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Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 168 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Natsume
Genre(s): Role-Playing Game, Simulation
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: March 16, 2004
Summary
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life will span a lifetime on the farm and follow the drama that goes with it. Not only must you build and successfully run a farm, but you must also build a successful life with family and friends! This new Harvest Moon experience will take the best qualities of the series and add more...more animals, more vegetables and more drama. What sort of life will you live? A Brand New Harvest Moon World. 40 New and Unique Characters. Revived Marriage System. The Ability to Raise your Child. A New Event System with 6 Chapters of your Life, Spanning 30 years. A New system to raise animals and grow vegetables. More seeds and new animals. [Natsume]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Harvest Moon 64 Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: IGN Preview Nintendo Insider Diary Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
A magical experience you're never likely to forget, and the best game in a series that's never been less than excellent. An essential Cube buy. [NGC]
Read Full Review >TotalGames.net
The town is massive and the whole style of the game just brings a huge smile to the face.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
It's a life you'd want to live, and it's a truly refreshing escape from the pressures of reality into an imaginary utopia poised on the edge of an ocean.
Read Full Review >Deeko
An endearing and rewarding experience for those who seek the solace and freedom of world that is focuses on a weapons free, non-violent atmosphere and is easily the best game in the series to date.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
Doesn't fix what's not broken, and it delivers the same addictive gameplay the series is known for in a prettier package.
Read Full Review >Gamer's Hell
If you like Simulation games like "Animal Crossing," you will most likely get a lot of enjoyment out of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.
Read Full Review >Just RPG
What this game lacks in action-packed adventure and evil villains, it more than makes up in addictive gameplay, vibrant graphics, and longevity.
Read Full Review >Nintendophiles
As a newcomer to the Harvest Moon experience, I was floored with the almost overwhelming amount of options and choices within the game. The simple and responsive controls make it very easy to play.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
It's easily the best-looking of all the HM games, but it's plagued with some unfortunate problems: somewhat spotty control, not enough characters and days that movie by just a little too quickly. [Apr 2004, p.84]
GameZone
We would have liked to have seen more optional tasks and interactivity between characters, but the game is still great fun to play.
Read Full Review >GameShark
The harmony between deep gameplay mechanics and the freedom of choice is a powerful and wonderful thing. The Harvest Moon series has always been know for balancing these two, and A Wonderful Life carries on this proud tradition with addictive gameplay that never leaves you feeling forced into anything.
Read Full Review >GameCube Europe
Stay clear of this game if you don’t have time to play lots of it though, because after you get used to life on the farm it’s hard to turn back.
Read Full Review >Edge Magazine
Much of the enjoyment comes from the awe and wonder at discovering the simple things in the world. Where previous Harvest Moon titles encouraged workaholic tendencies … the thrill here is in experimentation. [Apr 2004, p.105]
Game Informer
Where the previous games felt like work, A Wonderful Life feels curiously satisfying. [Apr 2004, p.100]
Read Full Review >netjak
With the inclusion of the chapter system and the longer days, there is an absolute guarantee that A Wonderful Life will keep gamers captivated for countless hours.
Read Full Review >GMR Magazine
While the repetition of farm life is soothing, the repetition in the human interactions is just annoying...Still, with all the chores, you'll probably spend little time carousing about town, anyhow. [Apr 2004, p.81]
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
Overall the game has that "good vibe" feeling to it that is missing from the majority of videogames.
IGN
The more you play it, the more it grows on you. It's quite easy to fall in love with the world Natsume created.
Read Full Review >Weekly Famitsu
8 / 7 / 8 / 8 - 31 silver [Vol 183; 16 July 2004]
Nintendojo
Just know that it’s very different from every Harvest Moon before it; It’s less busy and paced moanre slowly, it emphasizes the livestock business more than the crop-growing one, and it's not about accumulating a fortune so much as it's about building a family and watching it grow.
Read Full Review >NintendoWorldReport
A pleasant experience that can become frighteningly addictive. There’s nothing quite like the joy of seeing your hen lay a golden egg after months of pampering, and a hundred other little events are similarly fulfilling.
Read Full Review >GameCritics
Sure, the game has flaws. But they're transcended by its ability to put us in awe of our own lives. We see our daily tedium through fresh eyes, feel it through newly excited thumbs.
Read Full Review >GamePro
Although HM: AWL has a mind-boggling array of options, it offers no relief from the monotony of the daily chores. In setting out to create the ultimate farming game, it seems Natsume has simulated the drudgery of farming in real life as well. [Apr 2004, p.99]
Read Full Review >games(TM)
The game has made an incredibly successful transition into glorious 3D. This lavish graphical overhaul brings the quaint village of Forget-Me-Not and its quirky residents to life superbly and exudes a hypnotically tranquil ambience that epitomises the ideology of the series. [May 2004, p.120]
Electronic Gaming Monthly
The most calming game I've played...The downside to this pastoral pleasantness is that it requires Zen-like patience. Chances are, you don't have it. [Apr 2004, p.130]
Read Full Review >eToychest
Old fans will certainly appreciate it, and it has enough charm to compel those looking for something new, but newcomers should certainly be warned that it’s an unusual taste. It is time-consuming, repetitive and dull, yet it is also relaxing and vaguely satisfying.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
It's too bad that an underdeveloped social scene and tedious chores that require frustrating precision keep farm life from being more fun.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 168 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Griffin B. gave it a10:
This is truly a great game. It never gets boring. I like how your child can actually grow, unlike Friends of Mineral Town. Of all the HM games I have played, this was the best by far. Good job, Natsume!
Alvea S. gave it a10:
it's a really fun and addicting game!
Nikki D. gave it a10:
I love it the people are great!this game is not in any way sexist like one of the voters said.
Clint M. gave it a10:
I like this game because it is just like managing a real life. I like how you can sell things and order stuff in the ledger. I think The ledger could be like ordering things online or when you pick up your money from the dairy shipping bin could be like putting things on e-bay. It`s a realistic game and I like it.
Kirstie W. gave it a9:
the game is really cool but...after playing it for awhile its gets pretty boring but if u just go away for a while and then come back and play its not boring anymore.
Sinn gave it a6:
I've played HM snes and 64 and I thought they were better than great. I was so excited when I heard about AWL and all of its new features (kid growing up, completely new characters, revised marriage system, to name a few). Imagine my disappointment when I played the game and found it to be a watered down version of the old games. The so-called festivals are boring, uninteractive videos compared to the fun and excitement of the ones in 64. The farming is tedious instead of enjoyable. Don't even get me started on the girls in it (ONLY 3?!!!). All in all I was thoroughly disappointed with the game because it has ruined a brilliant series. From now on I'll be very wary of buying any HM game, despite any good reviews it recieves.
Melissa B. gave it a9:
I think it was really good! The girls were easy to woo and it was very nice. I liked it but it should have a little more characters and some more festivals! Other than that it was sooo cool!!!!!!!!
