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Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 115 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Natsume
Genre(s): Role-Playing Game
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: November 17, 2003
Summary
It is up to you to successfully build and maintain a farm while befriending the people in town. The best part is...you can do it anyway you want! There is no set path to following...you are in control of how you want to accomplish your goals. Do nothing...nothing happens, do something and something WILL happen! Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is the most advanced Harvest Moon for a handheld to date! All the elements that fans have grown to love in the Harvest Moon series are all in Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town! Tons of vegetables to plant and harvest, raise different animals, marry the woman of your dreams and start a family, create your own personal adventure! [Natsume]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Harvest Moon 64 Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: 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...
Nintendojo
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.
Read Full Review >netjak
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.
Read Full Review >VGPub
The graphics are a big step up from the Game Boy Color editions. With that being said, they are nothing amazing.
Read Full Review >Nintendo Power
It's incredible that a game about farming could be so enthralling. [Jan 2004, p.157]
IGN
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.
Read Full Review >GameBiz
It wont let you down with respect to gameplay hours, and youll soon find yourself addicted to waking up every morning then watering your crops and milking your cows. Now who said games didnt teach us life values?
Read Full Review >GameZone
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.
Read Full Review >Pocket Games
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]
GameSpot AU
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.
Read Full Review >Deeko
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!
Read Full Review >GameSpot
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.
Read Full Review >VideoGamesLife
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.
Read Full Review >Computer and Video Games
The game is so diverse that it'd take months, maybe years, to see everything.
Read Full Review >Gamer.tv
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.
Read Full Review >Cheat Code Central
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.
Edge Magazine
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]
GamePro
If youve lived in the city your whole life and dont know a dang thing about cows, dont fret none: the controls are easier than possum pie.
Read Full Review >games(TM)
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]
Read Full Review >GBA Central
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.
Read Full Review >AceGamez
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.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
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]
Read Full Review >GMR Magazine
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]
NTSC-uk
The mixture of splendidly chunky and vibrant visuals with coy hum-along tunes draws you deep within the games deceptively complex system, refusing to allow you out to even take a bathroom break.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
There's a core game here that could've been very enjoyable had it been paced a little better.
Read Full Review >1UP
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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 115 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Brent C. gave it a10:
best game because this is just like real life.
Sarah gave it a10:
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!!
Emman Z. gave it a10:
I love the game, because you can learn how to deal with country people, and how to run a farm.
Kaitlyn K. gave it a10:
I love this game! There is so much to do! I play it every day!
Joe gave it a10:
this game is unbelievable! whoever out is wondering wat game they should get for gba than i'd recomand this one! i play it 24/ 7! its so addicting too!
Megan J. gave it a10:
This game is soooo cool! The animals are cute and fat ( i love fat animals ) and the graphics are awsome. When i play fighting games, i always mess up and die or somthing. But in this its a happy cute little farming game where you have kids and a family on a farm. By the way, if you think everything i'm saying is stupid its because im 10 :)
Maddie S. gave it a10:
I just play this every hour of every day.It is one of my favourite games ever!
