Stardew Valley vs Harvest Moon
- Thread starter Corvus
- Start date
HomeintheValley12
Farmhand
I remember him saying he felt the series was too "shallow," and I can really agree with that. Harvest Moon tries to add new features and get people to come back to their games but they just keep making the same design mistakes again and again. Combining elements from other games such as Terraria was a good idea, as it makes Stardew not seem as regurgitated as Harvest Moon.
To my knowledge only Harvest Moon #1 has an ending, and it ends at year 3.
To my knowledge only Harvest Moon #1 has an ending, and it ends at year 3.
hexnessie
Farmer
Well, for me the biggest improvement is that it is available on PCs. I don't have any consoles so I could never play Harvest Moon. I just couldn't justify buying another piece of (pricey) electronics just to play a game, plus I definitely like the freedom of playing on the PC - access to mods, tools, planners, all the meta that can make a game much more fun after you've already played the basic storyline.
Corvus
Sodbuster
Some years ago when The Sims was still big we got our first Ikea in the area. We waited six months for the hullabaloo to die down and went there the first time with my sister-in-law. My honey and I started laughing when we were going through the showroom upstairs because we were recognizing all of the tables, lamps, and other objects from player mods and additions to TS. We had to explain it to my SIL who didn't play the game.
On reflection it made sense. The folks who were young enough to have the skillz, time, and interest in doing the mods were simply copying what they were seeing around them.
On reflection it made sense. The folks who were young enough to have the skillz, time, and interest in doing the mods were simply copying what they were seeing around them.
james234298
Newcomer
Very information article.
These are just guesses, but I think one of the bigger things is that Stardew Valley has a ton of QOL and more open choice improvements from the older games they're based on (animals going in by themselves, harsh weather doesn't trap you in the house for the day, you can marry regardless of gender). I think Stardew Valley also benefits heavily from being able to be consistently updated unlike the HM/SOS games having little to no updates, opting for the next game having those improvements instead. I think HM does have longevity in the sense that there are milestones you can get in year 50 and etc. but Stardew definitely has way more content
fortyseven
Tiller
I always find the comparison of Stardew Valley to Harvest Moon to be an insult to Concerned Ape’s creation. It’s like comparing grape juice to a rare and matured vintage of red wine.
Don’t get me wrong I loved Harvest Moon when it first came out on the SNES, but I feel the successors have been rather poor attempts at expanding the original game.
To me Harvest Moon is a rather ancient piece of gaming history that does not hold up under modern scrutiny. It’s a very basic game. Stardew Valley, on the other hand, while in the same genre and possibly an inspiration that sparked the initial idea, is a universe apart in volume, depth, sophistication and artistic ambition.
Don’t get me wrong I loved Harvest Moon when it first came out on the SNES, but I feel the successors have been rather poor attempts at expanding the original game.
To me Harvest Moon is a rather ancient piece of gaming history that does not hold up under modern scrutiny. It’s a very basic game. Stardew Valley, on the other hand, while in the same genre and possibly an inspiration that sparked the initial idea, is a universe apart in volume, depth, sophistication and artistic ambition.