I loved this game so much as a kid, I was only like 4-5 years old but I would watch my older brother play it a lot, it was just a really nice wholesome game. After my brother passed away recently I'm thinking about doing a playthrough in honor of him
I only ever played the first harvest moon for snes as a kid, it was the only game like it at the time. Then N64 version came out and I didn’t like the art style as much so I never tried it, but I was also much older by that point and lost interest in “farming” games
I think HM64 might be my favorite game of all time. From the rival marriages with their own kids, to the optional side quest to save the vineyard, there is a atmosphere and charm to Flower Bud Village and it's cast that I haven't seen captured anywhere else.
Same! It was a life changer game for me. It feels bittersweet how little people remember the franchise nowadays and even made fun of AWL' s remake announcement on the direct a week ago. They have no idea how important these games are historically speaking
BTN was my first journey into the HM series. Had some extra cash as a kid and happened to have found it on sale at a local drug store of all places well after the PS1 era shifted into PS2/ I clocked in so many hours into that game.
There's a special element to hm64 that makes it so different from other Harvest Moon games. It's truly a masterpiece and those of us fortunate enough to have experienced it growing up can still identify with the games timeless charm. Despite wishing for a remake for decades, I can see how it would be extremely difficult to recapture Hm64's pure expression.
I want a remake so bad after playing sos fomt, but then I thought about how serious 64 gets sometimes and I would want them to ruin that and I don’t think I can handle Ellen’s death again
I really miss the character elements in the more modern Farm Story games. I feel like HM64 and BTN really tackled the idea of the characters being flawed people with realistic issues. I remember being instantly interested in the whole vineyard situation after the first cutscene that plays when you get there. I feel like this game was more willing to get into the nitty gritty of the social side of things. I remember a lot of the later games the characters felt extremely uninteresting and generic. Though I think Trio of Towns was at least somewhat back to form, though Olive Town quickly threw all of that out the window. And I REALLY miss rival marriages. It just feels so wrong that the girls I didn't pick all just have to settle for being single for the rest of their lives. Rival marriages helped give the feeling that the entire world didn't revolve around you.
I really miss how the older games had quirky things, or dark themes. The games now seem to be too cute and pretty. I still usually enjoy them but I have a greater love for the older games. (And I don't think it was just because I was a kid lol)
@@kennyomega9447 I really agree with that. The original AWL's artstyle gives room for both lighthearted ambience and more serious tones. I don't think I'll be able to take Nina's death very seriously in the very cartoonish artstyle.
Harvest Moon 64 is my favorite game of all time! I think I love it so much because it is everything I love about the entire Harvest Moon series (and the farming game genre it inspired honestly) in it’s purest form. Yes, it’s simple, but every detail is so well thought out and executed perfectly. When I heard that this game was essentially the developers doing everything they had been unable to do with the first because of hardware limitations, it made a lot of sense to me. You can tell so much love went into this game, and I think that’s why I can’t stop coming back to it.
This is the game that made me a life-long fan of the series! Also, really miss rival marriages-its just strange when your character is the only one getting married and having kids.
The festivals and sense of place are the main reason Harvest Moon 64 sticks out to me so much. It's the same town as the first game, with some buildings even in roughly the same spot, but very different and some of the festivals are also similar but maybe evolved over the last 50 years or so between the two games. Anna also usually gives a brief run-down of the cultural side of each festival iirc, and that bit always felt really important to me. By comparison to festivals in games like Olive Town, which seem like just silly little activities to do with tourists wandering around that would stop the minute they stopped earning the town money, Flower Bud Village felt more like a small town with its own customs and things going on that existed long before you did and will continue long after you're gone. Also, Maria best girl.
I also liked how the festivals didn't all involve competitions. Stuff like the flower dance or spirit night were really memorable in spite of not coming with any sort of competition.
I just remember the cover art when I was at the store, and bought it on a whim, knowing nothing about it. I just thought the art was cute. Fell in love with the series, and is actually one of the 3 N64 games I still own, after my house burned down, because I had brought it to a friends to play.
My absolute favorite game! I loved seeing the other couples get married and have kids. It is one of my favorite features of the game and the reason Animal Parade is my second favorite Harvest Moon❤
Wow! this is my new favorite video from your channel, Josh! I remember when I was a kid asked my dad to buy me a game and he took me to the store. Back then there was no internet or reviews so box covers and my gut feeling was all I relied on when buying games. When I was the cover for this game I was immediately drawn to the art of the kid and his dog, at first I thought it was a regular adventure game like Zelda. When I got home and played the game for a few hours and realized what it was I fell in love with it. My favorite bachelorette was always Elle. I was so sad when her grandma dies in the game. The music and the whole vibe of the game is so wholesome and beautiful. So much nostalgia!! This was the first game I played in the genre and to this day I love the farming games. I cant wait to see your video on Back To Nature, my second favorite game along side this one.
I miss the days when you just had to gamble on games based on a cover and hype on the back of the box. It really forced me to take chances on games that I wouldn't today because Metacritic exists.
This game is certainly one that deserves a remake. However, I'm afraid that too much of what makes 64 so unique and special would either be removed or censored to be more 'family friendly'. I would personally prefer slower days, but I would be fine with the days still being shorter compared to others in the series to keep that sense of planning like you mentioned in the video.
I think you’ve nailed what made this game so special when I first played it for the first time. I had just learned to read (barely) when I played this game for the first time, but even as a four year old the characters had so much depth - they were happy, sad, angry, lonely, content. They felt like they had a life that didn’t revolve around the player character. I think that’s what the series needs going forward. I know e-rated games have trouble with this but everyone complained about PoOT characters feeling so soulless but I think that was in part due to how little conflict existed in their lives. Everyone was just so happy. I have nothing against having happy characters but I’ve never met anyone in real life that was happy 100% of the time. That’s what made this game age well because small children may not even recognize these things but coming back around to them once you’ve aged, you realize how nuanced these characters were. Thanks for this review, Josh! This was the first video game I ever played so seeing it get attention in 2022 is heartening.
I had absolutely no idea what I was doing when I was young, but I still loved the game. Learning years later that there's so many hidden mechanics and objectives, it really made the game that much more interesting. Plus just the overall design choice and art style of the game was always so charming.
Harvest Moon 64 remains to this day, both the most memorable HM/SoS games I've played and my single favorite game of the series. This with all its many delightful bugs and spelling errors and even the outdated themes. The characters felt like people, they felt deeper than they actually were. In fact, this iteration of many of the characters was my favorite take on them - Popuri being the most prominent in my eyes. I loved her confidence. Every time I play it, I find a new cutscene I've never seen before or see a new line of dialogue I don't remember seeing. It's beautiful! And, I like how, if you're just playing it to have fun...no problem! Have all the fun you want! If you want a challenge, go for an all photos run, it's consistency, planning and effort, but man is it satisfying. If you want an even bigger challenge, go for the perfect ending. Again, more hard work, planning and effort. The game encourages you to play your way and that is something that makes me happy. HM64 is still my favorite of the series and I don't believe for one second that it will ever be dethroned.
Kinda miss that really old day when information was not easy to get as we were now, We stuck into various rumors and a lot of unsolved mysteries. I remember when I thought I would go to City in HM BTN when i completed the game, that thing motivated me to play harvest moon everyday lol
Karen was my marriage candidate of choice. Always wanted the drinking mini game to come back. Would be awesome if they remake it. My cousin was totally infatuated with this game.
the karen marriage hack lol. just bring your dog to the bar and keep talking to her with your dog in your hand and you can get married like the first week.
64 is still to this day, one of my favorite games. I still have my copy and will play it every once in awhile. This in AWL will always be very special.
HM 64 wasnt released in Germany, but I used to play it with an emulator. I couldnt understand most of the English back then, but it was still so much fun
On the topic of fast days vs slow days: I kind of think farming games should have days be slow at the beginning, then get faster later on. Like the first season or so should be a bit slower so you can get a feel for the game, but then after that, the days should be faster so you can progress through events and seasons at a more interesting pace. This would lead to people abusing the long days if they are minmaxing, and trying to cram as much into that first season as possible, but you already try to cram as much as possible into that first season if you're minmaxing, so ultimately it wouldn't change much. Maybe keep certain things that massively benefit from longer days (like mines as an example) inaccessible during that first season so that people won't feel like they're "playing wrong" if they don't explore them during the longer day period.
My favourite is Friends of Mineral Town/More Friends of Mineral Town. It has a special place in my heart, so cozy and warm ❤️ For some reason, Mineral Town, Back to Nature, N64, DS, all share quite a lot of similarities, especially in art direction, some even have the same characters
I find myself randomly going back to HM64. It's one of my favorites from the N64 and my childhood in general. I used to be more into Ann initially, but I've grown and matured, and prefer Elli. Maybe even Maria. The reason I would have stopped playing HM64 was probably because I got Friends of Mineral Town for the GBA, and it was many times bigger and better, and I could play it anywhere/anytime as long as I had my little wormlight attached so I could see the screen. Also, I didn't play Back to Nature since I didn't have a PS1. A Wonderful Life didn't really hit with me as much, and I ended up not playing any farm sim games until Stardew Valley, and then Rune Factory 4 Special.
I haven't played until finish, but it's quite challenging in order to get Perfect Ending. Loved this since it shows living in the real life, how the player had to have the great time management. One more challenging in this game is fishing. It's super fast, just around 0,5 seconds for you to pull the reel. Hope this review help 😍😍😍
Harvest Moon 64 is my favorite game in the series! I played this SO many times as a kid. It's the perfect mixture of simplicity and difficulty. While it's not hard per se, it does take some forethought and strategy to get everything you want done. I also felt like it had some of the best versions of the characters, the little portraits just make me so happy.
I wish they return with this clay like art style., and expand the world,.. maybe like Harvest Moon Back to Nature sequel, with the same old art style but expanded worlds with many countries and many characters and stories
I played through, I think 20 years in this game & never got my greenhouse wrecked by a hurricane! I didn't even know that could happen. Hashtag blessed.
This may be the nostaglic covered glasses talking but I think if this game gets a remake with all the Quality Of life changes thats in SOS FOMT but keeps the same map, music, characters, festivals etc, it will be sooooo good. The remaster of FOMT felt lazy to me. The eating animation is just a jpeg shrinking into your mouth while an N64 game had a full on drinking animation. Youve made my day with this video.
It was my first HM game. It was just such a good game. The characters had stories, people got married and not just you, like time really felt like it was moving. The festivals were fun and it just seemed so peaceful
As a kid who didnt socialize much, I spent my time mostly indoors either playing video games or with family. My father enjoyed getting games, even though he played only a handful of them. This was 95% of my childhood, there was something about it that provided me with comfort. I am in my 20s, the game is still on my laptop and it continues to bring me the comfort and nostalgia. A very beautiful game indeed.
Gosh so many good memories playing this game. I used to wake up at 6am everyday from excitement to play this since I had to share the N64 with my 4 siblings so the earlier I woke up the more time I had ! I really hope they remake this
mine was Back To Nature on PS1, which led me to favor non-violence games in general and has been my all time beloved game. nowadays we have many new great farming games like story of seasons or stardew valley but i will always return to BTN like going back home, to a sanctuary comfort zone.
Great video. I always was confused as a kid about the recipes and not being able to cook especially because in HM:BtN you were able to build and stock a kitchen for cooking the recipes you were given. Also I remember as a kid when talking about this game with a friend and us discussing that a rumor where if you played the game up to year 10 you found blueprints for a boat and would sale away from the town after it was built. Things were wild back then lol.
I played this game for the first time when I was 7, my buddy brought it over and stayed up all night playing. This one and A Wonderful Life are my absolute favorites.
My first Harvest Moon game. Such an impactful experience. I had only ever played action games/platformers up until this point, and before playing HM64 I didn't even understand how this could be a viable concept for a game.
I like how the harvest moon games have a bunch pf wild random things they keep track of. Like alcohol tolerance and how many times you picked up your dog. I remember the one for the gba remembered if you littered in town
One thing I’m disappointed in with more recent games is that you can only cook based on recipes. I miss being able to modify recipes to make them better.
I prefer the more laid-back titles. When time moves too fast I get frustrated that there's so many things I wanted to do or had planned on checking out but don't get around to. That's what I like about the games which just go on forever; if you cannot get around to it this year, you'll be able to the next, or maybe even in 10 years.
This game is so well polished. All the events are fleshed out and modern games still can't match. The drinking festival is funny. The horse and dog races were really fun. I loved being able to invite people to festivals and all the bachelorettes are fun. The only change I would want in this game is adding a female protagonist because a lot of the rival characters are also pretty cool.
I started with AWL and FoMT but I always wanted to play 64. When I finally did play this game years later, it over delivered. Still one of my favorites and will always have a place in my heart❣️
I was 10 when I got this. If you told me then I'd become a lifelong farm sim addict, I wouldn't have believed you. But HM64 is in my top 5 N64 games and probably in my top 10 of all time. I rented it from my local video store, fell in love, and bought it asap. This was a great video!!
Back to Nature was my favorite because it was basically an improved, deeper version of Harvest Moon 64. That said, I played 64 a lot more. I had a file with 30+ years played.
I've played a lot of these kinds of games, and this one's my favorite. I was surprised, because I hadn't considered it before until you said it, about how much I care about these characters despite there not being that much dialogue. My second favorite is Rune Factory 4. I treasure that one because of how much dialogue there is, and until this point I thought that was the most important thing thing to me about these games, but the characters in HM64 managed to characterize themselves so well despite this disadvantage.
"If your dog is in the greenhouse during a hurricane, the greenhouse will be destroyed, but the dog will just spawn right back outside" This and the fact that the dog doesn't have to eat, proves that Harvest Moon dogs are immortal.
If you win the swimming festival first year you will get a thing called the invincible katori it looks like a pig thing inside your house but keeps you from losing your greenhouse during hurricanes
I really hope now that the SNES version is on Switch Online, that we will get Harvest Moon 64 released on Switch Online as well in the West (not just Japan).
This was my first game of the series and will forever be my favorite. I have never ever played a video game so much. I hope they end up doing a remake.
I love that the stamina & fatigue system were not explicitly displayed. It gave a more organic feeling to the game. Harvest Moon DS as this item that reveals your Stamina and Fatigue. Once I got it the game just felt like you were just in a game managing number now as oppose to living life in your little virtual village. I like min maxing in RPG but it that case it just felt wrong.
i have never come across a topic for a youtube video that is more relevant to the core of who i am as a human being than this exact video topic right here -- BLESSED be the algorithm today
And I can't believe marvelous skipped a remake for this game and went for a wonderful life instead, which I am excited for but 64 deserves a remake the most.
I was always attracted by the visuals in this game in various magazine previews I saw back in the day, but sadly we never got it in PAL territories. Will definitely be picking it up before the Wii U eShop goes down though.
HM64 is definitely one of my favorites. I would love to see the greenhouse available in another farming game. so many unique things in this game that sets it apart.
I love this game. I have played it since it first came out when I was a kid. It is my favourite game of all time and despite that, I've only ever managed one perfect game. It is extremely difficult to do and requires a ton of planning and luck. Not to mention restarting over and over again to become the next year's king.
Oh my, I miss rival marriage from old game. My first HM/SoS game was Harvest Moon Back to Nature. It was not really different from Harvest Moon 64. I really really love HM BTN 😂 It was very popular back then in my neighbourhood. I remember I married Popuri there, then one day I got Rick and Karen's wedding invitation. I was so surprised and happy at the same time 😂 It felt like I got new family member since the MC's family was unknown. I hope they will bring back rival candidate/marriage for the future game. I don't want to be the only one who make a family and whenever I can date all the marriage candidates, I feel horrible 🥲😂 I want them to be happy too with someone they love
Oh another relationship aspect that I love from HM BTN is that we can learn about some villager's backstory just like HM 64. Some of the backstories are sad like May who is abandoned by her mother or Duke and Mana's child who has a bad relationship with Duke and decide to leave the village. It makes all the characters important to me and not just mob character. It makes me want to befriend all of them and relate to them. Unfortunately, I don't get that feeling from PoOT even tho I quite enjoy that game too (not the relationship aspect tho)
@@sarisari4521 it’s really sad that they remove the rival marriage in SOS FOMT :( it’s also weird that all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes are bisex… hahaha
My mom randomly bought me this game for Christmas the year it came out and I played it for most my life not knowing how to sell my crops. Didn’t learn how to use the shipping bin until the tutorial in Back to Nature lol.
I just want this remade. I know TECHNICALLY friends of mineral town that came out recently is the remake, but it isn't for me. The characters and relationships between everyone are too different in FoMT and I never understood why they changed everything. This was my first harvest moon game ever when I was 10 and I still have great memories from it. It needs some adjustments, and polish...but it's one that I hold on hope for that it gets a remake
FOMT is similar to Majora's Mask in that it was meant to be a new game, but due to time/budget restraints they ended up having to reuse a lot of assets. Then for the remake they sort of "fixed" it. I wonder if it also was connected to the N64 disk drive come to think of it. Quite a few games were designed with it in mind. Maybe FoMT was meant to be an expansion for HM64.
This was my first farming game and I still love it to this day! Some fun facts: - The bachelorettes in HM64 are descendants of the bachelorettes from the original SNES game. Karen & Cliff are cousins and are both descended from Eve, for example! Which means the Ellen who dies is actually the Ellen from the original game... :( - There was a canceled bachelorette named "Princess Vanilla" that is turned into a turtle and had some whacky quests I married Ann on my first playthrough so I didn't find out she was an abusive spouse until I replayed and got her and Cliff together. She is SUCH a sweet partner if you marry her so I was completely shocked. I always wondered if it was supposed to be based on the anime trope of like a playful bickering couple I.E. like Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon etc. that were popular in the 90's, rather than truly depict abuse? Either way, it definitely doesn't come across well nowadays.
While I did play the SNES HM first, it was HM64 that I got attached too and basically set the bar of expectations I had for the series. Back to Nature is up there for me too since it was essentially a remake of HM64.
I think I really was drawn in to this game when I realized how many actions and inactions mattered. First game Karen moved away, after that I tried to be her friend, and she ended up as my favorite girl in all of HM.
For me, it's the More Friends of Mineral Town. I really like the overall farming experience. But the one that sparks the most are the villagers. They have unique personalities and more importantly, THEY HAVE AMAZING, IF NOT, HEARTBREAKING BACK STORIES! I truly recommend it!!
I struggled so much with this game as a kid because I didn't understand that I needed to use the hoe to plant crops. Thankfully I understood that in Friends of Mineral Town and Rune Factory 2. I would be a wildly different person today if I didn't learn that lol.
BTW, did you ever do the video on Harvest Moon 64 cheats and exploits? Back to Nature, FoMT, A wonderful Life, Magical Melody, ToT, Animal Parade, New beginning, Two Towns, Lost Vally , Light of Hope? Im only finding N64 and Pioneers in the list of uploads maybe I overlooked them? any how I do have to look up more farm sims a LOT got dropped in the last direct.
