This is a hard review for me to write. This game here is one of the most important games of my life. A favorite of mine since when I was a kid. By playing it more than 15 years later, I unfortunately found some glaring issues with it. Now, how does my feelings stand up after knowing about such flaws?

This is indeed a charming game. Its core systems work pretty well. The main thing is... this game punishes you for playing well. There I was, at Fall of the Second Year, having accomplished almost everything the game had to offer (the only thing left was to have my second child, but there was nothing I could on that sense; it was just a matter of time).

Without anything to look forward to, every mundane task of the farm became pointless. Why am I taking care of 12 chickens and 12 cows every single day if I can't be rewarded in any way for doing that? It was time consuming and tiresome (and it became worse knowing that the game can't handle many characters at the same screen; the framedrops were annoying). Half of the game felt pointless, really. I don't even know how I got to the end of it without dying of boredom.

House renovations? Got it. Marriage? Got it. Children? Got it. Max animals? Got it. Crops to the max. of my stamina? Got it.
Nothing of value was left. I had clearly exhausted the majority of the contents of the game halfway through it.

Although this game is still dear to me, much of the good experiences I had with Harvest Moon are directly linked to how poorly I played it when I was a kid. I'm not a pro, not at all. I could do much much better than I did. But just being a little above average was enough to make the game pointless. It's sad to admit it, but most of the fun I derived from this title came directly to my inexperienced younger self, learning what the hell a farming simulation game was. There were times when I didn't even manage to finish the game with a child, or even having any cows to begin with.

But the thing is... the systems work well. They are solid. And this game is special to me, still. I can't possibly give it a lower score than 3 stars out of 5. If I can let my heart speak and counsciously let it go over my critical thinking, let this game be the one where it does so. This one deserves it. My heart is willing to triumph this time, so it is with profound love that I thank this game for everything it did for me. For helping shape my taste in gaming and media in general, for keeping me company in my younger days of solitude. I love you, Harvest Moon!