the game is similar to the old snes game it makes the player an even more free world to explore and change while natsume tries to make the game a more ope world farming game story of seasons make's the game about the connection's you make with the people and both have something to offer while i think natsume is experimenting to find their own way two different harvest moon games for two different groups of audience.
As is obvious, this game did not do well. However some still enjoyed it and I will focus on the reasons why I did. This game makes you work for everything. Not just unlocking new characters and areas, you have to work to unlock each season. It t is slow paced, be warned, but I found it to be rewarding and I really enjoyed the progression. I felt more motivated to fulfill objectives in this game than other HM games. I also liked the new concept of altering your environment and using this to create new crop mutations. I wont recommend this game to everyone, but if you enjoy sandbox environment crafting and slower paced games, then maybe you are the type to enjoy this game. I certainly did.
Natsume tried to bring the series back to its roots, scratching out some features, but in the process something got lost, primarily the feeling of discovery and fulfillment of the first episodes. Pass.
Lost Valley struggles to retain the heart and soul of previous titles and while it does a few things right and does end up being somewhat enjoyable in the end, the road to reach any semblance of enjoyment was just too long and never feels worth the time investment.
While Natsume seems to have some legitimately good ideas for where they want to take their spin on the Harvest Moon series, too much of what’s been put into The Lost Valley feels awkward, underdeveloped, or unnecessary. While series fans will be able to find fun in some of what it offers up, you can’t help but wish that the development team had focused on the quality of the features they implemented, not the quantity.
It’s so bare-bones it feels like a cheap mobile game knock-off, and the fact that it was released without even a whisper seems like damning proof that Natsume knows it. Lost Valley is a dull, almost offensively boring and watered down version of a normally fantastic series. Do not pick up this game.
Having read about the split in the series known as Harvest Moon I was initially highly dubious about this first attempt by Natusme at their own farming game. However reading reviews about the actual game rather than those just upset at the split convinced me to give it a go.
This game reminds me of the original Harvest Moon on the SNES as the only thing to do is farm. You can grow as many crops as you like (I currently have over 100 growing at once) and put them wherever you like in the valley. The growing conditions, height of the land, swamp or normal, season etc, can affect your crops giving you mutations. There are meant to be 10 types of each crop due to these mutations and I must admit this feature is the one that really made me try the game. At the beginning it is hard to get mutations as the valley is stuck in winter. However I have accidently made some flower mutations and one crop (strawberry). I am really looking forward to finding out what different conditions cause these effects so I'm avoiding walkthroughs so I get the thrill of discovering them for myself.
Basic animals are available, cows, sheep, chickens, and horses. There are areas you can mine at some point and fishing is possible. These are more extras though than the huge mines seen in some previous installments like Animal Parade and Tree of Tranquility. There isn't a town to visit, people just come into the valley or outside your house on certain days of the week. If you love spending time in HM chatting to all the people in town, mining, fishing etc rather than watering crops and caring for cows then this isn't the game for you. If you are a bit of a hermit farmer like me then you will probably love this game like I do as it goes backs to the sheer basics of farming.
It's an okay game, don't get me wrong and as someone that enjoys these types of games, I wasn't disappointed. But those who are here for a good story and fleshed out characters may be disappointed.
In a nutshell, The Lost Valley feels oversimplied and lacking the richness and depth that makes this series unique. It feels as though it's designed for a ten year old, leaving the older fans longing for what they remember spending hours playing.
As a longtime fan of this series, I preordered the game from Natsume, expecting the Harvest Moon goodness that I've grown accustomed to. It's always been more than a farm simulation game - the more you play, the more you unlock, and the little cut scenes with the NPCs are always so cute. When I started the game, the graphics felt odd, lacking even. While I enjoy Minecraft as much as the next person, they captured that feeling while abandoning that which made the game feel like a beloved addition to the Harvest Moon series. Yes you have land to till, plants to water, Harvest sprites to save... (and the sprites are as adorable as ever) the overall feel of the map seemed too boxy and lackluster for the series. And no longer do you have to remember the NPCs favorite things, the foods they dislike... gift giving has been eradicated entirely from the game, which had been a core part of the game play. Of the features that Natsume abandoned, this has to be one of my least favorite changes. I also dislike the fact that there is no longer a town to explore.. your stores are literally just NPCs that walk around in front of your house on certain days. Gone are the days that you go to the clinic or the Marimba farm... It saddened me that "visiting" the store was as simple as talking to them while they parade around in my front yard.
Stacking land and shaping the map the way you wanted sounded appealing to me before I played the game, as I was excited to have something similar to Magical Melody in that regard. But shaping the land becomes cumbersome after laying down the work to get your buildings and such situated.
All these things aside, the game is still fun to play... as long as you don't have the mindset that it's comparable to its predecessors. If you're wanting a farm simulation game where you get to change the map, this is the game for you... If you're looking for a new game with nostalgic ties to games you played years ago, this isn't it. Pull out your Wii and play Animal Parade or Magical Melody. Natsume seemed determined to steer away from as much original content as possible with this installment. My hope is that Story of Seasons will have the classic feel that I was hoping for.
Pros
+Very streamlined controls
+In depth crop system that allows for huge variety of crops
+Entire mountain to cultivate & develop
+You play direct role in town economy, you provide flowers to florist to sell, produce & food to restaurant, etc
+Charming characters each w individual story line to unlock
+Quests give constant purpose to each day
+Cute story that has major influences on world & develops relationship w characters
+Overall very simple relaxing game to pick up and play at the end of a stressful day
Cons
-Art quality is poor with hardly any detail, seems little effort was put in here
-Very limited marriage choices
-Can only have cows, sheep and chickens as livestock
-No tool upgrades, limits how much you can farm (harvest sprites can do a lot of work for you if you befriend them but only work every other day and take weekends off...)
-Festivals are incredibly bland (no decorations!), lacking in variety and repetitive.
-Nitpicking but why have the dog involved in herding if it doesn't actually do anything? You still need the harvest sprite to move cows & sheep out of the barn (can't let chickens out for some reason)
-In all but the crop system it is a huge step back from previous HM games content wise, very limited content here
Summary: Lost Valley if reviewed without previous Harvest Moon games in mind is a charming little title that is relaxing and enjoyable to play. Its simplicity and ease to pick up makes it very accessible to a wide variety of gamers. However an HM veteran may feel cheated at the massive lack of content compared to previous games.
I would have rated it at least a 5 as I had and continue to have a good time playing this game despite the significant downgrade in content compared to past titles, but the art is just so painfully bad with such little effort put in. Still I would recommend if you want a simple & cute farming game to pass the time with.
I'm honestly slightly disappointed with HM:TLV. It doesn't really even feel like Harvest Moon at all. Being a very huge fan of the series I had high expectations... Then again I usually base my ratings off of my favourites. If you're searching for the authentic HM experience then this won't be the game for you. I'm giving it a 4 because I haven't fully completed the game, and have some hope left.
SummaryIn Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, players will experience the role-playing farm simulation in a three-dimensional setting for the first time. The game has a fully customizable world, and players can customize their field in any way they see fit: from a field full of tulips like you might see in Holland, to a valley filled with water like...