re-painted them until Animal Parade was born. I'd highly recommend to buy this game!!!

Hands down, this is the best game I've played for the Wii. Being a fan of adventure games, and an even bigger fan of "open-ended" games, this really caught my eye. (OK, the art on the case didn't, because...well, it looks a bit childish.)

At first, I bought Animal Crossing: City Folk, thinking that, "Two similar games - one made by Nintendo, and the other by...Natsume?" Of course, I ignorantly jumped at Animal Crossing. Just for sake of comparison for the myriad of players that, unfortunately, already own Animal Crossing: Animal Crossing in an incredibly boring game. The whole point of the game is to basically shake trees and fish for money, sell your stuff at a little store, and buy stuff out of a little store. Over and over, ad nauseum. There aren't really any goals; there certainly isn't farming, the "city" is stupid...

I could go on, but this is a review of the GOOD game... Harvest Moon (this is the first I've played of the series) is absolutely beautiful. There are numerous goals, missions, and challenges. You decide what you want to do, and when. You actually farm - grow crops, orchards, raise cattle and fowl, grow crops to FEED your cattle and fowl, you can fish, talk to the townsfolk, talk to the array of people in the impressive city (an actual city with stuff to do/buy in it.) My wordsmithing abilities may not suggest it, but all of that is incredibly fun, relaxing...and time consuming. And it doesn't even include all the other things you can do... BUT! That's only a part of the game.

In addition to being a farmer/rancher/city person, you're trying to revive the city by helping the Harvest Goddess. And you're also looking after yourself - fixing up your house, your barn, your chicken coop...getting a girl/boy friend (depending on if you chose the guy/girl to start with), getting married, having kids, etc.

The world is fairly immense with a large variety of things to do. There are lots of characters...and always at least a couple things you want to "get done." Going back to the Animal Crossing comparison - AC has a tiny world that you fish and shake trees. It feels like Harvest Moon is the Ultra Golden Deluxe version of Animal Crossing...and Animal Crossing is mostly a game for 3-8 year olds (my 3 year old likes it, actually) that's in the bargain bin of games.

I don't really mean for this review to basically bash AC:City Folk, but it's the closest analogy to a game I've played on the Wii. (On a sidenote: If you're a fan of the older KOEI "Strategic Series" games, you'll probably like this game as well. It's open ended, and, while you have goals, you can choose when, and if, you want to do them.)

Would highly recommend to anyone. Even as a huge fan of New Super Mario Bros, I can easy say that this is the best game I've ever played on the Wii.

I dislike how slow the game can be, mostly because I have a life outside of my wii and so I can't get as far as I would like. The huge lack of shipping boxes compared to ToT is kind of annoying too, especially in the beginning where between hauling quest-related items and actually trying to collect things for money, your rucksack will get filled. Some of the characters - most notably Gill for me - have changed slightly. With Gill, it's for the worse, he seems less like a driven mayor-to-be and more like a spoiled boy who sits around reading all day. However, others have changed for the better, like Chase and Luna. The plot is more character-driven as well. It doesn't feel like you're the only one who actually cares about the island like it sometimes did in ToT when you were doing the rainbows.

The additional features, which I've mostly heard about from my brother (who doesn't have as much of a life as I do, so he's further,) sound pretty fun and interesting. Riding any four-legged animal (and the Ostrich) gives all your livestock another use. The way the character sits on the cow looks a little uncomfortable, but I can't really think of how it wouldn't be.

The crops are bought as single seeds again, which gives you more usage of the entire field. It'd take two hours just to water a whole field but hey if you want to now you actually can without wasting any seeds.

Overall, I adore the game. I just wish it was a little faster. Expect to put a lot of time into it, especially during the first two or three seasons, if you plan to get anywhere. If it was handheld, it might be a little better, because I'd be able to put a little more time into it between classes or on my break. But since it's a Wii game, I have to take it from 5 stars to 4 for the pace.

I got this game for Christmas and have played it for many hours. I'm a big fan of the Harvest Moon series (this is the 4th or 5th version I've played) and this one is no exception. Some changes I love, some I don't, some I'd love to see in the next version.

LOVE this:

Easy to upgrade your rucksack! And you can do it early in the game.
All the animals! I can adopt any of the animals if they like me enough - so far I have adopted the snake, the white weasal and the big white dog.
The new characters! I play as a girl and married the wizard - I usually marry Julius and would have again if my son hadn't told me how boring I was to do that.
The wedding ring! Yay, finally you get a ring to wear!
New clothes! I absolutely *love* all the different outfits! In ToT the outfits were just the same thing but in different colors. I love the variety and also love that not every outfit comes with those ugly work gloves!
Having babies is optional! Who wants a kid right after you marry? In this version, if you don't upgrade your house, you don't have a baby!
Treasure hunting! The treasure maps that you buy and follow the clues to the treasure is fun and can be very rewarding.
Open late! The whole town doesn't go to bed/lock the doors at 7pm anymore, so you don't have to race the wind to get somewhere before they close.
Easy access information! In ToT, if you want to know what someone likes or when their birthday is you had to go to city hall. This is now available on your status menu and it puts the birthdays of your marriage prospects right on your calendar for you once their heart level is up to 3.
New crops! Wheat and olives and coffee, oh my!
The energy replenishing hot spring is on your land and doesn't take up any time to sit in it. Also the mud baths in the mines and cave to rejuvenate you are very handy.

Like this, except...

Taking pictures! I love this feature and also being able to hang them on the wall - BUT you only get to keep 24 photos in your album.
Phone shopping! Not just for Taylor's seeds this time but all the stores can be called at any time to make purchases and some items can only be purchased by phone - BUT you pay double for this convenience AND they don't tell you their hours or when they're closed for the day.
The villas! In earlier versions of HM, your only option was to build another house just like what you already had. I was so excited about buying a villa, thinking that we could all sleep there sometimes, expecting it to be decorated like the homes of the computer characters, but it's just an empty room that you can save your game in. As far as I can tell, you can't buy a bed to put in it! Couches and chairs are available at the carpenter's but your character can't sit down! And if you and your spouse are out on a walk, he can't come in!
Spouse helps out on the farm but frowns about it the whole time and it takes him all day just to water the crops!

Don't like this:

No shipping bin on Toucan Island or in town; if you get full, you have to go home or throw something out.
Take a walk with your spouse? NO, you walk him just like the other pets in your house.
Can't check a recipe before you hit the 'start' button *and* you have to buy recipes, they aren't cheap either!
Ferry rides aren't free anymore and neither is refining of the ores and wonderfuls that you find.
My child was born first and is still in the crib, not walking or talking or crawling, I can't give her milk or cookies or anything else - all the other kids are out walking around and having intelligent conversations with me!

Would love this:

ALL new characters! Some of these characters say the *exact* same thing they said in ToT!
Your child/ren look different depending on who you marry! Julius' child should have purple hair! Luke's child should wear a bandana!
More hugging! The first HM game I played, I hugged all my farm animals and I just loved that. I'd also like to hug my spouse whenever I want, maybe a kiss more than once a season? And also to attend festivals together and weddings and stuff like that. And when we're out together I'd love it if people would talk to *him* too, not just me.

Overall:

I enjoy this game very much, I've spent hours and hours playing it and I can't wait for the next one!

I'm a major Harvest Moon fan and I was not dissapointed with Natsume's latest HM game a bit! I've had it for a few months now and I'm still playing it for hours a day. This is definately one of my favorite HM games.

Like Tree of Tranquility, the Harvest Goddess needs help reviving the tired land of the island and so she summons you for help. You, of course, then do all you can to help the land and make everyone happy again. When you first arrive at the island everyone is VERY gloomy. That changes as you help the island become rich and beautiful again.

It is very like Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, with all the same characters plus a few new ones, same livestock animals, and most of the same wild animals to befriend, but with very fun additions. For instance, you are now able to take pictures from a niffty camera that Simon gives to you, you can ride all of your livestock animals (cow, sheep, goat, horse, and ostrich), you can train your pets to do awesome tricks, fun contests at the festivals, and you can now have two kids instead of just one. You can also dress your kids! How fun! Everything ages a lot faster also. Instead of having to wait a season for things to grow up (kids, animals, etc.) it only takes half a season. I thought that was a major improvement.

There is also a circus that comes to town that lost most of it's stars! If you help the ringmaster out and find his animals (he'll give you hints to where they are) he'll give you an awesome secret that allows you to travel WAY faster.

Your seeds and fertilizer come in packages of one and your tools are harder to advance but it's not too hard. Just make sure you advance your watering can fast if you want to farm a lot. Watering a hundred squares one-by-one is not fun. :(

I would definately recommend this game to anyone who needs to pass the time. It's a great game!

Nice follow up game to HM Tree of Tranquility with a lot of interesting twists, challenges, and changes. I'm still trying to figure out how the vacation spot on Toucan Island (with no shipping box!!) is going to work with crops and animals at home. Nice idea, but will the spouse automatically take care of both crops and animals?? what about farmland extension properties?? will I be able to hire a caretaker for my animals, farm and/or extension farmlands if I don't get married?? And why would anyone want to buy the shack in the mining district?? Wish the rucksack circles were easier to see and storage expansion is problematic. I like the idea of expanding storage cells in this game, but had more storage capability in Tree game. I would like to see some potential storage capabilities like maybe adding a potential addition like a root cellar for storing farming and ranching produce...perhaps also potential additions for an external storage building or a build out in the barn for tools, seeds, fertilizer, etc. I liked the features of Rune Factory: Frontier where you could expand discrete areas of the house (like expansions of the kitchen to increase positions for the appliances) without the need to have the entire house change or be forced to toggle various kitchen appliances. Changes I absolutely love: yard sauna, portability for the matches, order by phone features, and you don't have to hike for days and have multiple houses to get to farmland extension properties! These were frustrating features in Tree game. The timing feature is MUCH more practical and less frustrating than the Tree game.