• Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Nov 17, 2003
Metascore
81 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 25
  2. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Definitely stands on the shoulders of the Harvest Moons before it, but it also emerges as a much more polished, balanced, visually enjoyable, and definitive gameplay experience than any title in the series before it.
  2. 92
    A guilty little pleasure. It is easy to pick up and hard to put down. The open-ended gameplay makes for a unique experience for every player.
  3. 92
    The graphics are a big step up from the Game Boy Color editions. With that being said, they are nothing amazing.
  4. It's incredible that a game about farming could be so enthralling. [Jan 2004, p.157]
  5. 89
    A deceptively engrossing game. One that will cause real days to disappear, and true chores to be neglected in favor of a lengthy farming session. It's brilliant in its simplicity, but yet as the days go on there are so many layers that peel away and reveal themselves.
  6. You could play through it for a good 30 hours--roughly one year in game time--and still not uncover everything there is to see and do.
  7. An immensely enjoyable game that will consume your day, if you're not careful. A great game for multiple players; too bad there are only two save slots.
  8. Visiting hot springs, betting on the horses, and sweet-talking the locals, this is much more than just a farming game. [Spring 2004, p.29]
  9. 85
    It won’t let you down with respect to gameplay hours, and you’ll soon find yourself addicted to waking up every morning then watering your crops and milking your cows. Now who said games didn’t teach us life values?
  10. 85
    Sure, there is a lot of redundancy, but as I said earlier, everything you do within the game will pay off in the end. Make that old man proud and make that farm into one of the best!
  11. It's quite a slow game, and at first many gamers may find it on the tepid side, as it's only once you've got the hang of how the whole farm holds together you'll find yourself dedicating more and more time to the simple joys that Harvest Moon has to offer.
  12. Harvest Moon is hugely addictive and will almost certainly have you playing for hours on end when you only expected to fill that blank half-an-hour in your schedule.
  13. The game is so diverse that it'd take months, maybe years, to see everything.
  14. If an upgraded hammer, that simply allows you to break bigger rocks, is reward enough to get you through another bleak winter's day, then buy this. You truly have what it takes to be a hoary-handed son of the soil.
  15. Excellent. The rhythms of the day quickly become second nature and hypnotically absorbing. There're never enough hours in the day. [Jan 2004, p.106]
  16. Friends of Mineral Town is an absorbingly deep and enjoyable game, even if it does turn out to be little more than a 2D remake of the PlayStation's "Harvest Moon: Back To Nature." [Mar 2004, p.112]
  17. Despite the language translation problems and the fact that the gameplay will eventually grow tiresome, Friends of Mineral Town provides one of the longest, most involving and addictive experiences to be released on the Game Boy Advance so far.
  18. At first I thought it was fairly menial and uninteresting, running around looking after crops, but you get drawn into the tactics behind making enough money to marry a lass and raise kids, while enjoying the great character of the title.
  19. 80
    If you’ve lived in the city your whole life and don’t know a dang thing about cows, don’t fret none: the controls are easier than ’possum pie.
  20. It's a fun RPG that has plenty going on. If you're not careful this game could steal hundreds of hours away from you.
  21. 70
    The mixture of splendidly chunky and vibrant visuals with coy hum-along tunes draws you deep within the game’s deceptively complex system, refusing to allow you out to even take a bathroom break.
  22. There are a lot of things about HM:FMT that make it ideal for GBA, but the main thing is the bite-sized chunks of time that the game is broken up into. [Dec 2003, p.104]
  23. As you can probably imagine, gameplay can be tedious, but the title does a good job of changing things up and adding new elements to the mix. [Dec 2003, p.187]
  24. 60
    There's a core game here that could've been very enjoyable had it been paced a little better.
  25. 60
    I guess I can see where some people might enjoy this existence, but it's not for me. I need some sort of concrete goal in my life. Not to mention variety.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 86 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 73
  2. Negative: 0 out of 73
  1. BrentC.
    10
    best game because this is just like real life.
  2. Sarah
    10
    I adore this game. Unfortunately a while ago I lost it and couldn't find it but just the other day I found it again, I was sooooooooo happy because I missed enjoying it so much. It is awesome. I recommend this game to anyone that lives on a farm and has enough money to afford a GBA. Lol. I hope that this game never gets a rating below 10 because it is da best man!!! And Woman!!!! Lol Adios amigos and fellow harvesters!!! lol enjoy!! Full Review »
  3. EmmanZ.
    10
    I love the game, because you can learn how to deal with country people, and how to run a farm.