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Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

EMAIL PRINT wii

9.2 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 14 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Natsume

Developer: Marvelous

Genre(s): Strategy, Simulation, Adventure

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: September 30, 2008

Summary

In Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii, you find yourself in a troubled island town which once prospered with life and energy, but is now in serious trouble. The mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the island has disappeared, and the Harvest Goddess is nowhere to be found! The island has lost its connection with nature and the inhabitants don't know what to do - it's up to you to save the island! You must help to rebuild the island by tending to the earth, befriending and raising animals, nurturing friendships, and creating a family. When the giant Mother Tree is reborn, the Harvest Goddess will return and bring prosperity to the island once again. Long-time Harvest Moon fans as well as new players will find an exciting, involving storyline and plenty of activities including cultivating crops, caring for animals, and participating in festivals. All-new controls for the Nintendo Wii Remote give players the chance to feel like they're really farming! [Natsume]

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...

Everyeye.it

Tree Of Tranquillity will please both the newcomers and the fans of the brand. By reducing the complexity of some actions and enriching the gameplay’s structure it stands in the series’ high spots. There are some issues: festival are less fun than usual, and the character design differs a lot from the classic. But these are collateral elements, and those who are looking for a solid Harvest Moon experience will find what they want.

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Vandal Online

It has made progress in the social simulation, going from simple mechanics to a quite realist simulation, and it could be a pleasant surprise for players looking for a quiet game.

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GameShark

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a cute little farm simulation game with some decent additional features. However, even with the new features, it’s still too similar to past games in the series so if you have played these games in the past and they didn’t take, this won’t recharge your farming batteries – but dedicated fans should get their money’s worth.

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NGamer UK

Lame controls, rubbish camera, loads of crappy loading pauses. It seems very cheap. [Jan 2009, p.66]

Cheat Code Central

If you are really into farming, and don’t mind the repetitive tendencies of the series, then Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a solid entry and definitely worth your time.

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Game Informer

Bottom line: if you expect nothing out of the Tree of Tranquility except the same old same old, then this will do the trick. [Oct 2008, p.106]

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Nintendo Power

The problem is that the game feels phoned in, from the tacked-on motion controls to the scan tutorial system that assumed you've already played every other Harvest Moon game. [Oct 2008, p.90]

IGN

In the end, Tree of Tranquility is a decent - but at times, weak - first offering on Wii, and while we had a good time playing it, we couldn't help but think of the better times the series has already seen, and hopefully the better it has ahead.

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InsideGamer.nl

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is not the right game for everyone and there are a lot of mistakes that make the game less fun. Loading screens, the missing of voice-overs, repeating gameplay and controls that aren’t that great are examples of that. There is a lot to do on Waffle Island, maybe for weeks or even months!

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Multiplayer.it

The old gameplay is still the same. If you aren't afraid of that, or if you're a new fan of the series, you could have fun with this Harvest Moon episode. Even if there are tons of loading times and some old gen graphics.

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Gameplayer Sweden

Old school Harvest Moon-style, with all the positive and negative things that follows with that.

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GameSpot

With only minimal improvements to a well-worn formula, the Harvest Moon series is starting to show its age.

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Meristation

Tree of Tranquility is very much the essence that this franchise has always dealt with. We have to harvest a different number of fields, looking forward to earn some money, to marry and all that familiar stuff that we should know very well at the date. There's nothing particularly wrong with the game, but lacks some new additions like the one's we've seen in Rune Factory.

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9Lives

Combine the sub-par sound with the repetitive gameplay and you'll quickly get bored with Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility. The combination of English text with Japanese text bubbles largely passes by on the intended age group of young gamers in the Benelux. The one somewhat addictive aspect is making your farm bigger and finding a partner. Finding a good balance between social life and farm life is what this title is about. Fans of the series will love it: a farm life sim, which could've turned out so much better.

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1UP

The most depressing issue, however, is the four- to 10-second load time you'll suffer each time you enter a new environment, but methodically engaging gameplay helps make up for this.

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Nintendo Life

The addictive gameplay of past titles is still there, but Tree of Tranquility simply repeats too many past mistakes, with little advantage taken of the Wii’s capabilities other than a few motion controls and minigames.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tatt P. gave it a4:
Had been enjoying A Wonderful Life and waiting to for the new version on the Wii, Tree of Tranquility is a huge disappointment for me. First of all, the first impression is the low graphics quality. In A Wonderful LIfe (GameCube) has much nicer and cuter design and details. Before you can hold a chicken and run anywhere with it..now you can only hold it and put down exactly where you got it from. So if it's blocking the eggs then you will keep picking the chicken up rather than the eggs which is super annoying. Also, in AWL, you can see the character rubbing his face with the cows and horses with love and passion.. now it's just a tap.. I think it has lost these kinda details, which I think they made Harvest Moon a great game play. Secondly, the controls...in ToT you can't change angles..when I try to water the crops, higher crops are blocking the ones behind (if there are any!). The good thing is that you can level up your skill and can now water/till more squares at once which saves a lot of time and energy. Thirdly, in AWL, you can order delivery of seeds or animals, but in ToT, you have to run all the way to the shops to be able to buy things and it could take up to half a day because there are more areas to cover. The telephone is merely for weather forecast (which is much more quicker and cheaper than telly) and shops opening time. Fourthly, I agree with previos reviews, the storyline is not solid enough. Also, a good game does not need game faqs walk through, but this game you can't play without one. Fifthly, one great thing (of many great things) in AWL is that you can manage sleeping time. In ToT no matter what time you sleep you'd wake up at 6am. If you don't go to sleep before 6am your character will suddenly become fatigue and super slow..and in ToT game, a day goes by in a blink. Although ToT has has unnecessarily taken away those great features from the previous Harvest Moon (i'm really curious why they did it). Improvements? More areas to explore; you can play as a boy or a girl, or your child (should have spent that time improving the controls and graphics).

Olivia S gave it a10:
This game is definitely worth every cent I paid. The controls, being that you can actually made motions to water, till and plant, make it the ultimate farming simulation. Plants are also walk-through-able, like in Rune Factory, which is a pro. And those are some of the minor things! Even the most hardcore Harvest Moon haters will love this game!

Stooker gave it an8:
Never played any of the Harvest Moon games, so I can't compare this one to them. However, this one is pretty good and engaging. My wife bought it and I thought it would be the stupidest game and a waste of money, but after watching her play for a few hours, I decided to start my own game. It's like Sims on a farm with a storyline.

Rhyanna b gave it a10:
Fun game! Its so fun, better than all the other Harvest moons. But the camera perspective does give me a headache... Its so interesting, its so much improved!

Alli P gave it a9:
I love this game. I only wish that the load times were shorter, because it is really painful to leave your house, wait for a loadtime, remember that you left your milker inside and have to wait through another load time. Aside from that this game is great, I love all the improvements, farming is much more enjoyable. I love all the crop and animal choices, and best of all you don't lose stuff by accidentaly dropping it on the ground when you meant to give it away. If you like Harvest Moon you must buy this version.

Some one Some where gave it a10:
This game is the best entry in the Harvest Moon series yet! I give it a perfect 10> Also you can finally turn the music off. =) Best of all you can explore the biggest HM world yet! It's a must by for fans and even non-fans.

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Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

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