To earn the spritesвЂ™ favor, offer them gifts, and theyвЂ™ll work harder.

Generally, different colored sprites aid in all of the tasks available. First off, the emphasis on harvest sprites allows for much-needed help around the farm, since cutting grass, watering crops, and taking care of animals can easily take an entire day to do. But hey, maybe thatвЂ™s what the doctor ordered.ДЇor those new to the series, or who, like me, have only played one or two games before, some additions are worth commenting on. What folks are getting here is vanilla flavor Harvest Moon. This is вЂњHarvest Moon DS,вЂќ without a subtitle no Grand Bazaar, no Sunshine Islands. The big question for veterans is whether this game does anything especially novel to warrant double-digit hours of commitment. Secret option three sounds good: a little from column A and a little from column B.ДЄnyone with an ounce of understanding of the Harvest Moon games knows exactly what theyвЂ™re getting into when they embark on a new journey into this franchise. I have two choices: I can slam this game for its emphasis on repetition (aka grinding) or I can appreciate what the developers tried to doвЂ¦ for the fifth time. Unlocking the inner workings of the denizens of Mineral Town takes work, and thatвЂ™s part of the fun. Whether this is a favorable experience or not completely depends on how the game is approached. For those new to the series, discovering the confetti of characters whose favor you can curry will likely prove an intriguing or frustrating venture. Sure, farming, raising animals, and wooing a lass are probably the most immediate draws, but Harvest Moon is an вЂњexperience,вЂќ rather than a level up and beat secret bosses kind of game. HereвЂ™s the part of the review where I say that gamers arenвЂ™t playing Harvest Moon for its story, but for the gameplay. After they disappear, the Witch Princess takes note of our protagonist (aka you), and says he has to help, because only he can save her. Her life would be boring without the Harvest Goddess, so she orders the 101 innocent bystander harvest sprites (I counted around seven or eight, but whatever) to save the Harvest Goddess. So hereвЂ™s the part where the Witch Princess вЂњkya ha ha haвЂќвЂs and claims victory, right? Nope. Then, in an attempt to reverse the effects of the spell, she accidentally sends the goddess to another world. After the Witch Princess and Harvest Goddess part (since theyвЂ™re equally matched), the Witch Princess complains about the goddessвЂ™s irritating habit of saying вЂњTadaaaaaa!вЂќ Now, I realize that IвЂ™m a 26-year-old playing a game thatвЂ™s most likely intended for a younger audience, but couldnвЂ™t the writers try a little harder? At any rate, the goddess shows up, and, sure enough, says вЂњTadaaaaaa!вЂќ What ensues is what those on the Internet would describe as вЂњepic failвЂќ вЂ“ the Witch Princess turns the Harvest Goddess into stone.

The game opens immediately with the Witch Princess and Harvest Goddess fighting to a draw. Huh? Whassat? Sorry, I just came out of the coma that A Wonderful Life induced. But Natsume keeps cranking these suckers out, so hereвЂ™s to you city-dwelling farming addicts living vicariously through an overall-clad child-suitor.

Granted, IвЂ™ve only played two previous iterations of the series, but thatвЂ™s the entire problem: whether IвЂ™m playing on a Super Nintendo, GameCube, or DS, IвЂ™m essentially playing the same game. I can knock out SimCity games one after the other, but something about Harvest Moon games has always seemedвЂ¦ unfinished. There comes a time in every reviewerвЂ™s life when he has to break down and play a game he knows he wonвЂ™t like, within a genre he doesnвЂ™t particularly care for.

Harvest moon ds