Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness

 DS
  • Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Aug 26, 2008
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 7 out of 26
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  1. BudB.
    Sep 1, 2008
    8
    It's not bad... it's just not unique enough from the other games. The stylus controls take some getting used too.
  2. mouser9169
    Mar 24, 2018
    9
    By building up your farm, you build up an entire island, in a way that organically makes sense. I know I'm in the minority, but one of my favorite Harvest Moon titles. The controls do take getting used to. Full (pen) sized stylus helps a lot. After that though, you have a great title to get lost in.

    The island grows based not only upon what upgrades you buy (roads and such) but what you    By building up your farm, you build up an entire island, in a way that organically makes sense. I know I'm in the minority, but one of my favorite Harvest Moon titles. The controls do take getting used to. Full (pen) sized stylus helps a lot. After that though, you have a great title to get lost in.

    The island grows based not only upon what upgrades you buy (roads and such) but what you do. If you spend a lot of time in the mines and ship a bunch of valuable rocks, miners start to show up. Ship a lot of fish and fisherman flock to the rivers. Enough people come and a hotel opens for them. And so on and so on until you have a thriving island filled with villager and visitors.

    You have the festivals, and the marriage candidates, and all the things you'd expect in a HM game. You can make money farming, or ranching, or mining, or foraging, or any combination of the above, so the gameplay doesn't get stale. Wonderfuls are nice change to the tool upgrade system, and there are plenty of house and island upgrades for you to spend your money on.

    Overall, I give it an 8.5, rounded up to 9. It's not perfect, but to me, personally, it's a great game that captures the spirit of Harvest Moon.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best DS Game of 2008
58
#58 Most Discussed DS Game of 2008
54
#54 Most Shared DS Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Nintendo Power
    70
    The near-exclusive use of the touch screen to control every aspect of farm life is a questionable decision--it doesn't feel very accurate or intutitive. [Aug 2008, p.87]
  2. Game Informer
    68
    Unfortunately, bad mechanics and ho-hum gameplay progression bring things down.
    Read full review
  3. 1UP
    75
    The paper-thin storyline (you're shipwrecked on a remote island and decide to put down roots there) may be an inconsequential excuse for you to repeat the same core game of the past 11 years, but some small lessons learned along the way manage to shine through.
    Read full review
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