Harvestella is a 2022 farm life sim role-playing video game developed by Live Wire and published by Square Enix.[1] It was released for the Nintendo Switch and Windows on November 4.[2] It has been compared to Final Fantasy and Rune Factory, and revolves around farming crops while attempting to save the world from the sudden appearance of a deadly magical plague known as Quietus.
| Harvestella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Live Wire |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) | Hiroto Furuya |
| Producer(s) | Daisuke Taka |
| Designer(s) | Daisuke Taka |
| Programmer(s) | Nauyuki Ukeda |
| Artist(s) | Isamu Kamikokuryo Yoichi Kubo Yasushi Hasegawa |
| Writer(s) | Hiroto Furuya |
| Composer(s) | Go Shiina |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch, Windows |
| Release | November 4, 2022 |
| Genre(s) | |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editThe game includes action RPG combat, with the player being able to choose one of twelve classes, including Fighter, Mage and Shadow Walker.[2] Other gameplay aspects include life simulation elements, where players can explore their village and talk to its residents, farming, cooking, crafting and fishing.[3] Besides the main story, each of the main characters have ten missions that the player must complete to strengthen their relationship with them, but they don't have to be done right away. There are also side missions that the player can do anytime. Both the character and side missions can be done by talking to a character with a symbol above them. The missions will not continue until the player receives letters from the characters, requesting them to come see them. They can also be done even after the main story is finished. Should the player successfully bond with one of the main characters, it could result in a marriage. During combat, players can have up to two of the main characters to help them in battle. Some characters may leave the party temporarily.
Plot
editThe protagonist walks through a desolate town undergoing a phenomenon known as "Quietus" and is greeted by an angelic being. They wake up later, having been found by a woman named Cres, and are in an amnesiac state. Cres takes the protagonist to a nearby village she lives in called "Lethe" and treats her as a physician. Cres reveals that the protagonist was exposed to the dust of Quietus which typically causes terminal illness in all living things that breath in a sufficient quantity. She is shocked the protagonist is otherwise healthy. The protagonist is released eventually and decides to figure out what to do while she works on figuring out her past. The civilians at Lethe village end up befriending the protagonist who does work around the village and starts their own farm.
Later on an earthquake occurs and a giant red crystal referred to as the "Seaslight" begins releasing energy. Several other Seaslight crystals also release their energy and a meteor falls from the sky. The meteor turns out to be a futuristic ship and an armored being is found within. Cres refers to the armored being as an "Omen" and shows great disdain towards them. The protagonist however decides to help the armored being despite the protests of Cres.
The protagonist sleeps next to the armored being whose armor dematerializes at night, revealing a young red haired woman who refers to herself as Aria. Aria reveals that she is a scientist from the future, however everyone else is suspicious. Aria convinces the protagonist to go exploring with her and they run into an Omen named Dianthus. The group explore the world and try to reach the different Sealights to understand why they are becoming unstable and creating longer periods of Quietus. On their journey they run into a number of people who join their team. These members include Shrika, a missionary, Heine, a flirtatious and handsome mechanic, Emo, a siren princess and the last of her kind, Istina, a teacher who was once an assassin, Asyl, a spearman, and Brakka, a mercenary. As the party continues finding Sealights and stabilizing them, they eventually run into an antagonist Omen known as "Geist". Geist explains that he intends on wiping out humanity as the lifeforms on the planet are preventing a different set of lifeforms who are very similar and in stasis from colonizing the planet successfully. Geist reveals that Aria's purpose is to act as the harbinger and massacre all the "Abels" on ReGaia so that the "Cains" from the planet earth can take it over. Aria's past is revealed and it's shown that a red Seaslight fell on earth long ago and lead to the planet becoming uninhabitable. Due to this, the Cains sent a portion of their surviving population to colonize a distant planet that was similar to earth.
Aria betrays the team and the protagonist is forced to fight her and bring her back to her senses. Later Geist is defeated and in the true end of the game the protagonist manages to save both the Cains and the Abels from extinction. Quietus is also permanently resolved, and the main characters live their lives out normally.
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | NS: 73/100[4] PC: 74/100[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 7.5/10[6] |
| Game Informer | 6.75/10[7] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[8] |
| HobbyConsolas | 78/100[9] |
| Nintendo Life |   [10] |
| Nintendo World Report | 7.5/10[11] |
| RPGamer | 4/5[12] |
| RPGFan | 85%[13] |
| Screen Rant |    [14] |
Harvestella received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[4][5] Jonathan Bolding of PC Gamer called the game "Square Enix's answer to Rune Factory", saying that it had a "distinctive spin and visual style".[2] Cass Marshall of Polygon called it "an intriguing take on a chill vibes genre of game", and calling its fully 3D graphics an "interesting perspective".[15]
References
edit- ^ "Take a fresh look at HARVESTELLA | Square Enix Blog". square-enix-games.com. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
- ^ a b c Bolding, Jonathan (2022-07-02). "Square Enix puts their spin on the farm and fantasy life sim with Harvestella". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Nightingale, Ed (2022-06-28). "Harvestella looks like Final Fantasy meets Stardew Valley". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ a b "Harvestella for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ a b "Harvestella for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ Andriessen, CJ (2022-11-19). "Review: Harvestella". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Stewart, Marcus (2022-11-30). "Harvestella Review". Game Informer. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ Shive, Chris (2022-11-13). "Review: Harvestella - Hardcore Gamer". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ Lloret, Alberto (2022-11-07). "Análisis de Harvestella para Nintendo Switch y PC, ¿un juego de rol de acción "granjera" o un simulador de granjas rolero?". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Vogel, Mitch (2022-11-07). "Review: Harvestella - A Promising Genre Hybrid That Needs Some Watering". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ Ronaghan, Neal (2022-12-12). "Harvestella (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (2022-12-19). "Harvestella Review". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Parsons, Izzy (2022-11-30). "Harvestella Review". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ McClure, Deven (2022-11-10). "Harvestella Review: Superb Story, So-So Simulation". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ Marshall, Cass (2022-06-28). "Square Enix's Harvestella is a new life sim farming game with a deadly twist". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-08-01.