Template:Infobox CVG Harvest Moon 64 (Bokujō Monogatari 2 in Japan) is a farm simulation game for the Nintendo 64. Harvest Moon 64 is the fourth game in the Harvest Moon series, following a game for SNES, the Game Boy, and the Game Boy Color respectively. Harvest Moon 64 has a strong fanbase and it considered by many to be the best in the series. It was ranked 78th greatest Nintendo game of all time by Nintendo Power and Mars Publishing's Parent's Guide to Nintendo Games gave it the only Parent's Guide Choice Award for an N64 game.
The overall objective of the game revolves around inheriting your recently deceased grandfather's farm. You then have two and 1/4 years to get the farm up and running before your dad evaluates you on your progress. Your evaluation is based on the villager's affections for you, way you've been living (number of times you've been sick and time spent "relaxing" fishing), and how well developed your farm is. The challenge in the game is that of time management; time accelerates faster in this game then most any other Harvest Moon title. Due to this fact, a perfect ending is rarely encountered.
As you play the game you watch the town and its people struggle with their own personal challenges. Many times, without your intervention, they will fail. Additionally the townspeople slowly open up to you as you talk to them and give them gifts, often reciprocating with their own presents. The characters are believed to be descendents from the first Harvest Moon game, and are reused in "Back to Nature" and "Friends of Mineral Town".
Characters
The Characters of Harvest Moon 64 at the Spirit Festival (the player is the one in costume)
The player controls the main character, Pete (the name is customizable). There are many different characters who live in the village, as well as others who come around and visit at different times (often seasonally or for special festival). The main groups of characters are shopkeepers, bachelorettes, and bachelors, though there are many characters who do not fit into these roles. There are also some special, supernatural characters who are only found in hidden places.
See Characters of Harvest Moon 64.
Animals
Pete begins the game with his dog, whom the player names. Pete may also get a Horse by visiting Green Ranch within the first Spring.
To raise livestock, Pete must purchase them from Green Ranch or breed his own animals. The types of livestock Pete can raise are cows, sheep, and chickens.
Additionally there are many wild animals who run around in the forest, changing as the season differs. One of them has a special cut-scene if you can find it.
See Animals of Harvest Moon 64.
Tools
The tools you start out with at the beginning of the game: hoe, sickle, axe, hammer, and watering can.
Tools are reuseable items you can carry which interact with the game world in different manners.
The five most basic tools are in Pete's inventory from the start:
- Axe, Sickle, Hammer, Hoe, Watering Can
These tools once belonged to his late grandfather, who received them from a friend. After a certain amount of use, they can be upgraded from silver and then to gold, allowing you to "charge" a tool's power for several seconds before using the tool. This technique, though physically draining to Pete, makes farmwork much less time-consuming.
Additional tools may be picked up as you play. Some are given as gifts: the fishing rod is the fisherman the first time you talk to him, and the bell by Doug for buying your first cow or sheep. Seeds cover all plants purchased at Flower Lillia's.
Rick sells the following at his Tool Shop:
- Milker, Clippers, Blue Feather, Bottle (this is actually sold at the Flower Festival)
Doug sells the following:
- Animal Medicine, Miracle Potion, Chicken Feed
Vegetation
Planting, growing, and harvesting your own crops is one of, if not the main focus of the Harvest Moon series. There are three main categories of vegetation: Vegetables, Flowers, and Grass. Seeds can all be purchased at the Flower Shop in the village.
Vegetables
- Farmable vegetables include: turnips, cabbage, corn, potatoes, and, although technically fruits, eggplant, strawberries, and tomatoes. These each have different growing seasons, cultivation time, and selling price. They must be watered to grow (but will not die if unwatered), and can only be planted in tilled soil.
Spring Crops:
- Cabbage-
- Growing Time - 7 days
- Price - 90 G per Cabbage
- Potatoes-
- Growing Time - 6 days
- Price - 80 G per Potato
- Turnips-
- Growing Time - 4 days
- Price - 60 G per Turnip
Summer Crops:
- Corn-
- Growing Time - 13 days
- Price - 120 G per ear of Corn
- Regrow after harvested
- Tomatoes-
- Growing Time - 9 days
- Price - 90 G per Tomato
- Regrow after harvested
Fall Crops:
- Eggplant-
- Growing Time - 7 days
- Price - 80 G per Eggplant
- Regrow after harvested
Winter Crops:
- Strawberries-
- Growing Time - 6 days
- Price - 150 G per Strawberry
Note: Strawberries require a greenhouse. Also, all vegetables may be grown in a greenhouse during any season.
Flowers
- Flowers are less common crops as they cannot be sold or eaten. The only kinds available are the Moon-Drop Flower and the rarer Pink Cat Mint, whose seeds you can only buy at the flower festival. At certain points in the game, a Blue-Mist flower becomes available; this, however, is only a side-quest, not a crop.
Grass
- Grass can be grown in larger quantities, in part because it never has to be watered, and can be walked over at all stages of growth. It is used for feeding livestock. Farmers can either harvest it with a sickle, or let their livestock roam free and graze it themselves. Grass cannot be sold.
Mountain Items
Another way to make money, is to find and sell various items found around Moon Mountain.
Spring-Fall
- Edible Herb
- Price: 30G
- Favorites: Old Woman, Potion Dealer
- Medicinal Herb
- Price: 70G
- Moondrop Plant
- Note: cannot sell
- Favorites: Popuri
Spring
Summer
- Walnut
- Price: 70G
- Favorite: Ellen
- Tropical Fruit
- Price: 40G
- Favorite: Kai
Fall
- Mushroom
- Price: 70G
- Favorite: Head Carpenter
- Poisonous Mushroom
- Price: 30G
- Notes: Everyone hates this (except Ellen, oddly enough); feed it to your dog or sell it if you pluck it.
- Wild Grapes
- Price: 40G
- Favorite: Karen, Duke, Kai
- Full Moon Berry
- Price: 300G
- Favorite: Popuri
- Notes: Can only be found Fall 10th-12th on Moon Mountain, near the restaurant.
Winter
The mines open on Winter-8, the following items may be dug from it.
- Coin
- Price: 10G
- Notes: Coins can not be carried. They will be automatically added to your total Gold when you dig them up.
- Iron Ore
- Price: 100G
- Notes: No one likes this as a gift.
- Moonlight Stone
- Price: 500G
- Notes: Only Rick and the two sprites in the house like this as a gift.
- Blue Rock
- Price: 800G
- Notes: Only Rick and Saibara like this as a gift. Saibara will make a purchaseable pot for you after gifting this.
- Rare Metal
- Price: 1000G
- Notes: Only Rick and the two sprites in the house like this as a gift.If you give a Rare Metal to Rick, you will trigger two future cinematics.
Power Berries
Power Berries are the berries in the game that will permanently increase your stamina. The locations are...
- Dig it up in your field with a hoe. (appears randomly)
- Fish it out of the ocean at the beach on the dock
- In the winter use a level 3 hammer to smash open the rock over the pond where the kappa lives.
- Dig it up out of the mine during winter. (can only be found in the lower levels)
- Win the festival where you find eggs.
- Buy the "Power Nut" from the wandering salesman for 1000G at the Flower Festival.
- Basil will give you one when he returns from one of his voyages (if, of course, you are friends).
- The Harvest Goddess will give you one if you go to her and you aren't tired or fatigued or anything, and you wish for 'Strength.'
- Throw a Large Fish into the Fisherman's pond.
- Give Marbles to the Harvest Sprites
Blue Power Berry
- Throw a Small or Medium Fish into the Fisherman's pond.
External links