Stardew Valley vs. Harvest Moon

Jamahi

Jamahi

Tiller
Hi everyone,
I loved the Nintendo game Harvest Moon and I was so thrilled when a friend of mine recommended Stardew Valley as it is inspired by Harvest Moon. Even the graphics are alike!
So this is for everyone like me who played the Nintendo game ages ago: What do you miss in Stardew Valley what was featured in Harvest Moon? And of course also vice versa: What are great changes in SDV, that HM missed?

I start:
Pro Harvest Moon
  • The time stopped when you were in a building and also after a certain time (11pm? Can’t remember:laugh:)
  • also just speaking to villagers increased the friendship level
  • that you could call your dog and horse and they would come racing towards you
  • that you could decide when and which cow got pregnant
Pro Stardew Valley:
  • All the animals! Not only cows and chickens
  • The sprinklers. What an immense time saver!
  • That you can also marry villagers of the same sex
  • customization of your farmer and farm design
 
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Ereo

Helper
I have only played the GBC version of harvest moon, so that's a lot older than SDV and not easy to compare.


However, speaking to villagers does increase friendship and there is a late game item (not available on mobile yet) that makes your horse come to you.
 
Jamahi

Jamahi

Tiller
No, I didn't know that. I only know that there was another game for the PlayStation, but not that there is a whole series. Then I guess there really is no comparability...

The game I was talking about was for the Super Nintendo.
 
FlyingCatPhillips

FlyingCatPhillips

Farmer
You can pick which game to compare it to... But we'd need to know which HM game
I used HM: New Beginnings and it was the first DSi game
I played a lot of HM and now SoS too, but I love the fact that I could play them on handheld consoles, SDV is the first Faming Sim that I have played for a stationary console. And now it's available on handhelds!!!

Which HM game were you referencing?
 

BeardedFarmer

Farmhand
I play Harvest Moon 64 and been playing it since I was 15, I'm 35 now. I've tried the other versions and though they are still enjoyable, I've found myself enjoying the N64 version. Ive yet to actually play the SNES version but need to actually start a SNES collection.

But I do believe you can easily compare botj titles without having to break them down individually.

As for the comparisons:

The time stop for Harvest Moon in buildings is wonderful.

The dungeon exploration and combat in Stardew is phenomenal.

I'm a bigger fan of the pixalated style over 3D style.

I miss the swimming events and photo albums from Harvest Moon.

I do enjoy the character interactions more in stardew.

I wish the kids grew up more and helped out on the farm in both titles, as well as the spouses helping...maybe be able to assign everyone chores??

I think its cool you have more marriage options in Stardew, I don't care who marries who or if its same sex or not. We are humans whom are still evolving just like these games.

But they should add dates for your spouse options. That'd be nifty.

I like the fishing in stardew more.

Thr town upgrades in Harvest Moon was awesome.

Both games need more upgrade options lol

Sooo there's my .50 cents on the topic lol
 

BeardedFarmer

Farmhand
Lew Zealand said:
Stardew Valley does this as well. I often forget to give the proper gifts to people like Evelyn/Granny but just talk to her, and you still get Friendship points with her doing that. I'm not sure I've ever given Evelyn a gift an any of my playthgoughs, I can't remember what she likes/loves.
Click to expand...
Diamonds.
 
Magically Clueless

Magically Clueless

Administrator
Staff member
From my experiences in Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons games, their weakest point is often the villagers in all honesty. There's limited or very repetitive dialogue, and while it's inevitable that all games get to that point, it's really noticeable in most HM games for me while Stardew Valley keeps it fresh for a long time.

Pro HM/SoS:
- longevity in the sense of intense goals (like going into mines that are hundreds of floors, or unlocking a building at year 50)
- lots of animals and they are worth getting invested in
- festivals often requiring things you make or raise in the game (sheep contest, etc)
- depending on the game it's pretty easy to make money and makes it pretty beginner friendly
- natural disasters, animal sickness (depending on the game), brings more stakes into gameplay


Pro Stardew Valley:
- big variety of crops, trees, machines, tools etc. like you can go whatever direction you want in this game when it comes to being a farmer
- NPCs are a lot more immersive, varied, and interesting
- the magic in the world is not only literal, but also through you saving the valley and enriching the villagers' lives
- hilarious, great humor. several scenes crack me up. i think CA does a great job with adding his flair in the game
- sebastian
- rare items are always a joy to get and there is a lot to aim for in the game
- the perfection goal requires a lot of dedication but is absolutely achievable and not overwhelming
 
Giant Octopodes

Giant Octopodes

Farmer
Jamahi said:
Hi everyone,
I loved the Nintendo game Harvest Moon and I was so thrilled when a friend of mine recommended Stardew Valley as it is inspired by Harvest Moon. Even the graphics are alike!
So this is for everyone like me who played the Nintendo game ages ago: What do you miss in Stardew Valley what was featured in Harvest Moon? And of course also vice versa: What are great changes in SDV, that HM missed?

I start:
Pro Harvest Moon
  • The time stopped when you were in a building and also after a certain time (11pm? Can’t remember:laugh:)
  • also just speaking to villagers increased the friendship level
  • that you could call your dog and horse and they would come racing towards you
  • that you could decide when and which cow got pregnant
Pro Stardew Valley:
  • All the animals! Not only cows and chickens
  • The sprinklers. What an immense time saver!
  • That you can also marry villagers of the same sex
  • customization of your farmer and farm design
Click to expand...
Glad you're having fun!

So that you're aware, Stardew Valley does a lot of what you've indicated for Pro Harvest Moon, at least to some extent:
- Though time does not stop in buildings, it does stop when you are in a cutscene, or a minigame, as well as when eating and harvesting crops, in single player.
- Friendship is also increased by just speaking to villagers. This is in addition to being able to raise friendship via gifts, doing quests for them, and a few other ways. If you wanted, you could just talk to folks and get them all the way to 10 hearts.
- Late game (very late game) you can get a way to call your horse to you, anywhere you happen to be.
- You can turn on and off pregnancy for each animal. So, while you can't control When the cows get pregnant, you Can decide which one.

That's not to say those things are directly equivalent to how it is in Harvest Moon. It's just that if you're missing those things, you might be pleased to know some ways in which a bit of that carries over is all. Personally it's been quite a while for me since playing a Harvest Moon game. I Loved it on the SNES, but was not as enamored with the 64 version, kinda fell away from the series on that one, so I can't speak too much on direct comparisons. Both are fantastic games in their own right of course.
 
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