The Ushi No Tane websites specialize in information, FAQs, and guides about the Nintendo console versions of the Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Legend of the River King video games. These game genres are created and published in Japan by Marvelous (JP). In other regions, you'll find Natsume, XSeed Games/Marvelous (USA), Marvelous (EU), and Rising Star involved in the series' release.
The latest version of the mainstream farming series that have been released in various regions of the world are:
- Japan: Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (January 2023)
- North America: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (September 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)
- Europe: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (October 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)
The latest version of River King, in all regions of the world, is River King: Mystic Valley (JP 2007, NA 2008, EU 2009).
Since 2000, Ushi no Tane has been run by a grouchy old lady who happens to be fond of video game agriculture along with two feline helpers: Intern Captain Bootu and Intern Hondo Mewnaka. The website is not officially affiliated, sponsored, endorsed, or employed by the developers of Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or River King. This is simply a fan site.
Latest Farming Video Game News
Two New Farm'n Games, Natsu-mon EN Release, and Indie Game Updates | Posted at 03:43 PM 09 August 2024
Happy Farm'n Friday! We've reached August, which means it's about time to harvest the potatoes! Smart-me wrote the expected harvest date on a plant tag when I buried the seed potatoes earlier this spring, so I wouldn't forget, and now both the front yard and backyard plants look ready to give up their spuds soon. I stopped the irrigation earlier this week, which will start the skins on the root balls to become potato-y. I should be able to dig them up in a couple of weeks.
August also means we're getting a new Harvest Moon sometime this month. Or, at least, that's what we've heard. It's already August 9, and we don't have a confirmed release date for Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home yet, the upcoming full-sized game for mobile platforms. Hopefully, we hear something soon, as I have an out-of-office week reserved at the end of the month for farm'n.
In other farm'n news, the English localization for Natsu-mon: 20th Century Summer Kid is now available on Steam and in the Nintendo eShops. Yasuhiro Wada's latest TOYBOX-produced game puts the player in the role of Satoru, a boy traveling with his family circus during the summer of 1999. Catch bugs, explore Yomogi Town, make friends with the locals, and yuck it until summer vacation ends at the end of the in-game month. If the days are too short, select the Relaxed mode in the game's settings to lengthen each day. While the game's voices are in Japanese, the text is in English. The Steam version recommends a controller, but the keyboard and mouse work fine. A free demo is available on the Nintendo eShop. The extra episode DLC, Broadcast over Sunset, is also now available in English.
I had a similar unsupervised summer vacation in 4th grade in the mid-1980s. Spent the days riding bikes with my two friends, catching skimmer bugs and tadpoles in the drainage ditches at the neighborhood park, going swimming, collecting empty soda cans to recycle and using the money to buy candy, listening to music on the AM radio, etc. Ah, good times...
New Farm'n - Hamster Garden
Coming this Autumn to Nintendo Switch in Japan via publisher SUCCESS (Shepherds Crossing series) is a town/farm simulation game where everyone is a hamster. Miniture Garden: Hamster and the Sunny Village will have players cultivating land to grow crops and develop the area to entice fellow hamsters to move into town. Basically, it is Shepherds Crossing with hamsters and no livestock.
Players will grow crops and vegetables, chew on trees to collect wood, and then barter the goods with other hamsters to obtain materials used to construct facilities, such as a cafe, bread shop, cake shop, and public bathroom. Put together a collection of buildings to encourage other hamsters to move into the town. There are different breeds of hamsters to collect.
A major feature of this game is the number of Japanese voice artists who have recorded little hamster squeaks for the game. SUCCESS is promoting over 50 VAs involved, such as VA Hikaru Tono, who voices the game's narrator, hamster. There are also DLC hamsters voiced by other VAs to collect.
There are around 1000 items that can be used to decorate the village. Plus, players can also accessories their hamsters with little hats. That's pretty cute.
Chances of this game coming out in English are low; I'm assuming the Japanese VAs would need to be removed or recast for localization. But it's still cute, and those with access to the Nintendo eShop in Japan can now preorder the digital version. Like with BokuMono games, there are various bonus items for those preordering the physical edition, such as retailer-specific DLC, pins, and postcard sets.
Indie Game Updates
Rural farming game Song of the Prairie exited Early Access last week, launching version 1.0 on Steam with a 10% discount until August 14. Originally a crowdfunded campaign in July 2022, in this game, players take on the role of a retired hero who just finished saving the world and is looking to take a long break in Prairie Town. They hide their former power/identity and take over an abandoned farm to begin a new life. Farming, animal care, festivals, 24 marriage candidates, decoration customization, and more are available in this farm'n game.
Soda Den released version 1.2 of Roots of Pacha on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Steam, and now brand-new on XBox One/X/S. This new addition to the prehistoric farming game brings more mount options, the olla watering system for crop fields, a new clan school for the kids, the protagonist's kids can now grow to school-age, the ability to save at the bedside journal without having to go to bed for the day, and several quality-of-life improvements. Soda Den plans to release another large update in 2025, adding two more regions to their game, canoe fishing, volcano caves, ball sports, and more.
Sun Haven has been updated to version 1.5, bringing a new fast-travel teleportation network, user interface adjustments, character portrait changes, and more. The development team at Pixel Sprout Studios is still working on Steam Deck verification and a Nintendo Switch version of their mythical spell-casting farming game.
New Farm'n - Everbloom
Yesterday, small-team video game developer Torbie Studios announced their new cozy farming game called Everbloom. In this farming game, players work to discover the flavors of lost heirloom crops by growing unique plant combinations.
Either alone or with a group of three friends, players are encouraged to experiment and discover new products. For example, mix butter and corn seeds to grow popcorn plants and feed candy bars to cows to produce chocolate milk. You can breed flowers for color varieties, cook meals, go fishing, design/decorate the farm space, explore the little groves and caves of the world, befriend the villagers (perhaps a date or two?), and investigate why the flavors disappeared.
Mmm... strawberry milk...
Everbloom is planned for a Steam release in the future.
Until next time!
-Cher
(Almost done with Everafter Falls; just a few more museum items to collect...)
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