Should I try the A Wonderful Life remake instead of the original? I'm just not a fan of the original's color scheme—it feels a bit gloomy and uncomfortable to me. (I tried it before, but only for a little bit.)
This post is just for fun and a bit of nostalgia! Can you tell me the story of when you first discovered Harvest Moon?
Also, what keeps you playing to this day? Has this game truly become a part of your life? Or is there anyone here who’s been playing since day one?
Which Harvest Moon games have you played so far (including Story of Seasons, remakes, and Rune Factory)? Which one is your favorite, which one do you think wasn't that great, and feel free to share anything else you want to say!
As for me, my very first game was Back to Nature—so memorable! I was literally just a child back then. I don't really have a title I dislike because I haven't played that many other series yet.
Oh, and some people say that mostly millennials play these games, but I'm actually a Gen Z (who just turned 20). So I feel like there are so many older Harvest Moon games I haven't played yet, and yeah, my journey with the series is still long. I can truly say this series has become a part of my life—it's easily my favorite game franchise of all time. I'm just so glad I discovered it!
I actually got into Harvest Moon because my millennial older sibling introduced it to me. After that, I started exploring the other series in the franchise, until I eventually stumbled upon a gameplay video of Rune Factory Frontier. That's how I discovered the Rune Factory series, and I instantly fell in love with it!
Note: I don't really know what else to say since I haven't prepared my thoughts yet—maybe I'll edit or add more later
I’ve become so anxious and afraid that people will hate me.
(Note: If this is truly my fault, I am deeply sorry.)
Me (F) Since kids, I spend almost all my time at home, so I rarely socialize, making it really hard to make friends. At first, I didn't feel like I needed friends, but the deep sense of loneliness eventually made me crave companionship. Back in elementary school, I had a lot of friends. However, it took me a long time to realize that I was only being used. (Its mainly because my family is well-off). This pattern kept repeating itself—even through high school. Every time I moved up a grade or attended a different school, the exact same thing happened over and over again. I always thought that if I just did whatever they asked, at least they would notice me and I would finally have friends. I was always afraid to say "no" because I was a people pleaser, terrified of ending up alone again. But it became exhausting.
Even though this kept happening in high school, I managed to find one person I considered my best friend. Aside from just wanting friends, I was genuinely always willing to help others out of sincerity because I genuinely enjoy seeing people happy. Then, something happened in high school—I was framed/slandered. I had no one by my side and felt incredibly lonely. Even my own best friend betrayed me at that time, and they never even apologized.
When I entered college, I stopped caring so much about making friends. I met new people, and thankfully, everyone seemed friendly. So I tried to be outgoing, and I think people genuinely liked me. I continued doing what I always did: helping others without expecting anything in return.
Then came a moment when someone invited me to play tennis. She brought her group of friends, and another group consisting of guys wanted to join as well. There was also another girl who didn't belong to any friend group, just like me. We all gathered, and before I knew it, they added me to their group chat. So, what started as two separate friends group suddenly merged—plus me and the other girl that also without a friend group. At first, I was hesitant because while I knew they were fun people, they could also be quite toxic and didn't take college seriously. But because I felt bad asking to leave the group, I just tried to adapt.
I have to admit it was fun at times, but I eventually realized it was changing who I was. Me and that girl who also didn't have a group (let's call her B) started hanging out more often because we actually cared about our studies. While the others were out partying and ignoring assignments, B and I were the complete opposite of them.
And like most people, we liked to gossip. I shared things with her, like how exhausting it was when they got lazy during group projects and other similar issues. We also talked about other people. To be clear, I’m not trying to justify myself—what we talked about were just moments of vent-worthy frustration caused by specific actions. It came from pure frustration, and I usually forgot about it by the next day. We did this a lot—just casual chit-chat—and she always agreed with what I felt.
Until one day, someone told me that B had been repeating everything I said to other people. The absolute worst part is that she also twisted some of my words and turned them into slander.
Did I have a panic attack? Yes. Did my past trauma resurface and trigger my anxiety again? Also yes. At that moment, I felt deeply betrayed, but at the same time, I felt terrible. I was genuinely just venting out of temporary frustration; I didn't even remember half the things I had said because I chose to move on the next day. I never meant for those words to reach anyone else, knowing how much it could hurt people.
What hurts even more is seeing people outside of that friend group acting differently toward me as well. To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s because of this situation or not, but my anxiety is so severe right now, and I constantly feel like everyone hates me. It cuts deep when I remember how I was always there to help anyone around me—whether they were my friends or not, including these exact people. I never said no, I never got angry when they failed to do their part, and I didn't hold it against them when they couldn't help me when I asked. It feels so profoundly unfair. I never distanced myself from anyone or tried to hurt anyone on purpose. So why did they do this to me? I even started seeing a psychologist because of everything that happened.
Long story short, I was starting to feel a little better. But now, with college break ending and classes resuming in a few days, my anxiety has suddenly relapsed out of nowhere. A little note: I already out from the group
I am (20F), weighing 64 kg with a height of 154 cm. I've tried cutting down on food while doing light workouts/aerobics several times, but I feel like there's been no change. At home, I can use a treadmill, but at my boarding house, there isn't one. I also have low blood pressure, so whenever I jog for too long, I physically can't handle it. I suspect my diet might be off as well.
Are there any healthy or fast diet tips for a student living in a boarding house who can't go to the gym? (I might still be able to jog occasionally, but very rarely since I don't know where to jog around here). I really want to lose weight quickly, ideally down to around 50–52 kg. If you have any recommendations on grocery items or daily staple foods I should buy and stock up on right now, please let me know!
Note:
I do not consume things like weight-loss herbal teas because my mom doesn't allow me to (they are quite common in my country).
I live in an Asian country (I prefer not to say exactly where I'm from, but I'm mentioning this because I'm worried some recommended foods might not be available here. However, feel free to give whatever recommendations you have for now, as I might still be able to find them).
Edit: I forgot to mention that I also have acid reflux
Even though the Harvest Moon remakes were pretty successful, does anyone else feel like they're not really "feeling" most of the new games?
Idk, I kind of miss the "weird stuff" the old games had, like the mermaid, the Witch Princess, or that one bachelorette who sleep in the mine (?). But I don't know, maybe it's just because of nostalgia
Edit: as an addition, I feel the new game is so bright and... easy(?). It's feel more challenging back then. And like the original A Wonderful Life looked so gloomy back then, but that was actually what made it so appealing. Why is it so bright in the remake, though
Is there any way to keep our eyes healthy even though we look at screens every day? For me, I like playing games and drawing, and I'm sure I'll also be required to look at screens for work in the future. My prescription is -3.00 now, which isn't too bad... I guess. But is there a way to prevent it from getting worse, or could I even reduce it.
My friends always say that eye prescription can't be reduced, but I actually do believe that prescription can be cured, I just don't know how
Has Marvelous announced anything about the next Story of Seasons or Rune Factory game yet? Whether it's a remake or a completely new title—or have we literally gotten no news at all?
Every Story of Seasons and Rune Factory game on Steam is on my wishlist. I really want to buy the Deluxe versions just so I can feel fully satisfied, but buying them at full price is way too expensive for me right now...
I'm a college student with no job, so I still rely on allowance from my parents. Don't worry, I never actually spend money on unimportant things and I still manage my finances wisely. But on the other hand, I really want to buy these games because I'm a huge fan and Harvest Moon was a big part of my childhood. My mom said I can buy games as long as they're on sale and cheap enough, but not when they're still around $30–$40—which I completely understand. Cause after all, no matter how fun it is, it's still just a game, and it feels like a waste to spend that much money on it. Right now, I'm just playing some older games while waiting for a Steam sale. I don't want to be stubborn and buy them while they're still expensive (for me).
Does anyone know when these games usually go on discount? Do the it ever announce sales in advance, or do I just have to keep checking Steam and find out myself?
(Note: I already own RF4 Special and RF5 when it on sale)
We have remake versions of older games that feature old classic characters. We also have a fresh new Story of Seasons game with a brand-new storyline and characters.
But to be honest, I really miss seeing the old characters appear in the series—like Ann, Popuri, Elly, Gray, Cliff etc. I know the FoMT remake has them, but I don't mean like just a remakes or just characters DLCs. I literally mean having them return as actual characters in new games, like when they combined the characters from Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town in one series. I know I could always just replay the older games, but I miss them by nostalgia and want them to return as full characters with brand-new storylines and better graphics. They used to appear in several entries, like DS and HM64 too.
Can I ask who the actual canon pair for our MC is in some Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons or even Rune Factory series that you know of?
And I also want to ask about the relationships between characters in each series. I mean, like, is Ellen from Magical Melody the same Ellen who is Elli's grandmother? Who is whose ancestor? And why is it that in some games certain characters are siblings, but in other games they suddenly become lovers? (If I'm not mistaken). Also, when some of the same characters reappear in other series, is there any explanation for why they moved to a new town? Or are they completely different characters?
As we get older, sometimes we tend to forget what happened in our lives. I also always have a lot on my mind, so I occasionally forget small things. I’m not that forgetful, but sometimes I’m afraid that I will forget good memories, or maybe small funny things that ever happened in my life. I once thought about writing them down in a diary, but honestly, I don't like writing, and I'm afraid it might end up becoming a burden.
Since I'm also an overthinker, I worry that I'll feel anxious or frustrated if I forget to write down a specific moment and eventually get burned out, and I'm afraid this will turn into an obligation for me. I also feel like it's impossible for me to keep a diary forever, and I wonder at what age I should stop (actually, I’m 20 years old now, but I feel like there’s nothing interesting in my past to write about other than pain, and I don't like writing about my own pain and prefer to just forget it).
I want to ask you guys: do you save those memories in writing, or do you just let them be and live life as usual?
When I played Harvest Moon when I was a kid, I played it like a kid usually does. I didn't care if my gameplay was perfect or not, I discovered everything by myself. Sometimes I missed an event, I didn't win a contest etc, and yeah, a lot of fun.
But now I am older, I always want a "perfect" gameplay. I think I remember I ever literally restarted the whole game because I missed something in the game, but sometimes if I think about it, I think I'm kind of too hard on myself. The gameplay is still somehow fun, but why did I literally delete all my hard work for that?
Maybe for example, if you've ever played RF Tides of Destiny, you know you can use the Arch-Dragon, Talynn, to teleport to another island. But at first, I was saving my money too much so I never used Talynn's wishes, and as time went on, I kind of forgot I could even use that. I only remembered when she was already gone. At that time, I really wanted to replay the game because I was thinking, "what was I doing?". But then I didn't, cause I don't want to fight all of those bosses again. (At that time, I didn't know I could use the new Arch-Dragon).
But yeah, maybe i need to stop doing that
When playing HM/SoS/RF, what year do you usually reach at most? Maybe like year 2 or 3 (in-game)? I once played up to year 5, but I always feel like I'm weird for playing that long
I am sorry if you've seen this same question somewhere before, but I wanted to ask because it's been bugging me a bit. Please feel free to skip this or leave it unanswered if you don't feel like replying—no worries at all!
So, I am attracted to both genders, which actually made it pretty easy to choose a spouse in older games. Back then, they only provided marriage candidates of one gender depending on whether you played as a boy or a girl. I always played through those games twice—once as a boy and once as a girl—and married a husband and a wife in each respective playthrough.
But now, same-sex marriage is an option, right? And I am so confused about who to marry! My plan is to play as my own gender and pick one girl and one boy to be my spouses, which means I'll need to create separate save files. My original plan was to just play through the game, make money, farm as usual, and do everything else until I'm ready to propose—and that's when I would split my save files.
However, I'm stuck. During the main playthrough, whenever there's a festival or event where you can invite a character on a date, I'm torn on who to choose between the two. I know I could just reload the save file to experience the scene with both of them, but I'm the type of player who likes having those festival date memories saved in a single main file, if that makes sense. And since I love both candidates equally, I can't decide which date memory to keep in my main save file. In older games, I always chose the person I wanted to pursue—even if our heart level was already high—just to get that memento, even though I knew I’d get a similar moment with them later when we got married. But now, I'm not just pursuing one candidate—I have two, and yeah, I'm so confused.
I even thought about splitting the save files during the festivals instead. But some of these date festivals happen really early on, like in Spring or Summer. Splitting the file that early feels like a waste to me since there's still so much journey left ahead.
I know some people create separate save files to marry different characters, but how do you manage it? At what point do you usually split your saves? And if you wait until right before marriage like I planned, how do you decide who to invite to festivals that allow a date?
Note: I'm aware of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma allowing you to marry multiple candidates, but I'm not referring to that specific game right now.
I think i ever ask this somewhere but i kind of forget and cant find the post
How long (in-game time) does it usually take to finish RF: ToD?
I’m currently playing this game and I absolutely love it, but the thing is, I feel like I’m playing way too slowly. I’m already around Fall 24 of Year 1, and Winter is just around the corner, but I only recently unlocked the Water Shrine. The main reason it took me so long is that I needed extra time to defeat the boss at the Flame Shrine.
I got way too carried away with raising my cooking skill, bonding with townspeople, farming, taming monsters, and making money—to the point where I completely forgot to train my forging skill. Because of that, I can't make stronger weapons yet. My character is only around level 18 (if I remember correctly), and most of my weapon skills are still at level 1, except for Dual Blades which is a bit higher since I use it all the time.
Oh, and one more thing—I totally forgot that I could use Talynn to teleport! Early on, I was trying to save money, so I never really used Talynn's wishes. Instead, I kept riding my Golem to travel to distant islands, which took forever. I only remembered the teleport option right after Talynn left, now i just waiting for the egg to hatch.
Now I’m totally overthinking it because I feel so behind. It’s almost Year 2 and I haven't made much progress in the main story. I’m not even sure if I’m strong enough to fight the Water Shrine boss.
Does anyone have any tips or advice? Especially for fighting the bosses so maybe i can chase the main story
I already bought RF5 when it was first released, but I never really played it because I was kind of busy. Yesterday I tried playing it with my friend watching, and we kind of agreed that the game is..."too much to do(?)", I mean, I've played Rune Factory before, but this one is kind of confusing for me. So I left it again. Then there is RF Guardians of Azuma now; it's kinda expensive, but I am planning to buy it once it goes on discount. But the question is, is it better?
Actually, I don't really mind playing RF5. Maybe at that time I was just a little bit confused because the controls were different too. Maybe I just wasn't feeling it back then. Should I try playing it again, or just start playing GoA first? Can you give me some review with both games?
Help, I usually play using save states in Dolphin Emulator, but why can't the save state be used all of a sudden? I feel like I didn't press anything. I play one PC, it literally can't be load.
So, I want to play a few Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons / Rune Factory games that look interesting to me. I’m planning to play two games at the same time, and I want to pair games that are balanced enough so I don't get burnt out playing both.
Right now, I'm playing Harvest Moon: Animal Parade paired with Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny.
To be honest, Animal Parade is super fun, and it didn't take long for me to collect 4 bells—I just have the purple bell left. However, I haven't really upgraded my house or other things yet, so I'm trying to make more money. Also, raising friendship levels with the villagers takes quite a bit of effort.
Meanwhile, Tides of Destiny is going pretty smoothly too. It’s easy to make money and raise friendship levels, but because this game features combat, fighting monsters and bosses gets kind of exhausting—though it's still fun!
I can say both games have their own kind of exhaustion, but they’re still enjoyable. To be honest though, after trying to defeat a boss in Tides of Destiny, I thought to myself, "Maybe I should take a break from playing Rune Factory for a bit, because I need a rest from all the monster fighting and combat."
My plan for the next pair of games was Magical Melody and Rune Factory: Frontier. Could I get a review of Frontier? I vaguely remember someone saying it's also pretty exhausting because of its Runey system, which I don't fully understand. Should I save Frontier for later and maybe start pairing MM with Tree of Tranquility first? Or perhaps Trio of Towns? Or actually still stay with frontier and maybe its not going to be that bad.
For context, regarding the older games, I plan to play Trio of Towns, Hero of Leaf Valley, Magical Melody, Tale of Two Towns, Tree of Tranquility, and perhaps Back to Nature (I’ve played it before, but I think it’s best for nostalgia). I also want to replay it as the other gender, but maybe later when I feel like diving back in.
I'm saving the newer games available on Steam for later.
In Rune Factory Tides of Destiny. Are there any tips for defeating all the bosses quickly (both shrine bosses and the final boss)? It's getting kind of exhausting fighting them all
What is New Game + (NG+) in Harvest Moon: Animal Parade? They say we have to send one of our kids away, and after that, we can create a new save file. So, will the previous save file be deleted? Or can we still play it, and if so, does our child still leave? I don't really understand