History VideoGame / HarvestMoon

''Harvest Moon'' (known as 牧場物語, ''Bokujō Monogatari'' in Japan, lit. "Ranch Story") is a series of {{Simulation Game}}s based on farming developed by Marvelous (formerly Pack-in-Video, then Victor Interactive Software, then Marvelous Entertainment, then Marvelous AQL, due to a long line of buyouts and mergers on the Japanese side) and translated by Creator/{{Natsume}} in North America and Rising Star Games in Europe.

The original game was released for the Platform/SuperNintendo in 1996, and since then there have been over twenty ''Harvest Moon'' titles released for a variety of different consoles. The plot line, such as it is, is much the same for almost every game: the protagonist, a young hero, just starting life on his or her own, inherits or buys a farm. Sadly, its previous owner was unable to keep up with chores on the farm, leaving it in a significantly dilapidated state... and now it's up to you to fix it!

Some games have an UnexpectedGameplayChange or two; ''VideoGame/RuneFactory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon'' for the DS has a fantasy setting and some RPG-style elements, such as the ability to fight monsters (and with the releases of ''RF 2'' (DS) and ''Frontier'' (Wii), has become a full-fledged SpinOff Series), while in ''[[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon]]'' for the PSP, the player character is actually a RidiculouslyHumanRobot.

In early 2014, Marvelous AQL dropped Natsume as publishing and localization company for ''Bokujou Monogatari'' in the West, switching instead to Creator/XSEEDGames, their Western division who were already localizing ''Rune Factory''. However, while Natsume still owns the rights to the ''Harvest Moon'' brand, many fans favour XSEED's localisation and translation style. Natsume has chosen to continue making games under the "Harvest Moon" label that contain a similar style of gameplay but are in themselves not ''Bokujou Monogatari'' games. How everything went down is explained in [[http://www.siliconera.com/2015/03/18/harvest-moon-beyond-whats-next-natsume/ this interview]]. The official continuation of the series is now being released under the title ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'', causing no small amount of confusion for fans and retailers alike.

Don't confuse for the Music/NeilYoung song or album, although it could make one good soundtrack for the game, or the Music/BlueOysterCult song which would make a decidedly [[EldritchAbomination less fitting soundtrack]] for the games.

Compare and contrast with ''VideoGame/HometownStory'', ''VideoGame/LittleDragonsCafe'', and ''VideoGame/RiverKing'', the former two being by the creator of the franchise and the latter being ''Harvest Moon'''s sister series. The franchise has inspired a host of [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]], a genre which has since come to be known as FarmLifeSim.

!!Main Pages
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'': The page for the ''Bokujō Monogatari'' games.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonNatsume'': The page for the Natsume-made InNameOnly titles.
[[/index]]

[[folder:The games in the series (North American releases) include]]

!!Games published in North America by Creator/{{Natsume}}, Inc.
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' (Platform/{{SNES}}, 1996)[[/index]]
* ''Harvest Moon GB'' (Platform/GameBoy, 1997)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' (Platform/{{Nintendo 64}}, 1999)
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon2'' GBC (Platform/GameBoyColor, 1999)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]]'' (Platform/PlayStation, 1999)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature for Girl]]'' ([=PlayStation=], 2000, [[NoExportForYou Japan only]])
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon3 Harvest Moon 3]]'' GBC (Platform/GameBoyColor, 2000)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland Save The Homeland]]'' (Platform/PlayStation2, 2001)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonFriendsOfMineralTown Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (Platform/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' (Platform/NintendoGameCube, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonFriendsOfMineralTown More Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (Platform/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'' (Platform/NintendoGameCube, 2004)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]] [[UpdatedRerelease Special Edition]]'' ([=PlayStation=] 2, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' (Platform/NintendoGameCube, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS Harvest Moon DS]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS Cute]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2007)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' (Platform/{{Wii}}, 2007)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' (Platform/{{Wii}}, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMyLittleShop My Little Shop]]'' (Platform/WiiWare, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSunshineIslands Sunshine Islands]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonHeroOfLeafValley Hero of Leaf Valley]]'' (Platform/PlayStationPortable, 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonGrandBazaar Grand Bazaar]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns The Tale of Two Towns]]'' (Platform/NintendoDS, Platform/Nintendo3DS; 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2012)
[[/index]]

!!Games published in North America by Creator/XSEEDGames
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons2014'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2015; note that this is the full title of the series due to trademark issues)[[/index]]
* ''Return to [=PopoloCrois=]: A Story of Seasons Fairytale'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2015; Based on the ''VideoGame/{{PopoloCrois}}'' series of manga, anime, and [=PlayStation=] games)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2016 in Japan; 2017 internationally.)
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch, 2019 in Japan; EnhancedRemake of both ''Friends of Mineral Town'' and ''More Friends of Mineral Town'')
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsPioneersOfOliveTown'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch, 2021)
[[/index]]

!!Games developed by Creator/{{Natsume}} Inc (An InNameOnly series as Natsume still own the rights to the name)
[[index]]
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheLostValley The Lost Valley]]'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2014)[[/index]]
* ''Seeds of Memories'' (Platform/WiiU, PC, Platform/{{iOS|Games}}, {{Platform/Android|Games}}, 2015)[[index]]
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSkytreeVillage Skytree Village]]'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2016)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonLightOfHope Light of Hope]]'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, PC, 2017)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonOneWorld One World]]'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, 2021)
[[/index]]

!Spin-offs include:
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/InnocentLifeAFuturisticHarvestMoon'' (Platform/PlayStationPortable, 2007)
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2007; the rest of the series is now a separate franchise, despite not straying from its roots)[[/index]]
* ''Puzzle De Harvest Moon'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2007)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonFranticFarming'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2009; a sequel to ''Puzzle De'' based on ''Island of Happiness'')
* ''Minna de Bokujou Monogatari'' (browser game, 2010; Japan-only, servers closed in 2012)
* ''Harvest Moon: Pocket Ranch'' (mobile, 2011; Japan-only)
* ''Harvest Moon: Lil' Farmers'' (mobile, 2017; app aimed at toddlers and other young children)
* ''VideoGame/DoraemonStoryOfSeasons'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch and PC, 2019; a crossover with the ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' series)
[[/index]]
* ''Harvest Moon: Mad Dash'' (Platform/NintendoSwitch and Platform/Playstation4, 2019)

[[/folder]]

The original game was released for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo in 1996, and since then there have been over twenty ''Harvest Moon'' titles released for a variety of different consoles. The plot line, such as it is, is much the same for almost every game: the protagonist, a young hero, just starting life on his or her own, inherits or buys a farm. Sadly, its previous owner was unable to keep up with chores on the farm, leaving it in a significantly dilapidated state... and now it's up to you to fix it!

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' (UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}, 1996)[[/index]]
* ''Harvest Moon GB'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoy, 1997)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' (UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}, 1999)
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon2'' GBC (UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, 1999)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]]'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation, 1999)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon3 Harvest Moon 3]]'' GBC (UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, 2000)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland Save The Homeland]]'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, 2001)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonFriendsOfMineralTown Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonFriendsOfMineralTown More Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2004)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS Harvest Moon DS]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS Cute]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2005)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2007)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMyLittleShop My Little Shop]]'' (UsefulNotes/WiiWare, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSunshineIslands Sunshine Islands]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2009)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonHeroOfLeafValley Hero of Leaf Valley]]'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonGrandBazaar Grand Bazaar]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns The Tale of Two Towns]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS; 2010)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2012)

* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons2014'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015; note that this is the full title of the series due to trademark issues)[[/index]]
* ''Return to [=PopoloCrois=]: A Story of Seasons Fairytale'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015; Based on the ''VideoGame/{{PopoloCrois}}'' series of manga, anime, and [=PlayStation=] games)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016 in Japan; 2017 internationally.)
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019 in Japan; EnhancedRemake of both ''Friends of Mineral Town'' and ''More Friends of Mineral Town'')
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsPioneersOfOliveTown'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2021)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheLostValley The Lost Valley]]'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2014)[[/index]]
* ''Seeds of Memories'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}}, {{UsefulNotes/Android|Games}}, 2015)[[index]]
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSkytreeVillage Skytree Village]]'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonLightOfHope Light of Hope]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, PC, 2017)
* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonOneWorld One World]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, 2021)

* ''VideoGame/InnocentLifeAFuturisticHarvestMoon'' (UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, 2007)
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007; the rest of the series is now a separate franchise, despite not straying from its roots)[[/index]]
* ''Puzzle De Harvest Moon'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007)[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonFranticFarming'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2009; a sequel to ''Puzzle De'' based on ''Island of Happiness'')

* ''VideoGame/DoraemonStoryOfSeasons'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and PC, 2019; a crossover with the ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' series)

* ''Harvest Moon: Mad Dash'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/Playstation4, 2019)

As with [[TheWikiRule most popular series]], it has a [[http://harvestmoon.wikia.com/ wiki]].

*
''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonOneWorld One World]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, 2021)

''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonOneWorld One World]]'' (UsesulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, 2021)

Compare and contrast with ''VideoGame/HometownStory'', ''VideoGame/LittleDragonsCafe'', and ''VideoGame/RiverKing'', the former two being by the creator of the franchise and the latter being ''Harvest Moon'''s sister series.

For SpiritualSequel games see FarmLifeSim.

* ''Seeds of Memories'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}}, {{Android|Games}}, 2015)[[index]]

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS Harvest Moon DS]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2006)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)

''Harvest Moon'' (known as 牧場物語, ''Bokujō Monogatari'' in Japan, lit. "Ranch Story") is a series of {{Simulation Game}}s based on farming developed by Marvelous AQL (formerly Pack-in-Video, then Victor Interactive Software, then Marvelous Entertainment, due to a long line of buyouts and mergers on the Japanese side) and translated by Creator/{{Natsume}} in North America and Rising Star Games in Europe.

The original game was released for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo in 1997, and since then there have been over twenty ''Harvest Moon'' titles released for a variety of different consoles. The plot line, such as it is, is much the same for almost every game: the protagonist, a young hero, just starting life on his or her own, inherits or buys a farm. Sadly, its previous owner was unable to keep up with chores on the farm, leaving it in a significantly dilapidated state... and now it's up to you to fix it!

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' (UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}, 1997)[[/index]]

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheLostValley The Lost Valley]]'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2014)
* ''Seeds of Memories'' [[/index]](UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}}, {{Android|Games}}, 2015)[[index]]

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonLightOfHope Light of Hope]]'' [[/index]](UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, PC, 2017)[[index]]

* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007; the rest of the series is now a separate franchise, despite not straying from its roots)
* ''Puzzle De Harvest Moon'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2007)

* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' (UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}, 1997)
* ''Harvest Moon GB'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoy, 1997)

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]] [[DistaffCounterpart for Girl]]'' ([=PlayStation=], 2000, [[NoExportForYou Japan only]])

* ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends Of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)

* ''[[DistaffCounterpart More]] [[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]'' (UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance, 2003)
* ''[[DistaffCounterpart Another]] [[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Wonderful Life]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, 2004)

* ''DS [[DistaffCounterpart Cute]]'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, 2005)

* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015; note that this is the full title of the series due to trademark issues)
* ''Return to [=PopoloCrois=]: A Story of Seasons Fairytale'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2015; Based on the ''VideoGame/{{PopoloCrois}}'' series of manga, anime, and [=PlayStation=] games)
* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016 in Japan; 2017 internationally.)[[/index]]

!SpiritualSequel games, both commercial and fanmade, include:
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonMeadowOfDreams''
* ''VideoGame/GleanerHeights''
* ''Moonlight Tales''
* ''VideoGame/MyTimeAtPortia''
* ''Peaceful Days''
* ''VideoGame/StardewValley''
* ''VideoGame/VerdantSkies''
* ''VideoGame/WorldsDawn''

* ''Seeds of Memories'' [[/index]](UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, {{iOS|Games}}, {{Android|Games}}, 2015)[[index]]

* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsReunionInMineralTown'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019 in Japan; EnhancedRemake of both ''Friends of Mineral Town'' and ''More Friends of Mineral Town'')

* ''Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019 in Japan; EnhancedRemake of both ''Friends of Mineral Town'' and ''More Friends of Mineral Town'')

[[/index]]

* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2016 in Japan; 2017 internationally.)
* Upcoming ''Story of Seasons'' game [[/index]](UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, TBA)[[index]]
[[/index]]

''Harvest Moon'' (known as 牧場物語, Bokujō Monogatari in Japan, lit. "Ranch Story") is a series of {{Simulation Game}}s based on farming developed by Marvelous AQL (formerly Pack-in-Video, then Victor Interactive Software, then Marvelous Entertainment, due to a long line of buyouts and mergers on the Japanese side) and translated by Creator/{{Natsume}} in North America and Rising Star Games in Europe.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harvest_Moon_Logo.png]]

[[[/index]]

''Harvest Moon'' (known as 牧場物語, Bokujō Monogatari in Japan, lit. "Ranch Story") is a series of {{Simulation Game}}s based on farming developed by Marvelous AQL (formerly Pack-in-Video, then Victor Interactive Software, then Marvelous Entertainment, due to a long line of buyouts and mergers on the Japanese side) and translated by Creator/{{Natsume}} in North America and Rising Star Games in Europe. The original game was released for the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo in 1997, and since then there have been over twenty ''Harvest Moon'' titles released for a variety of different consoles. The plot line, such as it is, is much the same for almost every game: the protagonist, a young hero, just starting life on his or her own, inherits or buys a farm. Sadly, its previous owner was unable to keep up with chores on the farm, leaving it in a significantly dilapidated state... and now it's up to you to fix it!

Gameplay is generally fairly simple. The player must clear his/her fields, plant crops, raise livestock like cows, sheep, and chickens, care for pets like horses and dogs, and gather materials from the countryside to help improve his/her house or sell for extra cash. However, the "business" aspects of play are not nearly the full scope of the game; the social aspect of the series is one of its biggest draws.

In addition to making money through a variety of means, the player is generally expected to integrate himself or herself into the community. Players can make friends with various townsfolk, attend festivals (which range from paralleling real-life holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, to pseudo-religious ceremonies, purely social occasions in the community, and competitions where the player can compete himself or herself or enter his/her livestock or pets to compete), woo the local girls (or guys in later versions where you can [[DistaffCounterpart play as a female farmer]]), and eventually get married and have children.

There is a distinct flavor of the spiritual in the ''Harvest Moon'' games; the player can typically meet a variety of imps, sprites, spirits, fairies, and even the Harvest Goddess, most of which are friendly and will help you out if you give offerings or make an effort to befriend them. Though a game that revolves around doing ''farm chores'' might sound ridiculously boring, somehow they managed to make an entertaining, stylish, successful game franchise around the concept. Not to mention ridiculously addictive. Although the series has never achieved massive sales numbers, it enjoys an extremely loyal cult fanbase.

In the majority of the games, there is a certain time limit (usually between two and three years of game time) built in, at which point some event (such as the character's father visiting the farm) occurs and the player is "graded"- but it's almost always possible to continue playing indefinitely even after you've received your "grade".

!The games in the series (North American releases) include:

* ''Seeds of Memories'' [[/index]](UsefulNotes/WiiU, PC, UsefulNotes/{{iOS}}, UsefulNotes/{{Android}}, 2015)[[index]]

!Spinoffs include:

----
!!The ''Harvest Moon'' series provides examples of:


[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A to C]]
* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: Goes hand in hand with logical problems in the series.
* AerithAndBob: On the protagonists side there's Sara, Rachel, Mark, and Pete. Then there's Pony and Toy (more popularly written by fans as "Tony", but it's ambiguous which is the official spelling). For the NPC's there's Neil, Dirk, Elise, and Chet. Of course, there's Chocola, Nami, Amir, and Cozy. It seems to be a tradition for this series.
* AllInARow: In the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} games, you can have your spouse, your pets, or one of your children walk with you. They follow obediently behind you in this fashion, and you can create some amusingly [[Series/TheBennyHillShow Benny Hill-esque]] chains: farmer chased by little boy chased by penguin chased by [[BearsAreBadNews OH GOD, A BEAR!]]
* AllNaturalGemPolish: In most games it's played straight with the player mining pre-cut precious stones, but it's notably averted in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' - all the gems you find are uncut and require Mira to appraise and cut them before they're worth anything. And she has a decent chance of failing, too.
* AnachronismStew: Most games will include very modern items like [=TVs=] or refrigerators, maybe even DVD players, but there will never be any industrialization of the farming industry. For the most part, most of the games released up until ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' had fashion resembling the early to late 20th century.
* ArtEvolution: The character designs changed a lot since games like ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife''. Compare the mostly naturalistic hair colors (with the token blue or pink haired character) and average looking character designs of the early games like ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' to the brighter toned, more {{bishonen}} filled games like ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility''.
* AwesomeButImpractical:
** Several magical items throughout the games which do exactly what they say but aren't worth the time needed to use them or the effort needed to gain them. Stamina/fatigue recovery items in particular are often inferior to readily purchasable or makable items.
** In many games there is one crop that is significantly more profitable than all the others (e.g. strawberries in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'', Blue Mist Flowers in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]''), and planting this crop in great numbers for an entire season can easily make you rich. Similarly, many games have "money tricks" that allow you to make loads of money in a short period of time. However, since one of the chief goals of the game is to make money, using these methods can make the game quite boring.
* BabiesEverAfter: One of the primary goals of most of the games; if it's not ''mandatory'', it will at least be required to get OneHundredPercentCompletion. Find a suitable match, fall in love, marry them, and have a baby with them.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: Whoo boy, Natsume does ''not'' have the best track record. Since the games are Japanese, ''every'' game in the series contains various errors and quirks in the English translation (though most are typos instead of translation errors), some worse than others. The shift of localization from Natsume to Creator/XSEEDGames helped to mitigate this:
** Natsume misspelled their own name on the title screen of ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 Harvest Moon 64]]'', among tons of other mistakes, as well as at least one character who doesn't even speak English in the translated version.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' for the Gamecube you can get a "Mae" sheep.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'', Muffy's response to receiving an ore is literally an error message.
** Sometimes if you talk to Gotz in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', his dialog will suddenly turn into Japanese characters.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]'':
*** Sofa is misspelled as "sopha." It's the old word for sofa but... really?
*** A dish you can cook is a Dinner Role and not a Dinner Roll.
*** Similarly, you buy "Flower" at the General Store and not "Flour".
*** Zack's dialog will suddenly turn into Japanese characters on occasion.
*** Carter will sometimes speak German. Keep in mind that this is in ''the North American English translation.''
*** Gray will speak in Japanese if you talk to him while he's on his way into the blacksmith's.
** Certain foods will state they can be "eated".
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' actually does quite well in this respect, but there are some occasional minor translation errors, such as the PC's children being referred to with the wrong gender pronouns. Often they're referred to as "it" regardless of sex, and don't be alarmed if your daughters get referred to as "he".
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' has some issues. A few typos are scattered about, at least one prize given from completing a contest has its name in Japanese when it's given to you, being congratulated for winning the beginner cooking festival when you won the intermediate one, and giving the Harvest Goddess an item she likes causes a scripting error that has her say the mood change her portrait should do instead of it actually changing.
** Averted with ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' where it's translated seamlessly by Creator/XSEEDGames.
* BoringButPractical: In many games, fishing is one of the best ways to make money, especially early in the game, but it can get highly repetitive. However, many games make catching every kind of fish a {{sidequest}} with its own benefits.
* {{Bowdlerise}}:
** Natsume has done this several times. They've changed references of alcohol to "juice" and "soda" (though most games include alcoholic references) in at least two games, taken out the thinly veiled GayOption in ''DS Cute'', and removed religious references in a few games (most, including the SNES title, keep them completely intact). They also changed lines in some games, especially in the Wii games; Gil had an infamous line about wanting to lock you in a basement, which was changed in the translation.
** Averted in ''Story of Seasons'': canonically gay character Marian is untouched, and the player can build their own winery on their farm.
* BraggingRightsReward: The various "bonus" bachelors/bachelorettes throughout the series:
** Marrying the Harvest Goddess--by the time you're capable of marrying her, you've usually done everything else ''but'' get married. She doesn't even live with you--you still have to give her a gift in her pond if you want to talk to her.
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends of Mineral Town]]'' also had the Gourmet. You can only talk to him ''one day out of the year.'' You have to cook every food available. And once you marry him, he doesn't even ''stick around''--he only comes home for family events, and otherwise, he's gone.
** The Harvest Goddess (and Harvest King) as purely BraggingRightsReward candidates is averted in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]''. To woo them, the only thing you have to do is beat the main storyline--and that's hardly anything at all with regards to OneHundredPercentCompletion. They still won't live with you, but there's nothing special you have to do to win their favor. (Well, aside from the usual showering them with gifts, but even that's not too difficult, as their favorite items can be easily purchased.)
** Marrying Alisa in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]''. She's the last of any marriage candidate to be unlocked (Fall of Year 2 at the earliest), the requirements to woo her are totally different than everyone else's (ex. You have to go on at least 100 dates with her and she has no special heart event) and when you finally manage to wed her (Late Winter, Year 3 at the earliest), you don't even get to have kids with her. Not to mention you have to use the Wonderfuls to wish for permission from the Harvest Goddess to marry Alisa. There's a good chance the option to ask won't come up.
** Marrying the Kappa in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends of Mineral Town]]''. It takes ''at least'' '''five''' in-game years to marry to him, the number of requirements to do so are absolutely insane, and once married, the reward is extremely underwhelming. He does not live with you, only visits for family events before disappearing again (how the PC becomes pregnant by him is unclear), and he has ridiculously little dialogue (90% of his speech consists of ellipses). The PC's dialogue when he leaves her immediately after their wedding pretty much sums it all up: "...Why did he marry me?"
** The Witch Princess can become this in a ''[[VdeoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''. Both getting the blueprint for her house (made of three randomly found pieces) and the materials (that include five units of a rare spawn from the most expensive vacation spot) can drag on for quite a while if you're unlucky enough.
* BrokenBridge: Areas are sometimes blocked off until certain story events; in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'', there's a ''literal'' broken bridge that leads up to the mountain peak that isn't fixed until near the end of the first year - though a clever player can find a detour around it before then. (You can get back down by pressing A along the cliff next to the tree to jump back down) There are at least two blocked off areas in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'', more than you can count in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', and in a ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'' a blocked off tunnel is the main focus of the plot.
* ChargedAttack: Done in several games with your tools. How far you've leveled the tool you were using determines [[ChargeMeter how much effort you put into it]] and how much work the tool does in one use.
* CanonName: You can name the characters anything you want, but (with the exceptions of the ''Grand Bazaar'' characters) all the player characters have canon/default names.
* ChocolateOfRomance: In later games, you get delicious homemade goodies on Winter 14 (if you're a boy) or Spring 14 (if you're a girl). This, however, only happens with marriageable characters who are at a certain number of love points.
* CreatureBreedingMechanic: ''Harvest Moon'' is a farming sim so it always features cow pregnancies and chickens laying eggs. Some games like ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon3'' and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' have male animals, unlike the majority of the games, and thus it's possible to breed your own animals instead of using a "Miracle Potion".
* CrystalDragonJesus: ''Harvest Moon'' games tend to have a church with a clearly Catholic priest, including worship services on Sunday mornings and marriage ceremonies performed as necessary, but they actually worship the Harvest Goddess. If you can get past the idea of goddess worship[[note]]or Catholicism, whichever might offend you more[[/note]], consider that this is one of the ''few'' games in which a church is [[SaintlyChurch played up as a positive, appreciated part of life]]. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]]'', for example, the priest is [[GoodShepherd pleasant, kind, and not above a good laugh, and he gives decent advice now and then]]; also, at one point you round up the kids in town and take them to church, and from then on they go to church almost daily, are happy to do so, and even discuss a bit of theology (something about confession ("apologize from the heart")). In ''Sunshine Islands'', Cliff from Mineral Town has a conversation with the priest that confirms there are different types of Harvest Goddess worship.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:D to F]]
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Not just blonde, either--bright ''white'' blonde. Many characters fit this mold, from the Wizard to Prince Amir, and nearly all are implied to be from the same, [[ArabianNightsDays fairly warm and sandy country far away.]]
* DatingSim: A major (albeit optional) subplot throughout the series involves wooing your virtual boyfriend/girlfriend.
* DefrostingTheIceQueen: Each game has at least one suitor (male or female) who fits this trope.
* DiscOneNuke: Fans have done the math on the crops of all of the games, making it ridiculously easy to maximize your profits. In addition, many secrets, such as power berries, are possible to get immediately (with no reliance on luck or skill) if you know where to find them, making it simple to supercharge your farmer well before you would have been able to via legitimate exploration.
* DistaffCounterpart:
** Early games in the series had the player character as male. Several of the games, such as ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]'' had a ''[[DistaffCounterpart For Girl]]'' version released[[note]]''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS Cute]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends of Mineral Town]]''[[/note]], which makes the playable character female and a few features are added, altered, or [[GameBreakingBug fixed]]. Later games allow the player to choose whether to play as male or female at the start of the game.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon3'' has both the male and female characters working and living together on the farm.
* DivineDate: In several games, the Harvest Goddess can be wooed and eventually married by a male character. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' also added the Harvest King for a female character. In every instance, you do end up eventually having a child by your divine spouse, [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar so it's obvious that your union is physically consummated]].
* DramaBomb: Sweet little old ladies in the series have a habit of dying, just to keep you from becoming too complacent in your relaxing farm chores. In particular, [[spoiler: Ellen]] in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'', [[spoiler:Nina]] in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife AWL]]/[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'', and [[spoiler: Eda]] in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons''.
* DrunkenGlow: In many games (such as ''Harvest Moon 64''), if the protagonist drinks their face will turn bright red for a moment.
* DubNameChange:
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' changed all the [[IdenticalGrandson Identical Grandchild]] characters' names to those of their predecessors. For example, in the original, for example, that wasn't Celia, it was ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife AWL]]'' Celia's granddaughter Serena. They also changed Retasu to Leia, probably because naming the obvious {{expy}} after [[Manga/TokyoMewMew the original]] is a little risky.
** Several games have low-key versions of this, such as "Maria" in ''64'' being "Marie" in Japan (her name was retranslated as "Mary" in future games, which still is a dub name change in itself).
** A large number of games feature translated name changes, such as ''A Wonderful Life'' or ''Tree of Tranquility''.
** Averted in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons''. Creator/{{XSEED}} was originally going to do it, but switched it back to the translated Japanese names after listening to fan feedback.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** The original ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1'' features a whole lot of this, such as the exclusion of Heart Events, no friendship system for non-bachelorettes, and a lack of a proper day/night cycle.
** In the first few games you either had to buy a separate game to play as a woman or you couldn't play as a woman ''period''. This was subverted starting with ''Magical Melody'', which allows you to pick a male or female protagonist at the start (and it's been argued newer games put more focus on the female protagonist due to the large amount of female fans). You also could not play past marriage in the first two games using a female protagonist.
** The first several games mainly used a single male protagonist--"Pete". After ''Magical Melody'' (which technically features Adam, not Pete) and ''DS'' his design was discontinued, though several protagonists are still {{exp|y}}ies of him.
** Several early games didn't allow you to ship most items. "Perishables" such as flowers or cakes couldn't be shipped, and you couldn't ship items at night. Later games did away with this, thus making you able to ship almost everything and make money-making ''much'' more easier.
** The first game to feature the Mineral Town cast was ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'', which took place in Flowerbud Village and was a sequel to the original game set two generations later. They had completely different personalities (for example, Karen was a lot more angrier while Kai was much nicer), roles (Popuri worked with flowers instead of chickens and Elli was a baker not a nurse), platonic relationships (Elli wasn't related to Stu), and romantic relationships (Popuri/Gray and Karen/Kai were two of the rival couples, not Popuri/Kai and Rick/Gray). ''Back to Nature'' started development as a basic port but ended up being a complete retool. It ended up being the basis for their personalities from there on and almost all future games use the ''Back to Nature'' personalities, though ''Tree of Tranquility'' shows that Marvelous hasn't completely forgotten about ''64''.
** Somewhere between this and LaterInstallmentWeirdness, older games featured subdued and more realistically rural character designs. Starting with ''Island Of Happiness'' and especially ''Tree of Tranquility'', everyone became far more attractive and brighter coloured.
** The English translation features [[SuddenNameChange a lot]] [[InconsistentTranslation of this]]. For example, the Harvest Goddess was originally the "Goddess of the Land", the Harvest Festival was the "Sowing Festival", and Mary shared the same name as her grandmother (Maria).
* AnEconomyIsYou:
** Especially egregious in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island Of Happiness]]'' where not only do you fix up your farm, but pay for bridge and road repair
** UpToEleven in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' where you have to build all the shops and houses to get the people to even come to town in the first place.
* ElementalCrafting: Almost every game past ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' has some form of upgrade system for tools, usually based on ores and/or ExperiencePoints.
* EternalSexualFreedom: Averted, because it's heavily implied that getting... too serious before marriage is frowned upon in the ''Harvest Moon'' universe. This is most apparent in one scenario in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends of Mineral Town]]''; the Kappa is the one bachelor who will never live with the player character if married, but as with every other marriage candidate, the PC becomes pregnant very shortly after the wedding. Every other husband will notice the PC seems unwell and take her to the doctor; the Kappa, however, just appears in the PC's house one day and says "You, pregnant," and then disappears again, prompting a "[[StunnedSilence ...]]" reaction from her. Then she goes to the doctor and finds out it's true. All the doctor says to the her is "You're going to have a baby" when she shows up at the clinic pregnant and with no husband; no "Congratulations!" like with every other spouse, and Elli is completely silent.
* ExcusePlot:
** Most of the games don't flesh out much beyond the simple premise that you've either purchased or inherited an old farm, and now it's up to you to fix it up and make your living as a farmer.
** In an ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' sidequest, you cannot purchase Hibiscus seeds from Samson right away because his wife and daughter keep arguing, and he just can't bare to sell the seeds in that type of environment. Seriously?!
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' is one of the few that actually has the player trying to achieve a specific goal. The Harvest Goddess turned herself to stone because the townspeople no longer appreciate life like they once did, or her existence; the player must get her back to normal by collecting magical music notes (received by doing a large variety of things in life), and bring the village back to life (so to speak), because he/she is the only person besides Jamie who can see the Harvest Sprites.
* {{Expy}}:
** Character archetypes are used very often in most games, to the point where it's a ritual to some fans. The (usually) hot Asian doctor, the baker, the antisocial quiet guy, the casanova, the {{Tsundere}}, the {{Bokukko}}, the shy {{Meganekko}}, etc.
** Historically the male protagonist is a copy of the first protagonist, Pete. Newer protagonists are more diverse but Henry from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning'' looks like a remake of Pete. It's even more obvious with Rachel from the same game, who is literally just Claire from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature For Girl'' with a hat.
** Almost all of the girls, and the protagonist himself, in ''VideoGame/{{Harvest Moon 64}}'' are similar to characters from the [[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSNES first game]], however it's handwaved that [[GenerationXerox they're their grandchildren]]. Elli looks almost exactly like her grandmother Ellen, the protagonist is an exact replica of his grandfather (down to the clothes), Popuri resembles her grandmother Nina, Ann looks extremely like the original Ann, and Maria looks like the first Maria but with glasses. Karen is the exception, looking little like Eve (though sharing personality traits with her).A few non-bachelorettes also are substitutes of characters.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife'' has Celia as a mix of Ellen and Nina from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSNES'', and Muffy as a reference to Eve from the same game. Celia is a brunette in a dark dress like Ellen and has a similar personality, but has a love for farming and gardening (to somewhat [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric degrees]]) like Nina. Muffy is an older, sexy blonde bartender in a red dress with emotional baggage like Eve.
** Almost every doctor in the franchise is influenced by Doctor from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature for Girl''. They're often attractive Asian men with black hair.
** Lyla from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland'' is a pink haired woman with her EyesAlwaysShut who has a job selling seeds and flowers. This sounds exactly like Lillia from ''VideoGame/{{Harvest Moon 64}}'' who in turn is an substitute for Nina's mother from the [[VideoGame/HarvestMoon1 SNES game]]. It's justified with Lillia as Nina is her mother.
** Gina from ''Save The Homeland'' is a shy, glasses wearing woman like Maria (Mary) from ''VideoGame/{{Harvest Moon 64}}'' and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature''. Sabrina from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness'' is even more obvious. She is essentially Mary with different clothes and hair. They're both ShrinkingViolet bookworms with glasses and long black hair.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody'' was a 10th anniversary title where most characters were from previous games. The one's who weren't are substitutes. Blue is identical to Gray in ''VideoGame/{{Harvest Moon 64}}'' down to being named after a color, Ray looks like Cliff from the same game, Carl bares a resemblance to Jeff from the same game, and Dan looks a little like Kai from that game too (and works at a grape farm like him). Meryl and Tai look like the fortune tellers granddaughter and the peddler from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon1''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:F to H]]
* FairytaleWeddingDress: In some of the games. The Witch Princess is fond of these, especially those with a touch of ElegantGothicLolita.
* FakeDifficulty:
** Later games (especially ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' and ''Sunshine Islands'') make certain goals hard to achieve by simply ramping up the amount of game time it takes to reach them. (Ex. Your child takes three to four in-game years to reach the "walking and talking" stage, where in other games, it would take a year and a half at the most)
** Despite being released in 2012, ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' averts the amount of time needed to do things increasing as it goes on. It's fairly reasonable with the requirements to advance, provided the player doesn't use the online feature to get every item required. However the game also requires one to water his[=/=]her farm twice a day instead of only once, or risk crops growing slower. This means more time wasted on cooking food to keep your stamina up and twice as much time spent on watering plants.
* FishingForSole: Every game has fishable boots and other trash in the waterways. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', one of the townspeople operates his own recycling service so you can get RID of that junk, while in ''Hero of Leaf Valley'', the player immediately disposes of it.
* FishingMinigame: One of the main ways of making cash is by catching and selling fish. Some games have you simply press a button when the fish bites the hook while others have a more involved minigame, such as the ''Hero of Leaf Valley'' timing puzzle.
* FissionMailed: In most of the games since ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back To Nature]]'', getting married triggers the credits, but the game goes right back to normal after they finish. Other types include ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'', where the credits come after the tunnel is fully reopened, and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', where you get the credits after you complete all five Town Restoration Plans.
* {{Flanderization}}: The series is extremely prone to this. If someone pops up in another game, expect this to happen to them. For example, Popuri is slightly immature in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'' because her often-absent father coddles her when he comes home. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]] she became more spoiled and childish, which got worse in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' to the point where she trick-or-treats with children.
* FourIsDeath: As a reference to 4 being unlucky in Asian cultures, many ''Harvest Moon'' games do strange things if you perform specific actions at 4:44 AM/PM.
* FriendshipAsCourtship: In most games, there are few if any actual dates. You just give them gifts, see their heart events, and marry them. Most games don't even have you kiss your love interests before marriage. Starting with ''Animal Parade'', more formal dates have popped up in the series.
* FromNewYorkToNowhere: Some of the protagonists start as city dwellers before moving to the farm.
* FrothyMugsOfWater: Used [[InconsistentDub inconsistently]]. A few games replace alcohol with 'soda' or 'juice', while most others explicitly use alcohol.
* GameGourmet: Cooking is a fundamental aspect in many games, in which you can whip up various meals, soups, salads, desserts, and what-have-you.
* GayOption:
** Averted: though counterparts exist to woo your possible mates if you don't, you can't pursue same-sex couples. The exception is ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', in which you can only get some of the original bachelorettes and only in a RomanticTwoGirlFriendship situation, and only in the Japanese version.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', through customization, you can make it appear to be a same-sex relationship, even if you can't really do it.
* GoingThroughTheMotions: Usually avoided by using character portraits rather than models or sprites, but ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' used it, and used it ''poorly'', to great annoyance. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' does the same thing but with a little more subtlety.
* GRatedSex:
** There are an awful lot of babies in the games, and very little actual baby-formation. Eggs will hatch if they're placed in an incubator, even if you only have one bird, suggesting that ''Harvest Moon'' chickens are hermaphrodites capable of self-fertilization. There generally aren't any bulls, rams, or billies -- just "miracle potions"[[note]]The Japanese name for Miracle Potion is Ushi no Tane, a.k.a. Cow's Seed[[/note]] for the different animals, which get them pregnant with no muss or fuss, and their offspring are always female as well. Even your ''own'' character is capable of having a child, but you or your wife simply wakes up one day feeling sick and then finds out they're pregnant, with nothing else mentioned of it. However, you do have to keep your spouse's [[RelationshipValues Love Points]] next to maxed-out for at least a season or more to see the pregnancy event, which does have some implications about the state of your relationship.
** General exceptions: The two ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Wonderful Life]]'' games and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon3 GBC 3]]'' on the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, which had gendered animals. Breeding was still nothing explicit, however.
** The "[[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship Best Friends]]" in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'''s Japanese version still has this: one day, the Harvest King decides to randomly make either you or your "[[UnusualEuphemism Best Friend]]" pregnant. Nothing else necessary.
** The Wii games seem a bit more conscious of where babies come from, [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar especially]] ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', wherein the player and their spouse make plans to have children, and their spouse may respond with some suggestive dialogue.
* GuiltBasedGaming: Just let an animal die. For some reason, people get angry at you if an animal dies ''of old age''... In later games, this has been rectified so townspeople won't get a bit upset when a animal dies naturally. They still get upset if you are the cause of death however.
* GuideDangIt:
** Some of the {{Scripted Event}}s (as mentioned below), can turn out to be these, often requiring your character to be in a specific place at a specific time and/or day and/or season. A popular one ("popular" as in "one of the most commonly asked about events") is Ann and Cliff's Blue Rival Heart Event in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature FoMT]]''. To trigger it you need to enter the church between 11 am and 4 pm on any Spring or Summer day that's not Saturday when it's raining while Ann has a heart level for you that's less than blue. That's already pretty bad, but a lesser known detail is it can't be triggered if Cliff already works for the Winery, meaning it's limited to any rainy Spring or Summer day that's not Saturday in the first year. You can accidentally miss this one just because the game decided to give you a long string of sunny days.
** Also, the entire goal thing for ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon3 GBC 3]]''. The game doesn't make it completely obvious that you have to enter the horse races and stuff to actually be able to get a good ending. It seems that the game only tells you part of what you're supposed to do in the end, like ship a bunch of crops. Also, who knew that you were supposed to befriend your partner to even get that cutscene with the goal? It's implied in most ''Harvest Moon'' games you're supposed to be nice to people, but it's still slightly easy to miss. The only problem with being nice and marrying your partner is that if you do it as a girl ''your game ends''. Did you remember to save?
* HealingSpring: Hot springs in some of the games will rapidly restore stamina.
* HeartContainer: Power berries fill this role in many games.
* HelloInsertNameHere: You don't always get a default name for every game. It started in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon3'' (with Pete and Sara), but that game was more obscure and people didn't really catch on until later.
* HeroicMime: In most games your character is silent. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature More Friends Of Mineral Town]]'', your character has an InnerMonologue, and in the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' games, he or she just talks outright.
* AHomeownerIsYou: Some games let you buy another house.
* HundredPercentCompletion: Generally not defined by the games themselves, leading the fandom to create their own requirements for the different games. The most infamous is ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'''s [[BraggingRightsReward Party Picture]], the requirements of which are so stringent that it took over a decade after the game's release to figure them out.
* HyperactiveMetabolism: More justified than most examples; eating food simply restores stamina, rather than healing wounds.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:I to L]]
* IdenticalGrandson: There are timeskips between games, with characters' expies and/or alternate versions actually being their children or grandchildren.
* ImpossiblyDeliciousFood: Ultimate and Finest Curry. Lots of bachelors and bachelorettes have them as favorite items, and it's generally accepted that everyone in town likes curry. The exceptions are Carter and Alisa.
* IncestIsRelative:
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'', apparently and potentially. In the original ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon1 SNES]]'' games you marry one of the four bachelorettes. The protagonist of ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'' is the former protagonists IdenticalGrandson. The child of the original protagonist and his unknown wife are one of the bachelorettes. So, if you think about it, you could be courting or even marrying your cousin.
** The same trope applies to nearly every OfficialCouple in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', however they're distant relatives.
* AnInteriorDesignerIsYou: You occasionally get to spiff up your house with accessories, but the object placement is predetermined and often permanent. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' added the option to rearrange furniture in your house. Most console games since then have this feature, and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'' allow you to change the wall color.
* InterspeciesRomance: You can woo gods, goddesses, and even a kappa! The Witch Princess and Wizard may not be human, either.
* InstantHomeDelivery: Many games allow the player to earn or purchase items for their house, which will instantly be found in the house when they return. Averted in games where the items must be ordered from out of town, where you will have to wait until the next day.
* InUniverseGameClock:
** Time passes whenever you're outdoors, so if you waste time, you might find yourself locked out of a store or missing a chance to spend time with your future spouse(!), plus the longer you stay up (and the correspondingly less sleep you get), the less activity you'll be able to do before you get tired.
** Some games such as ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonGransBazaar Grand Bazaar]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'' don't stop time when you're indoors either, so you have to be doubly careful with time management.
* InvisibleToNormals: The Harvest Sprites. In the games that they appear in, usually only the player character is able to see them; they're invisible to, and cannot be heard by anyone else. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'', the player's rival Jamie is able to see them as well, much to his/her annoyance. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', the player character's children can see them too (implying that it may be hereditary), as can the Wizard and the Witch, since they're magical beings and all. It's also implied that Gill can at least ''hear'' them, though he can't see them. In ''[[VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns Trio of Towns]]'', you can ''marry'' one of them. Yes, they're still invisible to most people.
* InvulnerableCivilians:
** You can't touch other humans, but you can whack both wild critters and your own farm animals around with your tools, either on purpose or by accident. Attacking farm animals in this fashion will make them like you less, and may cause them to get sick.
** You ''can'' attack civilians in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]''. Predictably, this makes them quite angry. Also, your watering can, which in the past had no effect on animals/townspeople, now ''does'' hurt them. So if you want to water your crops, make sure your animals and your family are out of the way first!
** Though devoid of any lasting damage, the same can be done in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]''. Whacking townspeople around with your tools can have a use, however: most festivals will send you off with the person you have the most hearts with, so if you have Theodore at the top of your list after trying to unlock all the buyable land, but don't want to watch the fireworks with a middle-aged man, you need only introduce him to your hammer.
** For whatever reason, in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'', your baby follows many of the same behavior patterns as your pet dog and pig. So while you can't hurt it, using gardening tools nearby will really freak the kid out. Also, the game actually ''rewards'' you for hitting the moles with a hammer, because they dig up gardens.
* ItemCrafting: Limited in most games to combining food items to make better food.
* ItsUpToYou: Taken to an extreme in some games in which literally ''everything that happens'' in town is a result of the player's actions.
* {{Kappa}}:
** One lives in a pond in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64''. He'll give you the useful Blue Power Berry, which reduces stamina loss in the rain, in exchange for a fish.
** One lives in the lake in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]''. He also gives the Blue Power Berry in return for lots of cucumbers. In the DistaffCounterpart version, you can marry him.
%%* KissDiss
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority:
** Rule of accessories: Green -> Red -> Blue = Good -> Better -> Best
** The heart levels for marriage candidates: Black -> Purple -> Blue -> Green -> Yellow -> Orange -> Red
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Used almost verbatim during a random event in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', when the women of the town wonder how Dunhill has taken so many pictures of them (and your farmer) without them ever knowing. He's taken enough to fill up entire albums to give to each of them.
* LevelUpAtIntimacy5: Most games offer various rewards for befriending and/or romancing your fellow villagers.
* LifeSimulationGame: The games are simulations about life on, and around, a farm. The series has strayed a bit more into DatingSim territory since the start, but it still focuses on the life simulation portion.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree Of Tranquility]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life: Special Edition]]''.
* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Another Wonderful Life]]'', Muffy is constantly getting her heart broken. Either the man she's seeing in the city is cheating on her, or she finds out he's already married and that ''she's'' the other woman. Despite all this, Muffy continues to hold out hope that she'll find true love. [[spoiler:She doesn't.]] Thankfully averted in the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' version.
* LoveInterests: Each game has a selection that the player can choose from.
* LuckBasedMission:
** Mining:
*** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]''. More so early on until you get enough Orichalc (see {{unobtainium}} below) to be able to increase your stamina cap, since you have a random chance every time you move to hit a pitfall on a tile, and a 1-in-5 chance of losing the amount of stamina equivalent to that you start the game with. At least save scumming is possible [and changes the pitfall's depth], but even then, it only helps so much. The hoe tool can also help the player avoid pitfalls. It's also a very good - and very tedious - way to use up the stamina you need to get to the lower floors.
*** Navigating the mines in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' is infuriating because you have to move between floors by falling into different holes, and the further down you get into the mine, the more and more likely you are to get holes that make you fall ''up'' instead of ''down''. You can fall, or rise, anywhere from just one or two floors to a whopping ten floors. If you dig around with your hoe, you can find stairs to take you directly down to the next floor, but it can take a long time and a lot of energy to find them. The lower parts of the mine are where all of the most valuable metals and gems are, ''and'' getting to the very bottom floor of each mine is required in order to get two magic notes.
*** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', you need to have metal ore and gem deposits refined at Mira's accessory shop before they become worth anything, or can be used for other purposes. However, the percentage of good metal or gems you get from any given stack of raw material is very small - if you have a stack of 99 gold ores, you'll be lucky if even thirty or so of them become usable gold pieces. The rest of what she gives you is all worthless "junk" material.
** Heart Events in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'' (now called "Flower Events") - even using an FAQ, you might not get the proper option to trigger the flower event, rather than a regular date.
** One of the many requirements to marry Alisa is to ''wish'' for it. Even after you've filled the stringent requirements -- more than 55,000 FP with her -- to be able to make that wish, since the three wish options you get from returning the Six Wonderful Stones are randomly selected from the list, there's no guarantee you'll get it. Be prepared to either save-scum, or collect the stones multiple times.
** The fishing tournament in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''. If you want to get first place, you need to catch a massive ''71 fish'' with just the fishing rod in the span of just under 72 hours. If you use fish traps to catch anything or catch junk items or coins, it doesn't count towards the total. Even with all the possible boosts to help you, save scumming is almost required due to the completely random nature of catching anything with the rod. Doubly so if you want to take care of your farm during the tournament instead of leaving it to rot.
** Every contest in ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' is partially luck based. While competitions still keep some degree of skill/quality, there's still a chance you'll lose even if you perform at the absolute best level possible.
* MagicTool: You can acquire literal magical tools to aid you in some games. For example, the first Game Boy game awarded you a magic umbrella if you did well enough in the first year to allow you to summon rain whenever you wanted.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M to P]]
* MarathonLevel: Many of the caves, including the 65,535 floor fourth mine in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]''.
* MayDecemberRomance:
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', you can marry Carter, who's probably double your age. He will even lampshade it when you propose to him. Griffin is significantly older than your character as well.
** Canon rival couples are Carter/Flora and Griffin/Muffy ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]''.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: Wooing the Harvest Goddess, Harvest King, Witch Princess, Wizard, or Kappa. If you marry the wizard in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', he lampshades this by saying that he probably will live much longer than you.
* MiniGame: Many games have a "horse-racing" mini-game at least, but the other games differ with respect to their mini-games. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' even offer a few multiplayer games.
* MinigameZone: The Sprite Casino in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]''.
* MissingMom[=/=]DisappearedDad: At least one in every game of the series. Rarely do any of the loved ones of said mother/father ever mention what happened to them (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature BtN]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature FoMT]]'' are major exceptions in that you know what happened to Rod [Rick and Popuri's dad] and May's mother). In later titles, two-parent families are the exception, where they happen at all. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' and ''Sunshine Islands'' feature a two-generation single-parent combo.
* MoonLogicPuzzle:
** Some of the mechanics in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' are ''unorthodox'', to put lightly. For example, to build a greenhouse, you'd think all you need are some material stones, some iron, and lots and lots of glass stones. [[spoiler:Nope, you need ''great alpaca yarn'' (and only ''great alpaca yarn'') and ''moon stones''. Why you can't use yarn of any kind, or need yarn at all, and why you don't need glass at all, is a RiddleForTheAges.]]
** To increase the quality of honey your bees produce, [[spoiler:you need to use ''perfume''.]]
* MissionPackSequel: ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSunshineIslands Sunshine Islands]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' with respect to ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'', respectively. They share roughly the same mechanics and same character pool.
* {{Mukokuseki}}: {{Averted}} quite well. A majority of the characters are Caucasian, and whenever someone else of another ethnicity appears it's quite apparent. There are unusual cases: there have been a fair share of AmbiguouslyBrown characters, and Kate does not appear to have any Asian traits despite her parents being obviously Asian.
* MagicalRealism: A rural community where farmers live, and a Goddess with Pixie friends.
* MyLocal: Just about every game has a place where you can drink and possibly meet potential suitors.
* NatureSpirit: The games are populated by fairies, imps, and sprites as well as humans. Usually, befriending them will make life easier for the player.
* NewGamePlus: Both the Wii games have this. In the first one, ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' your child is the one who starts a new farm--though they [[GenerationXerox turn into a carbon-copy of their parents.]] Because the children in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' actually look like your spouse, this no longer works, so instead, the link between the old game and the new is your child ''delivering'' goods to a new game file.
* NoCartoonFish: Despite there being stylized animals and forest spirits, including the occasional talking animal, fish are always varying levels of realistic.
* NoHuggingNoKissing:
** You wouldn't ''think'' so, given how big a role getting married plays, but your little farmer and their spouse have a surprisingly chaste relationship. The only way to really show affection to your spouse is giving gifts, and the only time they ever seem to kiss at all is during the wedding scene. And in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' there isn't even that!
** Much less so in the Wii games - you can choose to spend time with your spouse any time by walking with them, they kiss you, and you have to continue building your love with them even after you're married. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' you actively ''try'' and have children, which is chock-full of... [[GRatedSex implications]].
* NoOSHACompliance: The mines from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' onwards. Lampshaded by a miner in ''Sunshine Islands'' who remarks on how dangerous the place is.
* NonCombatEXP: In most games, you get experience on using the tools by using the tools.
* NonStandardGameOver:
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature (More) Friends of Mineral Town]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon3 GBC 3]]'' the game will fade to credits if you refuse The Mayor's/Takakura's/the Mayor of Flowerbud's offer to turn the farm over to you. This is before the game ''begins''. In other games, The Mayor would ask if you were sure [[ButThouMust until you agreed]].
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'' had a variation on this: at the beginning of the game, your dog would attack the mayor. If you chose not to save the mayor, the credits rolled and you'd be taken back to the title screen.
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonHeroOfLeafValley Hero Of Leaf Valley]]'' had another variation: refusing to hear the sprites out led to you leaving the valley.
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife AWL]]'' is chock-full of them: not getting married after the first year, neglecting your farm in the second chapter (which would result in your wife leaving and taking your son with her, ending your game), etc.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', if you grow a Level 99 Poison Mushroom and put it in the soup at the Harvest Festival, you will poison the entire village and cause this. Growing a Poisonous Mushroom to Level 99 [[EarnYourBadEnding is incredibly difficult, though]].
* OddlyNamedSequel:
** The two {{Unexpected Gameplay Change}}d spinoffs are called ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'' and ''Innocent Life''; the fact that they're actually ''Harvest Moon'' games is only mentioned in the subtitle.
** The Japanese title for ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back To Nature]]'' is ''The Ranch Story: Harvest Moon'', with the female version being ''The Ranch Story: Harvest Moon For Girl''; they're the only games that use the western title.
** Due to the change in publisher from Natsume to Creator/XSEEDGames, ''Connect to a New World'' has dropped the ''Harvest Moon'' name entirely and has been renamed ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons''. This is because Natsume's US division still owns the IP for ''Harvest Moon'' wholesale.
* OneGameForThePriceOfTwo:
** Several later games have content that could only be unlocked by connecting another game to it, such as inserting ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends Of Mineral Town]]'' into your DS to unlock the five ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Mineral Town]]'' brides in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]''.
** Some games have "Girl Versions". They aren't very different, besides the rivals turning into bachelors and the bachelorettes turning into rivals, some new things were added (such as clothing) and dialogue slightly changed. They've begun to stop doing this in later games, giving you the option to play as a male or female character in the same game.
** An odd variation occurred for a period: ''Back To Nature'' is essentially a topsy turvy port of ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'' to the Playstation. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back To Nature]]'' gained it's own DistaffCounterpart version, ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature For Girl]]'', the first in the series. The games were later ported to the ''UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance'' in enhanced 2D remakes.
* OneSteveLimit:
** The various {{Expy}}s throughout the series are usually kept separate - there are two separate but very similar Basil's, for instance, though they're from different games - but ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' brushes up against this. The priest from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Mineral Town]]'''s church is named Carter. The professor who runs the excavation site is also named Carter. They'll both send you New Year's cards if you're friends with them.
** In a lighter variation, ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Friends of Mineral Town]]'' has both an Ann and an Anna.
** There's also "Ann" from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon1 SNES]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'', and "Ann" from the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Mineral Town]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'' games. {{Justified|Trope}} that the second Ann was made as a grand-daughter to the original, and thus was named after her in-game.
** Two protagonists are officially named "Mark": both the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife Wonderful Life]]'' protagonist and the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island Of Happiness]]'' protagonist.
** There are two Daisy's in the series: one from an obscure UsefulNotes/GameBoy game, and the other from ''Grand Bazaar''. Incidentally, the latter has an eerie resemblance to a character from the [=GameBoy=] games named "Choco", who reappeared in ''My Little Shop''.
** There are two girls named Alice - the bachelorette from ''Hero of Leaf Valley,'' and the Harvest Sprite from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''.
** There is Rod, Rick and Popuri's unseen father in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature/Friends of Mineral Town]]'', and Rod, the bachelor from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''.
* OpeningTheSandbox: All games start out limited with what you can do until you unlock all the villagers, upgrade all the shops, etc.
* PanickyExpectantFather: If you're playing a DistaffCounterpart version or a female character, your PC's husband ''will'' be this during the "child born" event. Even if you marry the ''town doctor,'' he will probably be a panicky wreck.
%%* PamphletShelf
* PermanentlyMissableContent:
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'', Karen and Cliff will leave and never come back if you do not get their relationship values high enough. If Karen leaves, Kai will follow suit.
** Getting the Goddess Pond Hot Springs in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'' requires you to befriend Flora to either a Blue Heart (in the boy version) or to 200+ Friendship Points (in the girl version). In the girl version, if Flora and Carter get married, or if you marry Carter, you're similarly cut off from seeing the event. The Hot Springs are necessary both for completing your shipping lists (some items are only available from them) ''and'' rescuing some of the Purple Sprites.
* PetInterface: In a lot of the ''Harvest Moon'' games, your horse serves as a mobile shipping bin. The Dog's usefulness varies from game to game.
* PlayableEpilogue: You can keep playing indefinitely even after receiving your "grade", though in some cases the game will end if you marry a particular character, or your character will eventually die of old age. The first game is perhaps the only one that doesn't allow this, making this a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.
* PromotedToLoveInterest:
** Flora and Lumina weren't available bachelorettes in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'', but they become this in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]''. Lumina also becomes one in the ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life: Special Edition]]'' remake. Same goes for the female versions, in which Carter and Griffin become available in the later versions.
** The Harvest Goddess herself is this in later installments.
* PuppyLove: Stu and May (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature BtN]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Mineral Town]]''), Hugh and Katie (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]''), Charlie and Eliza (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]''), Rahi and Ying (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'').
[[/folder]]

[[folder:R to T]]
* RecurringCharacter: Nearly every game in the series features the Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites. Later games added the Goddess' rival, the Witch Princess.
* RelationshipValues: Used to judge your progress with wooing potential mates; sometimes used with other characters as well, to determine how they react to your character or if they'll give you certain items.
* {{Retraux}}: ''My Little Shop'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonMagicalMelody Magical Melody]]'' invoke this. Various characters from previous games, even ''very'' obscure ones like Sara and Choco, are shown in their original roles (or parallels).
* RetroUniverse: It's hard to place a majority of the games. Some look like they could take place in the early-to-mid 1900s, but there are various aspects of them that are more modern. Although ostensibly set in something resembling the present day (in one game you can buy a DVD player for your house, and in another, there's a modern periodic table hanging on the wall in the school, and the hospital in every game is generally very modern), everyone gets around on horse-drawn carriages, the designs are often 70s at best in their ruralness, and other technology is deliberately retro.
* SaintlyChurch: Technically you're only going to find one or two people at the church, but the general running theme with it is it's a positive place and influence on the inhabitants.
* SaveGameLimits: Saving your game is done by writing in your diary, which can only be done immediately before going to sleep. So, although you can technically save whenever you like, as soon as you do your day is finished. Some later ''Harvest Moon'' games allow you to continue working even after you've saved, or even save anywhere, excusing the very presence of the diary in some of the tutorial TV shows by saying "some people like it".
* SaveScumming:
** Practically the only way to get rare mining items - without ''blatantly'' cheating.
** The easiest way to get to the lower floors in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'''s mines (alongside a large stock of cheap'n'easy restoratives).
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'', you'll be doing this a lot once you get the mine unblocked, especially since this one limits the amount of minerals you can mine daily, and you ''need'' those minerals to build some buildings to progress in the game.
* SaveToken: The Journal in your inventory allows you to save.
* SchmuckBait: Golden Lumber. Expensive as HELL and in some games, just possessing some will lower friendship levels with the entire town. Using it ''for fences'' will lower your approval as being showy and audacious.
* ScriptedEvent: Lots and lots of them! Some are triggered by certain days of the year, while others are the result of your RelationshipValues.
* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Fail to win a competition - even if you come in second - and many of the villagers will react like you finished ninth in an eight-man race.
* SheCleansUpNicely: The bookish, shy, [[{{Meganekko}} often-bespectacled]] girl is ''always'' jaw-droppingly gorgeous on her wedding-day. This applies to all the other brides as well, but on those girls it's more noticeable.
* ShowWithinAShow: In several games, aside from the usual weather forecasts and farming tips, you can watch programs on the TV in your house such as cooking/shopping shows and entertainment programming.
* {{Sidequest}}: You could go through the entire game doing nothing more than planting and harvesting crops, but a lot of the ''fun'' stuff requires you to go exploring.
* SleepingSingle:
** Strangely, in several games, the Big Bed is not for you and your spouse to share, but your spouse and your ''child.'' Your character still sleeps in his/her own little bed. The separate beds are a creation of the latter games; in the original and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 64]]'', you and your spouse shared a bed while your child had his own. Some later games have reverted to this.
** In a couple games, you, your spouse, and your child all have your own separate beds.
%%* SliceOfLife
* SocketedEquipment: You use Wonderful Stones this way in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]''.
* SprintMeter: As you work, you start to lose energy, and you farmer will display various states of exasperation, like wiping the sweat from his/her brow, or panting heavily. If you work yourself too hard, you'll collapse and be unable to work for the rest of the day.
* SugarBowl: About the worst thing that ever happens in the Harvest Mooniverse is that animals occasionally die. Everything else is pretty idyllic, which makes the occasional DramaBomb that much more powerful. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'' is something of an exception to this, with a generally darker tone than the norm for the franchise.
* SuperTitle64Advance: ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'', ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS''.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Quite a few characters that were cast out completely from other games. The most noticeable being [[BrainyBrunette Sara]] to Claire, and Pastor Brown to [[MrFanservice Carter]]. Most substitutes aren't disliked though, due to the flexibility of the fandom and due to the fact the originals are simply unknown due to the games they appeared in.
* TakeYourTime:
** With the exceptions of ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A Wonderful Life]]'', ''Grand Bazaar'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'', time doesn't pass while in buildings, so you can screw around to your heart's content without missing anything. Especially glaring in some games where you can buy a greenhouse to grow crops in, meaning that you can have absolutely ''massive'' fields of produce, and since a greenhouse is a building, it takes literally no time to plant, water, or harvest them all.
** Time does flow when you're inside buildings in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''. However, it stops flowing when you go into ''Edit mode'', which also allows you to move whole most things, including ''buildings'' in town and the farm around, with no energy penalty or time loss while in that mode. It also stops flowing if you bring up the menu with the X button or when you talk to villagers.
* TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity: ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' has [[spoiler: Michelle, whose heart events consist of her requesting increasingly valuable items and has you overhearing her calling you a sucker and asks for a pink diamond, which is required for her final heart event. She even has the gall to rub it in your face when you confront her!]]
* TalkToEveryone: In most games, an option and path to secret items.
* TookAShortcut: Many characters you leave in one building will show up in the next one you travel to, even if you used a Teleport Stone to get there. A particularly painful version happens when you are trying to talk to someone on a deadline, accidentally overshoot to the next screen on the path or [[OffscreenTeleportation they cross the screen line before you]], and they're suddenly nowhere to be found.
* {{Tsundere}}: A few of the brides qualify.
** Luna from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' is the uber-example for this series, with the multiple Karens a close second.
** Antoinette from ''Grand Bazaar''.
** Natalie from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]''.
** Nami from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A[nother] Wonderful Life]]'', although she borders on {{Kuudere}} as well.
** Male version: Gill from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]''. He's in "tsuntsun" mode most of the time and gets pretty deep into SuspiciouslySpecificDenial territory when it comes to his feelings for your character, should you choose to court him.
** Alice in ''Hero of Leaf Valley''. So much so that when you give her a birthday present she goes so far as to use some classic tsundere lines.
---> '''Alice:''' "Well, I guess I'll take it from you. I-It's not like I'm happy about it or anything!"
** Neil from ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' is another male example.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:U to Z]]
* UglyGuyCuteDaughter: Nearly every game has at least one homely older man with an inexplicably gorgeous daughter (or son), who will inevitably be one of your potential love interests.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange:
** ''Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon'' and ''Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon'' are both ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, though the rest of the series are in realistic modern day settings, barring some various [[NatureSpirit fairies, imps, and sprites]].
** ''Puzzle De Harvest Moon'', a not very well received Puzzle Game -- not of the Match Three subgenre, despite what anyone who hasn't played it will tell you.
* UltimateAuthorityMayor: The government in each game apparently consists ''entirely'' of the local mayor.
* {{Unobtainium}}:
** Appear in the series usually in the form of Orichalcum, Adamantite, and/or Mythic Stones.
** In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]'': There are special floors that occur regularly (and the game tells you where they are when conditions are met), some of which are almost exclusively for one of these Unobtanium ores. Of course, junk ore STILL manages to show up there.
** Averted in ''Grand Bazaar'', where you can easily buy the Orichalcum and Adamantite from Lloyd's stall for only 9800 G.
* VendorTrash: Weeds, stones and branches are universally this, for those who pick them up. Garbage obtained fishing (trunks, tires and cans are common) and mining (junk ore) are also available in games with those features. This issue is compounded in the later games that allow item stacking, meaning you can have 99 Junk Ore before selling them off.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can woo all the girls at the same time, and in some games this seems to prevent them from marrying your rivals.
* VideoGameRemake: The ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Mineral Town]]'' games to ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature Back to Nature]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonHeroOfLeafValley Hero of Leaf Valley]]'' to ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonSaveTheHomeland Save the Homeland]]''. The latter remakes one of the most maligned games in the series from the ground up, significantly expanding it and addressing most of its major flaws.
* ViolationOfCommonSense: Two in-game achievements in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' are eating poisonous mushrooms and passing out enough.
* VirtualPaperDoll:
** The obscure GameBoy game ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon3'' was ''the'' first game to give you the option of customizing your player character's appearance. You could only change your bandanna and clothes colors.
** The ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAWonderfulLife A(nother) Wonderful Life]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'' DistaffCounterpart games also gave the ability to change the character's outfit. It was limited to the same style, however, just with different colors.
** This changed in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'', which allowed outfit customization for both the male and female characters, but was still somewhat limited. ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'' gave a much bigger range of outfit customization, including the ability to customize your kids' outfits.
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]'' gives you plenty of different clothes to make, as well as hairstyles.
** ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' gives you similar features to ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonANewBeginning A New Beginning]]''.
** ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns The Tale of Two Towns]]'': There is one outfit for each village, and you can unlock new ones from the oracle.
* WarpWhistle:
** The Teleport Stone from several games. In some of them, it's a difficult-to-find late game item. In ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS]]'', get the Sprite Casino open, and you probably won't have to walk anywhere starting around Day 10 of Year 1.
** It's literally a whistle in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]''; once you rescue all the animals from Theodore's circus, you can summon them with the whistle to take you to certain places on the map (but not the mine district, for some reason.)
* WeAllLiveInAmerica: Despite apparently taking place in a Western country, most games are quite Japanese and don't attempt to hide it at all.
* WideOpenSandbox: Narrower than some other examples, perhaps, but there's still a startling amount of ways to go about playing these games.
* WithThisRing: In the HM universe, you propose through means of a Blue Feather, so there's no need to worry about rings... except in ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility Tree of Tranquility]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade Animal Parade]]'', where they somehow make the Blue Feather into a ring after the proposal and it becomes a wearable accessory.
* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: Your character will visibly grow more and more tired as you burn through his/her stamina.
* YamatoNadeshiko: Most games feature at least one as a marriageable girl/rival. Look for the girl with the short brown hair and/or apron.
* YourFavorite: Most characters have several favorite items that will tend to revolve around a particular theme - usually one of your crops. In most of the handheld games (''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature (More) Friends of Mineral Town]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS DS (Cute)]]'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonIslandOfHappiness Island of Happiness]]/Sunshine Islands'', ''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoonTheTaleOfTwoTowns Tale of Two Towns]]''), characters actually have 1 precise favorite item that can score you more heart points than anything else.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/DoraemonStoryOfSeason'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and PC, 2019; a crossover with the ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' series)

* ''VideoGame/DoraemonNobitaNoBokujouMonogatari'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2019; a crossover with the ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' series)