2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Harvest Moon in North America – the popular farming simulation franchise. In celebration, publisher Natsume and Rising Star Games have announced the newest game in the franchise – Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. It will be available on PlayStation 4, as well as the Nintendo Switch and Steam for the first time in the franchise’s history. The game will be playable at this year’s E3 on both the Switch and PC at Natsume’s booth.
The story begins with players setting out to sea, only for their ship to be hit by a monsoon. They will find themselves in a small harbor town and must help rebuild it. As one might expect, players will grow crops, tend to livestock, gather building materials, make friends with the townspeople, and eventually start a family.
Natsume hopes to return to the series’ roots in Light of Hope. In a recent press release, CEO Hiro Maekawa states: “Harvest Moon: Light of Hope will set itself apart from other Harvest Moon titles with its depth, including a robust story and clear-cut goals…We set out to create a SNES-style nostalgic game with deep and meaningful characters and events, and we are excited to have our fans play it at E3 and tell us what they think!”
In addition to a brand new game, Natsume has also brought re-releases of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland to the PS4, and Harvest Moon 64 to the Wii U. Rising Star Games is also working on Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers – the first Harvest Moon game for smart devices.
Expect to see more of the beloved franchise’s newest game this June at E3.
