The Harvest Moon series paved the way for many farming simulators we know and love, acting as the foundation for the genre. Since its release, it has transcended into multiple variations with its spin-offs and main entries, ultimately morphing into the Story of Seasons franchise that still harnesses its predecessor’s adored elements. However, in recent years, the spotlight predominately shined on the newer edition, shying away from the Harvest Moon series. That is until The Winds of Anthos was announced to finally bring the series back on the map.
Although I’ve only experienced the Story of Seasons side, it was plain to see how much the franchise has improved in this upcoming installment, with its overhaul of revamped graphics and entertaining open-world mechanics. If you’ve played past entries, you’ll undoubtedly be blown away by the winds of Anthos, as it features five villages in an extensively large map. By the looks of the area size I saw in the preview, it may be one of the biggest locations in the series, giving players more to explore and a lot more to do.
What makes it even better is the fact that these villages come with their own set of surprises, where you’ll encounter different types of environments and challenges. On one end, players can dress down and enjoy their time in the tropics, while the other brings on the chill with its freezing temperatures. I’m always a sucker for games that diversify their surroundings, so to see that in this game is incredibly refreshing, especially since it can get relatively mundane after some time with specific farming simulators.
The mythology behind Anthos also pairs well with the scenery to give meaning to the environment around you. In the past, the area was once a prominent destination under the protection of the Harvest Goddess and Harvest Sprites until a volcanic eruption plagued the villages, separating each town from the other. But, as a last plea for help, the Harvest Goddess sent a letter and key into a bottle to one day restore the area to its former glory.
While the settlement remained in disarray for over 10 years, a sign of hope rose from the ashes when the main protagonist discovered the bottle, beginning the mission to reconnect all the villages. Those who enjoyed the narrative aspect of Harvest Moon can look forward to an expansion on story-based elements, as the team behind the installment has indicated that the Winds of Anthos has more cutscenes than any other entries. That means you’ll be more well-versed with the location’s history and people instead of aimlessly running around to improve your farm.
On the other hand, if you are the type of player who thrives on getting lost in the world without an emphasis on the story, you can deviate from these narrative missions to focus on the franchise’s primary aspect, farming. Dedicated fans will see that the perspective of the character’s view is much more fluid and open when gardening or exploring, differing from the top-down layout you may be used to. The graphics are also pleasing to the eye through their vibrant colors, adorable character designs, and finely detailed surroundings, as well as faster loading times.
Although I didn’t thoroughly indulge in the conversations with villagers, there will certainly be many opportunities to get along with the many residents, unlocking missions and companion-based quests. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Harvest Moon game without a love interest to share your journey with, including a male and female option in each town. But, to access these places, you must restore the bridges to these settlements and fix the broken state of structures that the volcano left behind. There’s no order on which destination you want to go to first, so adventurers could even go to the farthest side of the map to meet their one true love or simply fill out the map.
The more you improve the villages, the more you’ll increase your cultural level to earn rewards and upgrades for your tools. Rare seeds can also be collected from the sprites that will linger around hidden areas or remain out in the open. The farming gameplay has all the basic fundamentals of past Harvest Moon games with a few tweaks that enhance its classic mechanics. You’ll need to ensure you are planting the seeds in a suitable location since their growth depends on the weather, soil, and other conditions.
The item search is one of the most helpful tools I’ve seen in the genre, given that players can choose to mark a desired product on the map to quickly find it, producing an icon radius of its location. That way, you won’t get as frustrated searching for one specific product. On top of that, there’s plenty of animals to befriend, and you can basically pet them to your heart’s content to level up your relationships. The glimpses I saw of the creatures almost reminded me of Pokemon, considering that players have to sneak up to interact with them and explore around to find different species.
Anthos is packed full of a bunch of other activities, such as fishing, racing, festival events, requests, and many more. You could honestly play the game as long as you want, as there are no restrictive time limits for missions, and you have the freedom to go anywhere regardless of your character’s level.
With all this in mind, I firmly believe the Winds of Anthos could bring a resurgence to the Harvest Moon franchise, proving that an old dog can still learn some new tricks. It has enough balance to satisfy old and new fans, showcasing a fresh side of the classic while staying true to its fundamentals. I look forward to seeing the return of the series, and hopefully, it will open the door for more to come.
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