Harvest Moon 64
Harvest Moon 64, released in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari 2 (牧場物語2), is a 1999 farm simulation video game developed by Victor Interactive Software for the Nintendo 64 console. It was published by Victor Interactive in Japan and by Natsume Inc. In North America.
Also recorded as Bokujō Monogatari 2
Harvest Moon 64
- Model
- Story of Seasons.
- Date
- 1999.
- Publisher
- Winning Entertainment Group.
- Genre
- construction and management simulation.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Harvest Moon 64, released in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari 2 (牧場物語2), is a 1999 farm simulation video game developed by Victor Interactive Software for the Nintendo 64 console. It was published by Victor Interactive in Japan and by Natsume Inc. In North America.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Harvest Moon 64. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q2702506 · wikipedia · Harvest Moon 64
In this article
Gameplay
Gameplay
It is the third game in the Story of Seasons series (following Harvest Moon GB). The game was re-released on the Wii U in 2017, marking its first release in PAL territories. It was re-released again for the Nintendo Classics service in 2023.
The objective of Harvest Moon 64 is to restore and maintain an abandoned farm left to the player by their grandfather. Along with restoring the farm, there are a number of other side quests that the player may choose to partake in, including training and racing a horse, selling crops, participating in a variety of town festivals, falling in love and getting married, collecting recipes, and collecting photographs from various achievements and events. The player starts out with the bare minimum features for the farm, including an empty chicken coop and barn, but animals and house extensions can be purchased and tools can be upgraded over the course of the game. The local town, where most of the villagers spend their day, contains a church, a bar, a bakery, a town square, a flower shop, a library, a tool shop, among other things. Unlike the original Harvest Moon for the SNES, there is a limited amount of time to work in any given day as well as a limited amount of stamina for work. Many game features, such as character locations and which shops are open, vary depending on the current time and day of the week. There are four seasons per year, each with its own weather patterns, crops to grow, and wild herbs available. Some days are reserved for festivals, where every shop is closed and special events take place. This offers a break from daily chores and a chance to interact with the townsfolk in unique ways, such as dancing or swimming. Planting, growing, and harvesting crops is one of the main focuses of the Story of Seasons series. The crops available to plant include turnips, potatoes, corn, and strawberries, and they can be purchased in the village during their respective season. To plant crops, the player must till the soil, plant the seeds, then water the plots. Several crops will yield multiple vegetables throughout the season if continually watered. When the season ends and a new begins, all crops from the previous season will wither and must be cut down. Alternatively, a greenhouse can be built so that any plant can grow anytime during the year. Along with crops planted on the farm, there are also wild growing plants and herbs that the player may pick as he goes through his daily chores. The wild growing plants also change from season to season and reappear each day. Though all wild plants are edible, some can cause sickness while others prevent it. The player starts with five basic tools to help restore the farm: a hammer, an axe, a sickle, a hoe, and a watering can. After a certain amount of usage, a tool will automatically upgrade (signified when the tool becomes silver and then later gold), allowing the player to do more work faster using less energy. Tools for livestock such as a cow milker and an animal brush can be purchased in the village. Taking care of animals is an essential part of maintaining the farm. Livestock, such as cows, sheep, and chickens, may be purchased at a nearby ranch. These animals require food and care, and if left unfed or left outside in the rain, it will become sick and eventually die unless the player gives it medicine. If the animals are treated well, the products they give will increase in quality. The player can own a dog and a horse. The dog originally belonged to the player character's grandfather and is a throwback to the original Harvest Moon. A horse can be obtained by visiting the nearby ranch, and can be ridden or used as a portable shipping crate. Both the dog and the horse can compete in yearly races, where their performance is largely determined by their relationship with the player. One of the other major features of Harvest Moon 64 is the ability to marry and have a child. There are five eligible girls in Harvest Moon 64, represented by hearts that appear in their dialogue boxes, representative of her affection toward the player, ranging from white (indifferent) to pink (in love). Each of these girls has a non-player character suitor that will eventually marry her if the player chooses to marry another girl or chooses not to pursue anyone. The game features a series of collectable items. When the player reaches a certain milestone or achieves one of several goals, they will receive a photograph in the mail to remember the event. Earned photographs are available for viewing at any time by checking the photo album on the bedside table and are a way to track a player's success in the game.
Release
Release
Harvest Moon 64 was released in Japan on February 5, 1999, and in North America by Natsume Inc. on December 22, 1999. Natsume initially stated bringing it to Wii U Virtual Console was not possible due to technical issues, despite the Wii proving the task to be possible through homebrew emulation. However, in celebration of the series' twentieth anniversary, the game saw release on the Wii U Virtual Console on February 23, 2017. This also marked the game's debut in the PAL regions (the original had been cancelled due to time constraints), as well as the game's first official re-release (as well as the first time digital) in nearly two decades. The game was re-released on the Nintendo Classics service on December 7, 2023.
History of the object
Dated record
History of the object
The full dated record · 2 entries
1999
Harvest Moon 64 published.
1999
Harvest Moon 64 is recorded as published in 1999.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Japan.
Country
Harvest Moon 64 is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Nintendo Power gave it a favorable review, nearly two months before it was released Stateside. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40. Many reviews claimed that although the game had a repetitive soundtrack and often glitchy visual displays, the game's captivating and unique gameplay made up for it. Aaron Boulding, who rated the game for IGN, said "(he) was able to forgive a lot of shortcomings like poor audio and visual elements because (he) found (himself) playing it for hours at a time." Joe Fielder, who rated it for GameSpot, claimed that "although not for everyone, Harvest Moon 64 is a strangely compelling, original little game that makes hours melt away incomprehensibly." Slo' Mo of GamePro said that the game "isn't a game for swashbucklers or diehard cityslickers [sic], but, for pure RPG fans, it's a horse of a different color." Mars Publishing's Parent's Guide to Nintendo Games gave the game the only Parent's Guide Choice Award for a Nintendo 64 game because it met the requirements of a game that "displays imagination, creativity, ingenuity of the first order, while offering a playing atmosphere that is educational and enriching." Nintendo Power ranked Harvest Moon 64 as the 278th greatest Nintendo game of all time.
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Internet Archive holdings naming Harvest Moon 64
Unverified · Internet Archive
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2702506: Harvest Moon 64
Unverified · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Harvest Moon 64”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Blue Flame Labs. Harvest Moon 64 (1999) Nintendo 64 release dates. MobyGames.
- 2.Blue Flame Labs. Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons series. MobyGames.
- 3.Boulding, Aaron. Harvest Moon 64. IGN. Ziff Davis. 24 December 1999.
- 4.Harvest Moon Town. Harvest Moon 64 Universe.
- 5.Harvest Moon Games. Rising Star Games.
- 6.Spencer. Harvest Moon And Beyond, What's Next For Natsume?. Siliconera. Enthusiast Gaming. March 18, 2015.
- 7.Whitehead, Thomas. Harvest Moon 64 Heading to Wii U in North America This Week as Part of Anniversary Celebrations. Nintendo Life. February 21, 2017.
- 8.Nintendo. 『Nintendo Switch Online + 追加パック』に『パイロットウイングス64』、『ポケモンスタジアム金銀 クリスタルバージョン対応』などNINTENDO 64のタイトルが今後も続々登場。. 1569692633743896576. 13 September 2022.
- 9.Red Ventures. Harvest Moon 64 for Nintendo 64 Reviews. Metacritic.
- 10.Joe Ottoson. Harvest Moon 64 - Review. AllGame. All Media Network.
- 11.Ziff Davis. Harvest Moon 64. Electronic Gaming Monthly. 126. 225. January 2000.
- 12.Enterbrain. ニンテンドウ64 - 牧場物語2. Famitsu. 915. 32. June 30, 2006.
- 13.Andrew Reiner. Harvest Moon 64 - Nintendo 64. Game Informer. FuncoLand. 83. March 2000.
- 14.Levi "Angus" Buchanan. Harvest Moon 64. GameFan. Shinno Media. January 3, 2000.
- 15.George "Eggo" Ngo. Harvest Moon 64. GameFan. Shinno Media. 7. 12. 60–62. December 1999.
- 16.Shinno Media. Harvest Moon [64]. GameFan. 7. 12. 18. December 1999.
- 17.Joe Fielder. Harvest Moon 64 Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]. GameSpot. Red Ventures. December 20, 1999.
- 18.Arthur Adam. Harvest Moon 64. Hyper. Next Media Pty Ltd. 78. 94–95. April 2000.
- 19.Aaron Boulding. Harvest Moon 64. IGN. Ziff Davis. December 23, 1999.
- 20.Martin Kitts. Harvest Moon 64 [US Import]. N64 Magazine. Future Publishing. 39. 72–73. March 2000.
- 21.Martin Kitts. Harvest Moon 2 [JP Import]. N64 Magazine. Future Publishing. 28. 76–78. May 1999.
- 22.Nintendo of America. Harvest Moon 64. Nintendo Power. 126. 141. November 1999.
- 23.Becky Hollada. Harvest Moon 64. Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. March 16, 2017.
- 24.Craig Wessel. Parent's Guide to Nintendo Games. 94. 2001. 1-931199-06-X.
- 25.Slo' Mo. Harvest Moon [64]. GamePro. IDG. 137. 122. February 2000.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Internet Archive holdings naming Harvest Moon 64Internet Archive
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2702506: Harvest Moon 64Wikimedia Foundation
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- HarvardOrganisation
- Harvest MoonWork
- Harvest Moon 2Work
- Harvest Moon 3Work
- Harvest Moon DSWork
- Harvest Moon GBWork
- HarvestellaWork
- HarvesterWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a copy of Harvest Moon 64?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.