Since the first game was released in Japan in 1996, Harvest Moon has gone on to become a poster child of farming sim games. The popularity of titles like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing is owed to this franchise first popularising gameplay that focuses on tending crops and livestock, interacting with townsfolk, and turning your rundown field into a flourishing paradise.
Today, the games go by a different name. Like the dilapidated old farm you start with, Harvest Moon has grown, now into Story of Seasons. But there’s still a Harvest Moon series out there too? It’s alright, we’ll cover that as we track this series’ storied history.
Harvest Moon’s Humble Beginnings
Created by Yasuhiro Wada, the first Harvest Moon game was released in Japan in August of 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. There it is known as Bokujō Monogatari, which literally translates to ‘farm story’. It came out two months after the release of the N64, and even later in the west, and so became more of a hidden gem for a time.
At the end of the decade, it would branch out from Nintendo consoles with its fifth game Harvest Moon: Back to Nature releasing on PlayStation. In 2003, Japanese publishers Marvelous would acquire developers Victor Interactive Software, bringing the game back from the PS2 to the GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
Harvest Moon stayed with Nintendo through the 2000s, getting plenty of tentpole releases on the DS, Wii, and the 3DS over the coming years. But then like the seasons, things started to change…
Becoming Story of Seasons
Up to this point, Natsume had been the publisher for Harvest Moon in North America, while Marvelous handled things in Japan and PAL regions, like the UK, alongside developing the games. This was a broadly standard relationship. Marvelous would often release games only in Japan under the Bokujō Monogatari moniker, while Natsume started developing USA-exclusive spin-off and mobile titles in 2007 under the Harvest Moon name.
In 2014 though, Marvelous decided the latest installment in the series would be localised by their recently acquired American publishing brand Xseed Games. The only problem was Natsume maintained the rights to the Harvest Moon series name in North America. Thus, Marvelous began to release their games under the new Story of Seasons title starting that same year. They used the name in Europe to help maintain consistency between both markets.
At the same time, Natsume began to release original Harvest Moon games starting with The Lost Valley on the 3DS in 2016. The same year, the second Story of Seasons game came out on that same system. Both franchises would then begin branching out as a new console generation began.
Making its Way to PC
It was after this split that both teams began to branch the series beyond its roots on Nintendo consoles. Natsume was the first to do this, with their next title Light of Hope released first on PC in 2017. It was later available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and mobile the next year, before coming to Xbox One in 2020. Since then, all their games have made their home on PC and home consoles alike.
Story of Seasons on the other hand was a little slower. Their first game on PC, Friends of Mineral Town, did not launch on the platform until 2020. A whole year after it originally came out on the Switch and several years behind Harvest Moon. Last year’s Pioneers of Olive Town was released simultaneously for both Switch and PC, so it seems like both developers have recognised the love the PC gaming community has for their games.
Best PCs for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons
Now that both series are readily available on Windows, why not revisit your childhood by playing the latest Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons games? We have plenty of gaming PCs and laptops here at Overclockers UK that are perfect for playing the newest titles from both franchises.
Refract Gaming Jade (FS-1DJ-EP)
The Refract Gaming Jade has all you need to enjoy time in Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons. With an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 processor and 32GB DDR5 RAM, it’s got everything needed to run efficiently. Equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU and Ada Lovelace architecture, the Refract Jade can harness that power for a spectacular graphical performance. It’s great for other titles like Stardew Valley, too. All of this with three-years parts and labour warranty included as standard.
ASUS TUF Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop (FA507NV-LP023W)
If you want to take your farm on the go, then the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is just the laptop you need. It puts powerful Windows 11 gaming into a super slim, easy-to-carry chassis. With an AMD R7-7735HS CPU and GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, you’ll find your gaming experience super smooth on the beautiful 144Hz display. Even with its streamlined build, there’s no compromise on durability. With 16GB of DDR5 RAM alongside a superfast 512GB SSD, you can move between tasks seamlessly and load all your apps and games faster.
Refract Gaming Azure (FS-1DP-EP)
Play all you can with the Azure, part of our range of Refract Gaming PCs. This pre-built system delivers 4K resolution thanks to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU. Enjoy the power of an Amd Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and 32GB DDR5 RAM to play and stream all your time rebuilding your farm and bonding with townsfolk effortlessly. Looking to start streaming or upgrade your setup? Check out everything our Streamplify range has to offer you.
More Farming Sim Fun
Looking for more fun on the farm? We’ve got plenty of content from our resident farming sim fanatic to inspire your next choice!
Tell Your Story
Which is your favourite Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons game? Let us know in the comments below.
PC specs are subject to change.
- 6 min read
Jacob Smith
Author
Jacob is a passionate gamer, plus a noted Pokemon and LEGO nutjob, who emerges only when doing the words here at Overclockers UK. Since starting at the tail end of 2021, Jacob has gone on to write dozens of blogs on everything from the latest games to whimsical Dickens-inspired poetry. Outside of creating content and being the one person in the office daring to champion Nintendo, he is often found fawning over his Pokemon card collection and his trio of lovely doggos.
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