Harvestella

 Switch
User Score
4.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 148 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 148
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 148
  3. Negative: 83 out of 148
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  1. MishaPixelF
    Nov 5, 2022
    5
    Good stuff first, the character creation let's you be nonbinary and femme with a "masc" body and vice versa which is awesome! The game should be commended for that. Additionally the graphics are beautiful, the game looks visually delightful. There's a lot of potential in the story as well.

    As farming sim, this game is extremely lackluster. It feels tacked on in a way that makes the    Good stuff first, the character creation let's you be nonbinary and femme with a "masc" body and vice versa which is awesome! The game should be commended for that. Additionally the graphics are beautiful, the game looks visually delightful. There's a lot of potential in the story as well.

    As farming sim, this game is extremely lackluster. It feels tacked on in a way that makes the whole experience very perfunctory. Crops grow very quickly and sell for very little compared to their seed cost. It's also unclear why you would even want to grow crops? The NPCs don't seem to know or care either since there's more effective healing items you can get as drops from enemies and resource nodes. The town is populated by nameless NPCs with only a handful of named characters that only seem to exist to sell you things or upgrade your equipment. The farming and homesteading only seems to exist to pad out the combat and story.

    Unfortunately the combat is also a drag, just basic character action style button mashing. It varies it up by giving you other jobs you can switch to, but then it puts your job switching on cool down when you do it. And the first job you get is a mage with no regular attack and only a long cool down spell. So you get stuck doing nothing but running around the stage waiting for your cool downs to pop. Presumably this is alleviated when you have a lot more jobs to switch between but it makes a pretty bad impression to start.

    Only play this if you really want a Final Fantasy farming sim, and that's what you're after then this will deliver! (Though to be honest, I'd sooner recommend Rune Factory 4.)    … Expand
  2. Harve
    Nov 6, 2022
    1
    This is based on the demo, which includes the intro so take my review with a grain of salt, this is based on first impressions. To put it simply, Harvestella does not live up to games of its genre. Stardew Valley and Rune Factory (1-4) is better worth your time and price.

    NPCs in the town are insignificant except for what I assume are the romance options, as they have portraits (with a    This is based on the demo, which includes the intro so take my review with a grain of salt, this is based on first impressions. To put it simply, Harvestella does not live up to games of its genre. Stardew Valley and Rune Factory (1-4) is better worth your time and price.

    NPCs in the town are insignificant except for what I assume are the romance options, as they have portraits (with a few exceptions). The game has some limited customisation but unfortunately has no varying hairstyle options.

    The game quickly goes downhill after the arrival of the character Aria. The game takes about 5 in game days to get out of the tutorial stage- forcing the player to sit through dialogue- and the games time management is weird, because of the restricted time of when the player has to go back to their home. And because the player is forced to sit through mostly boring drivel of a story, it doesn't allow for much freedom compared to other farming sim games.
    As for the characters themselves, it's hard to cement much of an opinion since they're mostly there to info dump. But seeing as the game wants you to set off almost immediately after meeting Aria, I feel like Aria as a character didn't grow on me and sure, her design is nice but I just don't care of what she's saying, as the game hasn't fleshed her out that well.

    The farming feels clunky and slow, which makes it boring. The switch has weird button inputs. You have to use X for seeds, Y for tools and A to harvest. The battling feels repetitive and the crops grow within 1-2 days after planting them. Also because of the time constraints and the odd passage of time, you'll likely find your days in the game uneventful and mostly consisting of farming for materials.

    The plot then begins to feel like FF13-2, and not in a good way. There are dialogue options, but no clear indication if they impact the story, if at all and conversations usually lean towards the "we want you to answer this way". I got bored during the 5 days (15 in total in the demo), since there wasn't much freedom to learn and explore. But unfortunately the main town is boring because the NPCs have nothing new to say. Which you don't want on a game that's trying to be a social sim and a farming sim.

    Visually, it's got beautiful environments and the portraits for characters are of good quality. But the low poly models of the characters end up looking funny and don't suit the environment all that much. And unfortunately, visuals can't be the only saving grace if everything else is bad. Even for a demo reel, the game felt buggy and clunky. It didn't feel very polished and didn't give me too much hope, if i were interested in getting the whole game.

    Again, if you're looking for a game of its genre, go for Stardew Valley, which is much cheaper or the Rune Factory series, as RF focuses more on combat compared to Stardew and the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise.    … Expand
  3. PMG-Writer
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    Square Enix created a good title for the Switch and PC with HARVESTELLA. The two elements basically work well together, but a bit more depth in the two genres would have been great. Thus, the plot of the game is really good and the dialogues make from the first to the last second of the story of "HARVESTELLA" well done. The life simulation and also the fights are good, but would have beenSquare Enix created a good title for the Switch and PC with HARVESTELLA. The two elements basically work well together, but a bit more depth in the two genres would have been great. Thus, the plot of the game is really good and the dialogues make from the first to the last second of the story of "HARVESTELLA" well done. The life simulation and also the fights are good, but would have been simply more dringewesen. Here simply falls more depth. In return, the controls and the great soundtrack in the game are right. Unfortunately, the graphics are not always good. Those who would like to experience a new gaming experience on the Switch and PC should take a look at "HARVESTELLA". Undecided players can also try the free demo version in advance.… Expand
  4. Dyron
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
    "É um bom jogo, mas poderia ser bem melhor". Esse é o sentimento que fiquei quando terminei o jogo. Ele faz muita coisa boa, mas ao mesmo tempo não é espetacular em nada. Já no começo, ele tem alguma personalização de personagem, mas te dá tão poucas opções de personalização, que acredito que seria melhor nem ter. Na parte da "fazendinha" ele tem umas boas ideias, mas o retorno que o jogo"É um bom jogo, mas poderia ser bem melhor". Esse é o sentimento que fiquei quando terminei o jogo. Ele faz muita coisa boa, mas ao mesmo tempo não é espetacular em nada. Já no começo, ele tem alguma personalização de personagem, mas te dá tão poucas opções de personalização, que acredito que seria melhor nem ter. Na parte da "fazendinha" ele tem umas boas ideias, mas o retorno que o jogo te dá pelo trabalho de cuidar de sua plantação não é proporcional. Isso frusta bastante o jogador, porque as coisas são relativamente caras, você vende por quase o mesmo preço das sementes (por exemplo, a cenouta, que você compra de 90 a 110 dependendo da loja e do estoque, e vende por 130) e gasta bastante estâmina pra cuidar. Estâmina essa que você usa pra todas as suas ações na batalha do jogo. Como acontece em praticamente todos os jogos de fazenda, você só consegue vender seus itens na caixinha de venda, que te entrega o dinheiro todo dia após dormir. Como a história do jogo pende mais pra aventura do que para o farming, vender coisas nas lojas em tempo real seria uma boa opção de melhora. Na parte da batalha, é tudo também muito mais simples do que deveria ser. Não tem nem mesmo um botão de defesa, ou esquiva. O que torna essa parte apenas um apertar de botões e uso de itens de cura e recuperação de estâmina. Não é como se o jogador não precisasse usar nenhuma estratégia nas batalhas, mas como falei no começo, não é de todo ruim, mas poderia ser muito melhor. O jogo até té dá bastante opções de classes, 12 no total, cada uma com 4 ataques especiais, que dá um pouco de diversidades nas batalhas, mas nada que deixe ela exepcional. A história é um pouco confusa no começo, mas se torna bem previsível do meio pro final, até me deixando um pouco frustrado em certa parte com a burrice dos personagens principais que não viam coisas tão óbvias até alguém basicamente dar as respostas pra eles. As missóes secundárias são em sua grande maioria bem fraquinhas também, salvo algumas poucas que chegam até a surpreender. O final da história principal até chega a surpreender um pouco também, pelas escolhas moralmente complicadas que dão para o jogador, mas nem nisso eles se aprofundaram, basicamente te obrigando a seguir o "bom final" pra poder continuar o jogo.
    Resumindo, se você gosta de jogos de farming, alá harvest moon, e de rpgs de ação antigos, tem grande chance de gostar desse jogo. Levei em torno de 47 horas pra fazer tudo que o jogo me ofereceu, entre missões secundárias, entregar pedidos de receitas, pescar peixes raros, conseguir e evoluir todas as classes, e claro, a missão principal, e me diverti pelo menos em 70% desse tempo. Mas com todo o potencial que ele tinha, não tem como eu pensar nesse jogo como um desperdício do que poderia ser.    … Expand
  5. Jt0429
    Nov 10, 2022
    7
    Good-
    Fun, engaging farming mechanics; Other life sim activities are mostly enjoyable; Serviceable story and setting; Strong art design.
    Bad- Combat is dull and disappointingly simplistic; Gameplay feels too straightforward at times; From a technical perspective, the visuals are horrifying. Thoughts- The easiest way to describe Harvestella is as a classic example of an unpolished    Good-
    Fun, engaging farming mechanics; Other life sim activities are mostly enjoyable; Serviceable story and setting; Strong art design.

    Bad-
    Combat is dull and disappointingly simplistic; Gameplay feels too straightforward at times; From a technical perspective, the visuals are horrifying.

    Thoughts-
    The easiest way to describe Harvestella is as a classic example of an unpolished yet enjoyable AA Square Enix game, of which we’ve seen quite a few in recent months, from The DioField Chronicle to Valkyrie Elysium. It’s rough around the edges, it doesn’t shake up any formulas, and it doesn’t ever come close to setting any new standards in its genre, but it’s not an unenjoyable game. In trying to be both a farming sim and an action RPG, it ends up failing to make an impression as either- though it’s a much better farming sim than it is an action RPG, and taken as a whole, it’s a decent experience that’s worth clocking a couple dozen hours into… if you have nothing better to play.    … Expand
  6. PSgamer2005
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    Beauty Game, like the old final fantasy but with Unique mechanics 100/100 ♥️♥️
  7. Dragonwolf101
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Very fun RPG with awesome graphics I’ve played all of the harvest moon and rune factory’s this is more like a mana game like secret of mana but it’s got a very good story you can really feel emotions in some of the story the music helps the story set the mood and even though there are no voice overs it is one of the best games I’ve played in my opinion try it before judging it… Expand
  8. hacknslash6
    Nov 6, 2022
    6
    Big Final Fantasy fan, big OG Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley fan. Took a gamble on this game being the best of both worlds. It doesn't really deliver unfortunately. The dialogue is often clunky in English, perhaps a localization issue but hard to say. Character models are bizarre; the women are thicc and the men are even thicc-er. Everyone has their knees locked in a perpetually bentBig Final Fantasy fan, big OG Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley fan. Took a gamble on this game being the best of both worlds. It doesn't really deliver unfortunately. The dialogue is often clunky in English, perhaps a localization issue but hard to say. Character models are bizarre; the women are thicc and the men are even thicc-er. Everyone has their knees locked in a perpetually bent position that makes running look painful. There are voice actors, but only in the dungeons while battling. Some of the soundtrack is nice, but most is repetitive and boring. The dungeon exploration is fun, but the combat isn't anything to write home about. Generally feels unbalanced, and again, clunky. The potential for this kind of game is definitely there, but it's not in this game. Despite all the annoyances, I have been enjoying playing it, and will continue. It's difficult to care too deeply about the story or characters but for some reason I have still been sucked in.… Expand
  9. tigerlily11
    Nov 26, 2022
    10
    I LOVE this game. So I'm really am flabbergasted by the negative reviewers who I honestly think are being super harsh.

    This is game is absolutely beautiful!!! The music is wonderful too. The farming is ok nothing groundbreaking but easy to figure out and im super enjolying the story including all the little sidequests. One of my favourite games this year. If you like farming sims don't    I LOVE this game. So I'm really am flabbergasted by the negative reviewers who I honestly think are being super harsh.

    This is game is absolutely beautiful!!! The music is wonderful too. The farming is ok nothing groundbreaking but easy to figure out and im super enjolying the story including all the little sidequests. One of my favourite games this year. If you like farming sims don't skip on this one.    … Expand
  10. Blade1983
    Nov 26, 2022
    10
    Looking at the rating for this game really gives you a good idea of how low the gaming comunity has fall.
    After playing for 35 years since the First LOZ i have created an account just to tell people to play this game. I am nearing 100 hours on it and It Is beautiful. I don't care about any criticism.
    Just play It.
  11. godlizza
    Nov 27, 2022
    9
    This game is criminally underrated by these user reviews. It's absolutely beautiful, the soundtrack is phenomenal, the character development among the party members is great, and the story is really fun to watch unfold as you play. As a big fan of both JRPGs and farming sims, I'm loving this game. You can choose to fill your days with action by working on the main story you can go forThis game is criminally underrated by these user reviews. It's absolutely beautiful, the soundtrack is phenomenal, the character development among the party members is great, and the story is really fun to watch unfold as you play. As a big fan of both JRPGs and farming sims, I'm loving this game. You can choose to fill your days with action by working on the main story you can go for more laid back, short story progression by focusing on side quests, or you can truly chill and focus on farming, fishing and cooking. I think it strikes a great balance.… Expand
  12. Arkane7
    Nov 6, 2022
    2
    Was hoping this would be a decent rpg life sim but as it currently stands, its one for the bargain bin. Combat is too repetitive and boring. The graphics are decent but the lack of production values really shows. There are some game breaking bugs which could erase your savefile. Soundwise the game is ok. The worst part of the game however is the poor main character design and bad writing.Was hoping this would be a decent rpg life sim but as it currently stands, its one for the bargain bin. Combat is too repetitive and boring. The graphics are decent but the lack of production values really shows. There are some game breaking bugs which could erase your savefile. Soundwise the game is ok. The worst part of the game however is the poor main character design and bad writing. You can usually forgive a game for its shortcomings if it has a cool main character and good writing. Unfortunately, this has neither.… Expand
  13. Yuupp02
    Nov 11, 2022
    10
    From rf4 and 5, I expected pretty farm game. But this was classic jrpg. Love the main story, and how they keep talking about what is human.
  14. chevychiller
    Nov 30, 2022
    10
    An unforgettable blend of farming, RPG, and life sim. This game takes time to begin to open up, but once it does, it feels so rewarding. The gameplay loop is addictive, the characters are fully fleshed out, and it seems to have endless unexpected surprises. Harvestella is one of my favorite releases of 2022. I love this game.
  15. Evamoore
    Dec 12, 2022
    10
    Post Harvestella's main story review, 190+hrs clocked:

    For anyone both new to and familiar with the Final Fantasy series (especially Final Fantasy XIV's story), this game is a sleeper hit. The combination of a unique story and compelling battle system kept my interest. A future-fantasy style mystery packaged with a high fantasy aesthetic. Harvestella's battle system features job-based    Post Harvestella's main story review, 190+hrs clocked:

    For anyone both new to and familiar with the Final Fantasy series (especially Final Fantasy XIV's story), this game is a sleeper hit. The combination of a unique story and compelling battle system kept my interest. A future-fantasy style mystery packaged with a high fantasy aesthetic. Harvestella's battle system features job-based game play where each class felt unique and dynamic. Most excitingly, the boss battles felt like a mix of MMO raid style attacks and action RPG controls.

    The seasons, farming and cooking added a relaxing and fun element to each day cycle and the towns felt alive and vibrant. Just about every side quest grabbed my attention at some point. There were so many moments where party member storylines snuck up in an endearing way and completely changed how I felt about them. -This is cheesy I know but- Saving the world never felt so relaxing.

    Overall, I would put Harvestella on my list of all-time favorite RPGs. I plan to continue playing post game for collectibles and finish off the extra dungeon content. Suffice to say that I can't wait to see how Square Enix continues to develope Harvestella as a series.    … Expand
  16. RpgVetern85
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    Very good jrpg I have played rune factory and harvest moon games but this is more a jrpg like final fantasy and this is a beautiful game with a great story it has no voice over but the music make up for it when u into the story it brings out the feelings in the story moments as well as the great side quest also I love the way the game expands the farm sim over time gives you more things toVery good jrpg I have played rune factory and harvest moon games but this is more a jrpg like final fantasy and this is a beautiful game with a great story it has no voice over but the music make up for it when u into the story it brings out the feelings in the story moments as well as the great side quest also I love the way the game expands the farm sim over time gives you more things to do like cooking fishing and farming it’s very addicting I can’t wait to see we’re this takes the series I love square Enix and I want them to add some Chocobo breeding in as dlc lol well that’s the end of my review I hope more people will play this game it’s worth the money imo… Expand
  17. consolepcgamer
    Nov 7, 2022
    8
    Square fans are expecting a typical Square game. Runefactory/Harvest Moon fans are expecting a typical game in their genre. This game sits in between the two and is quite fun if you stop asking it to be what it isn't.

    Getting negatives I feel can be patched out of the way: The Adaptive Resolution gets a little blurry sometimes and honestly where they chose to have actual voice acting    Square fans are expecting a typical Square game. Runefactory/Harvest Moon fans are expecting a typical game in their genre. This game sits in between the two and is quite fun if you stop asking it to be what it isn't.

    Getting negatives I feel can be patched out of the way:

    The Adaptive Resolution gets a little blurry sometimes and honestly where they chose to have actual voice acting is so sparse it feels like a budget issue.
    Patch the adaptive resolution not to go blurry, and if I am asking for nice things... when standing still AND turning the camera do not move time... and I am good to go. 100% still time does not move.
    (If they add a bit more voice acting at a later date, that would be nice, but I am not asking for the moon.)

    Giant List of Positives:

    The art/music/world is fantastic for Square-style fans. Inventive but also beautiful worlds with typically fanciful characters and a really pleasant vibes soundtrack you will want to listen outside of the game.

    The farming is typical and not too tedious making this what I would deem "farming sim lite". Deep enough with the ability to get animals, expand, etc. but not convoluted in terms of fluctuating pricing or soil quality management.

    COMBAT WARNING. This is make or break on buying this game. You need to clear dungeons to progress the story. The combat will be polarizing. Let's talk about what the combat is and how it defies the expectations of modern action fans and farming sim fans...

    The combat is a retrofit of old school Square and maybe the devs should have gone with their initial idea and done 'turn based' but they waffled and forgot that ATB wouldn't have been jarring.
    We live in the era of dodge/parry and this is a face tanking HP-item gobbler. It just isn't isometric like your Diablo 3 or anything since then, where it is less click and more skill spam. It takes a bit to get used to, and leveraging up to 3-job swapping to DPS as fast as possible by targeting marked discovered weaknesses is key. You cannot say "this is my fav job, let me dodge/block and just do this". If you do not like that, you will not like this game. Honestly, once you have a few jobs it gets quite fun swapping and managing your cooldowns in an FF-made-ARPG style which comes down to "Job Swapping and sometimes taking hits in the face and healing through it."
    (FYI there is a dodge-y move called Step. Some of the classes have it, ranged ones don't. Too many YT demo steamers never unlocked it and whined/reviewed based on the demo.)

    Story?
    Oh, it's weird, but it is funny and really anyone making an opinion of the story based on the demo has barely scratched the surface. The Story is one of those evolving stories with characters who take time to get to know. Why, you might even say it is a JRPG and not a 'farming sim'. It just happens to have some farming instead of grinding monsters for money, etc.

    Also, this is an actual story with a moving narrative you want to move forward... It is not a premise to kick you into a farming daily life sim. Your main motivation is not getting to know people in town. It is World Saving Stuff.

    It isn't for everyone. Likewise, it isn't Harvest Moon. Neither is it Runefactory. But for people who vibe on a mellower dungeon crawler in the Square theme with some farm-style... It really is quite good. (I just think their budget got hacked for the final polish/va etc.)    … Expand
  18. darxiv
    Nov 6, 2022
    10
    Too many approaching this game with the wrong expectations. Enjoyable and fun.
  19. m0th
    Nov 6, 2022
    8
    Getting this out of the way first: this game is NOT Rune Factory, it is NOT Story of Seasons, and it most certainly is not Stardew Valley (despite gaming reviewers thinking Stardew is the pinnacle of farming sims that pioneered the genre when without mods it's a pretty bare bones experience... but that's not important here).

    The thing is the actual product is EXACTLY what was shown in    Getting this out of the way first: this game is NOT Rune Factory, it is NOT Story of Seasons, and it most certainly is not Stardew Valley (despite gaming reviewers thinking Stardew is the pinnacle of farming sims that pioneered the genre when without mods it's a pretty bare bones experience... but that's not important here).

    The thing is the actual product is EXACTLY what was shown in updates posts about the game. Character customization, romance, ect. were never promised. Instead of assessing what the game has to offer (which is a lot so far btw) people went in with no prior research and complained it didn't have any of these things. It's not the game's fault you spent $60 without looking up anything. You know that one Code Geass meme that's like "WHY ARE YOU BUYING CLOTHES AT THE SOUP STORE"... that's what people sound like here. Like they picked up Pokemon and asked why it isn't Monster Hunter. It reminds me of how people acted when Save the Homeland or Innocent Life released.

    Harvestella is a JRPG with farming sim elements. Yes, that sounds similar to Rune Factory but that's also where the similarities end. This game feels more like Crystal Chronicles. As someone who has playing Rune Factory from the very first DS game, I'm enjoying Harvestella a lot. Like Rune Factory or Story of Seasons, it's not a game that can be properly assessed during the first in-game month, as that's the tutorial phase. Once the world opens up and you can meet more people in different towns, the game gets more addicting.

    One thing that's really impressed me so far are the character stories. In the demo, I couldn't get into to the characters but the actual game takes the time to flesh them out properly. They're not amazing but there's a sense of compassion in their writing that makes them compelling, for me at least.

    The combat could be better, but once I got the hang of hitting and dashing I liked it. It's also nice how jobs are tied to characters.

    The male characters body type... oh boy. Who cares? It's such a non-issue. I hope for every complaint, a new JRPG protagonist who's not gender conforming is made. I hope Lest from Rune Factory 4 replaces every male video game character.
    An issue I do have with the customization is since skin color is a really easy thing to add, they could have added more than one brown shade. There's technically two but once of them is tan. This is a much easier thing to add than multiple body types (since this is a budget title and there's 2d portraits)

    Overall, I really like this game. It's not worth the $60 price tag (no game is), so I do recommend it for Rune Factory fans who don't act like romance is a necessity once it goes on sale.    … Expand
  20. Gyzmo1284
    Nov 6, 2022
    10
    So far I'm enjoying the game. It look good (has dynamic resolution so sometimes looks sharper and times it doesn't) Combat is getting interesting as I play. The story is the good, better than most farm/life sim games I've played. It leans more toward jrpg than farm/life sim which I prefer. Cooking is more valuable than selling your crops, which I love it. Most farm sims don't really doSo far I'm enjoying the game. It look good (has dynamic resolution so sometimes looks sharper and times it doesn't) Combat is getting interesting as I play. The story is the good, better than most farm/life sim games I've played. It leans more toward jrpg than farm/life sim which I prefer. Cooking is more valuable than selling your crops, which I love it. Most farm sims don't really do this for me. The character creation is more like you are this character, pick if it's male or female type of body, customize the skin color, hair color and eye color. More pokemon style, been awhile since I played a Pokemon game, so could be less now. For me this game is a hit. If you wanted more farm/life sim as in Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, or Stardew Valley, this game might not be for you, but for me there was always not the right mix of rpg with farming, this game found the right balance for me.… Expand
  21. congruelsy
    Nov 5, 2022
    10
    The game is pure eye candy, first of all. The gameplay is super addicting, even though the farming aspect doesn't get fleshed out until later. I'm hooked.
  22. HughMann
    Nov 8, 2022
    8
    Its an alright mix of farming and action rpg. It could use some polish in some areas like fast travel and side-quests, but other than that and a few minor subjective issues, this game is a bountiful harvest.
  23. JeffMD
    Nov 7, 2022
    8
    In progress so far. I am really enjoying this game where as it was hard for me to pick up on games like animal crossing and the myrid of casual mobile games out there that feature multiple game play mechanics under its roof. harvestella has a farming and collection sim that does not require a science degree, a story befitting a square game, and a varied fighting system that square alwaysIn progress so far. I am really enjoying this game where as it was hard for me to pick up on games like animal crossing and the myrid of casual mobile games out there that feature multiple game play mechanics under its roof. harvestella has a farming and collection sim that does not require a science degree, a story befitting a square game, and a varied fighting system that square always likes to do without making them complex enough to be their own game. And I really enjoyed how I could play at my pace, grinding when and if I want to to make money faster or build something faster where other games would enact real time barriers or alternative currencies.

    My only gripes is it is clearly a game made on a budget.

    - No or poor animations. The run animation looks really funky when viewed directly from behind. there is no head shake animation so the models look left and right rapidly complete with chest torque.
    - No dialogue. The only time I hear of full lines being spoken it is combat banter from your team mates.

    If there was anything positive about the visuals, it is very easy to the switch to drive and I noticed there was not a lot of pop up. Something that is at an all time high in games like sonic frontier, nier automata, and no mans sky. And the visuals do hold their own against the other casual mobile game selection.

    Lastly just want to say the music is great. Have not come across a particularly bad track yet. Thank you square!    … Expand
  24. CaptJack
    Nov 8, 2022
    9
    I feel like this game is getting far more negatives than it deserves, The negatives like no dialog and terrible combat. The thing is the game is not a JRPG it is taking inspiration from Story of Seasons and Rune Factory type games and neither of them have dialog or in the case of Rune Factory not great combat so i don't think overall thus game has done anything wrong. This is a firstI feel like this game is getting far more negatives than it deserves, The negatives like no dialog and terrible combat. The thing is the game is not a JRPG it is taking inspiration from Story of Seasons and Rune Factory type games and neither of them have dialog or in the case of Rune Factory not great combat so i don't think overall thus game has done anything wrong. This is a first attempt at a niche genre of games and it is a fun entry.… Expand
  25. andrientf
    Nov 8, 2022
    10
    So far I'm enjoying the game. It look good (has dynamic resolution so sometimes looks sharper and times it doesn't) Combat is getting interesting as I play. The story is the good, better than most farm/life sim games I've played. It leans more toward jrpg than farm/life sim which I prefer. Cooking is more valuable than selling your crops, which I love it. Most farm sims don't really doSo far I'm enjoying the game. It look good (has dynamic resolution so sometimes looks sharper and times it doesn't) Combat is getting interesting as I play. The story is the good, better than most farm/life sim games I've played. It leans more toward jrpg than farm/life sim which I prefer. Cooking is more valuable than selling your crops, which I love it. Most farm sims don't really do this for me.… Expand
  26. Asklepios
    Nov 7, 2022
    10
    This is an amazing JRPG and brings me back to the old days of playing Legend of Mana on the PlayStation. This game has all of the needed mechanics for enjoying side quests and farming while driving a compelling storyline with plenty of fun characters along the way. If you like JRPGs you will not be able to put this one down. I highly suggest giving the demo a try if you are on the fenceThis is an amazing JRPG and brings me back to the old days of playing Legend of Mana on the PlayStation. This game has all of the needed mechanics for enjoying side quests and farming while driving a compelling storyline with plenty of fun characters along the way. If you like JRPGs you will not be able to put this one down. I highly suggest giving the demo a try if you are on the fence about this one.… Expand
  27. GemoXD
    Nov 6, 2022
    10
    Un arpg sencillo pero divertido. La gestión de la granja esta bien integrado con la parte rpg, el mercado esta limitado para no romper la economía y poder avanzar de manera equilibrada. La historia es interesante.
  28. Anonweb3
    Nov 6, 2022
    10
    Just blows away any harvest moon game , square enix don't let other reviews bring this game down . 10 out of 10 . Best farming sim ever made . I've been playing since release non stop. Graphics are amazing, don't listen to other reviews.
  29. InherentMice
    Nov 6, 2022
    10
    Completely original game, very fun on the Switch. Love the mix between farming simulator and Final Fantasy type game. Reminds me of Animal Crossing in a way.
  30. Victikur
    Nov 7, 2022
    10
    Un juego único, diferente y especial.
    Me ha encantado y fascinado.
    Espero que esto sea el principio de una preciosa saga.
    Hacía tiempo que no me sorprendían tanto.
  31. Gynosphinx
    Dec 30, 2022
    8
    Scratched an itch I didn't realize I had. If this game becomes popular I look forward to the better games that will come from this. Overall this game is good but it could be better. Farming is a bit clunky. Way to many cutscenes, you can tell a story through other ways you know.
  32. Margar
    Jan 31, 2023
    2
    The most boring "quests" I've ever encountered in a game. Just button mashing through the hackiest, cheesiest writing, with content that will only appeal to preteens or younger. All padded out as much as possible: talk to NPC in this area, then talk to same NPC in a slightly different area. So dreadful you will actually look forward to the uninspired combat and farming mechanics. And heyThe most boring "quests" I've ever encountered in a game. Just button mashing through the hackiest, cheesiest writing, with content that will only appeal to preteens or younger. All padded out as much as possible: talk to NPC in this area, then talk to same NPC in a slightly different area. So dreadful you will actually look forward to the uninspired combat and farming mechanics. And hey also Japan? Can you please join the rest of us in the 21st century and stop putting all female characters in skimpy underwear instead of clothes? Who cares if there's a non-binary option when the game is straight up sexist.… Expand
  33. Narayume
    Aug 27, 2023
    10
    I genuinely hate how many of these negative reviews are purely based on the demo and often not even the entirety of that. I really wish people who didn’t play the full game had their review removed. The game is seriously good. Yes, the combat takes some getting used to. It reminds more of Dragon Age than Final Fantasy. The world is much more vibrant and much larger than even hinted atI genuinely hate how many of these negative reviews are purely based on the demo and often not even the entirety of that. I really wish people who didn’t play the full game had their review removed. The game is seriously good. Yes, the combat takes some getting used to. It reminds more of Dragon Age than Final Fantasy. The world is much more vibrant and much larger than even hinted at during the demo. Plus the world building leaves even my beloved Rune Factory in the dust. The story is excellent. I really love the game and it makes me sad to see people unwilling to give it a try, based on reviews from people who never played the full thing.… Expand
  34. judgementblade
    Jul 27, 2023
    7
    It takes a little too long until you get the option to manually save so if that is as important to you as it is to me, you speed through the first in-game week following the story or prepare a 5 hour playing session until you get there.

    Graphics, obviously a game like this wouldn't get much polish in graphics and the Switch isn't that strong of a system anyway but at least they could    It takes a little too long until you get the option to manually save so if that is as important to you as it is to me, you speed through the first in-game week following the story or prepare a 5 hour playing session until you get there.

    Graphics, obviously a game like this wouldn't get much polish in graphics and the Switch isn't that strong of a system anyway but at least they could have done better with Character models and animations. It might be just the view-angle but on the regular the character models look all outta whack. The proportions of the upper half to lower half of the models have such a discrepancy. They look like they were made by two different teams with vastly different skill levels, a small torso on giants hips and legs or so.

    I can deal with the environmental graphics but they are not that great in quality though. However, they did at least put some effort in creating nice graphics that feel unique to this world and didn't just basic good looking pre-made assets and called it a day.

    I do like the indication of loading zones and they aren't so bad, Rune Factory 5 had worse. What I don't like is you get no map indication of unopened chests or not collected items, even if you just pass by them with a bad camera angle and thus miss em.

    They certainly did a smart and give the player easy watering where you just can pour water endlessly on the fields. You also get some nice skills as you progress to make farming easier but that is somewhat expect so at least you can't say to fail on quality of life mechanics.
    On the other hand, what I didn't appreciate was the lack of selling value in descriptions so you had to note it down during shipping if you wanted to know. You hardly make any money plus compared to the price of the seeds. It also is a VERY terrible decision to not give you any way to break big stones on your field until close to endgame.

    UI is nice and clean and the map helps out though you have to "use" gathering spots at least once before they appear. Bit weird of a control scheme but not that bad to get used to.
    Many quest have surprisingly deep themes behind them.

    Cookie points for not making the player carry materials on you if you wanna craft something. Still a bit of a pain that you can only carry 9 of an healing item per each slot in your backpack.
    It doesn't do a good job to tell you all the places you can mine or gather specific materials. Another issue with that is that I like a reliable source of certain materials, especially heavily used ones and hate it if it's "RNG be merciful" all the time so either give me a shop to purchase materials (after you discovered them) or make it so "this spot only yields this material" and don't be too cheap with the amount you can get per day instead of 1 or 2 per spot.

    Over all it's a nice game. Sadly, it turned out to be exactly what I worried about when first I heard of it. It tries to be an RPG and a Farming-Life-Sim and didn't do either proper. For an RPG it's too short and simple where you leveling hardly improves anything for you and for a farming-sim, it's too shallow with too few crops, livestock variety and too little customization. You can't even have a pet (that isn't like a horse) and there are no festivals to attend do during the year. The trailer and previews also showed decoration but you only get 3 fences in color variation.You even have to place all your processing equipment on your field and can only use for one item at a time on the lower levels and a set amount of material for the higher ones.    … Expand
  35. tonymarc
    Jan 11, 2023
    10
    Quite the surprise hit of 2022 for me. The story was great and kept me intrigued for >70 hours. The characters are all pretty likeable.
    The ratio of farming vs. action is 30:70 IMHO, which was a pleasant surprise for me but you can invest more time in building up your farm it is just not needed if you want to progress the story. Combat is simple but the job system makes up for it. I was    Quite the surprise hit of 2022 for me. The story was great and kept me intrigued for >70 hours. The characters are all pretty likeable.
    The ratio of farming vs. action is 30:70 IMHO, which was a pleasant surprise for me but you can invest more time in building up your farm it is just not needed if you want to progress the story. Combat is simple but the job system makes up for it. I was actually astonished by the sheer attention to detail regarding the side quests, they were all really interesting and enjoyable.
    Graphics on the switch are quite OK in docked and more on the blurry side in handheld mode but thanks to the art direction the game looks definitely good. Performance was good beside so minor stutters in the later dungeons.    … Expand
  36. ReevaKnight
    Jan 2, 2023
    10
    The negative reviews are too harsh imo. I'm an rpg lover who has never been able to click with a farming game so wondered if this game was for me. It really, really was. The farming wasn't too over the top with lots of rewards and things to do. The questing pushed all the right buttons for me and kept me engaged. The jobs were a fun addition I wasn't expecting and very fun to play for me.The negative reviews are too harsh imo. I'm an rpg lover who has never been able to click with a farming game so wondered if this game was for me. It really, really was. The farming wasn't too over the top with lots of rewards and things to do. The questing pushed all the right buttons for me and kept me engaged. The jobs were a fun addition I wasn't expecting and very fun to play for me. Graphics may not be the best ever but graphics never make the game and what is there is really nice, reminds me of the older final fantasy's so I thought they were great. All the above elements were, while arguably basic yes, are very fun. Complicated does not always mean better for me. Gameplay was addictive. Kept coming back for one more day, one more quest etc.

    The story is where this game really shines. Really blew me away as I did not expect such a story here. 10/10 on story alone.

    In conclusion: jack of all trades (Master at story imo) but that's a good thing, not a bad thing. Very enjoyable and has kept me hooked all the way through and still finishing the last bits off.    … Expand
  37. Chukkaq
    Jan 17, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Harvestella does an incredible job of taking the JRPG and Farm-sim genre and combining them into one incredible story packed game. If you're a hardcore JRPG player you may be disappointed at the simplicity of the action combat. And likewise, if you're a hardcore farm-sim/cozy gamer you may be extremely disgruntled at the lack of customization options and how simple the farming is. In my opinion, Harvestella takes the very best of both words and blends together with a wonderful emotionally packed ride of a story. There are so many things this game does right and enjoyable content it brings to the table with a few minor hiccups and icks along the way.

    The fairy tasks are one area I really enjoyed. Gone are the days of finding copper, giving over your tool, waiting x days, getting it back, repeat. Now its simply complete some fairy tasks, finish the goal, and bam reward! The rewards vastly improve the farming experience as well! They unlock charge skills so you can go from plowing 1 square to a 1x3 then 3x3 and the same goes for harvesting, planting, and watering. You also unlock farm level, which increases HQ chance and stamina cost down for these actions.

    While the combat is simple, it's still fun and it's in part thanks to how flashy and straightforward the job system is! Again, if you're a hardcore player, you may roll your eyes at its simplicity. But if you're a cozy gamer coming from stardew or rune factory into Harvestella, its a real treat to try something new in an easy-to-understand and straightforward manner.

    There is so much more to say, but I'll cut my review short here. I hope you try out Harvestella and please know that once you hit chapter 3 the game really opens and starts to show its incredible colors. The writing and characters are top-notch.    … Expand
  38. Mlynnp1987
    Jan 29, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When I first began this game, I really enjoyed it. As time has gone on, and during chapter 4, I can’t wait for it to end. The main issue is you get like 8 party members at this point, with 10 levels to complete friendship and each of the levels for each of the 8 party members (so far) has its own, sometimes extremely long cutscenes consisting of just dialogue. I don’t care anymore, I just ‘a’ through them all and don’t have the patience to read anything anymore. This makes the side quests and main story a drag to read. I’m semi interested in what’s going to happen, but I can’t wait for it to end. I understand you need the time aspect, be home in bed by midnight, but it’s just annoying. The only reason I haven’t put it down is because my back log is big enough, so I’m just trying to power through.… Expand
  39. elventurtle
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    Made it about 15 hours in as I really wanted to give this game a chance but the combat is boring, the stamina system is annoying at best, and the story and dialogue are poorly written. Get literally any other jrpg or farming sim. This was an attempt to marry the two that unfortunately instead of being 50/50 is 25/25 and 50% filler story and bad writing.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 46
  3. Negative: 0 out of 46
  1. IGN Brasil
    Mar 10, 2023
    70
    Harvestella is ideal for anyone looking for a game with the peace of mind of a farm simulator and the challenge of combat. You'll likely feel a mix of relaxation and excitement as you tend to crops and fight off threats, all while trying to uncover the truth behind the mysterious "death station", Quietus.
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  2. RPG Site
    Feb 8, 2023
    80
    Harvestella is the type of game that’ll just simmer in your brain the further you get from it, I’m convinced this will be a beloved cult classic for years to come. There’s so much here that feels like an experiment, and it’s surprising how much of it comes together into a great package despite its shortcomings. When your greatest sin is being maybe a tad too simple, I call that a success.I think there’s a lot of room for growth in a hypothetical follow-up with a larger budget, and, hopefully, Square Enix agrees with me.
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  3. Shindig
    Jan 27, 2023
    80
    Here’s yet another farming RPG, but one that turns the familiar setup in a philosophical, existential direction—and dares to really, really go places with it. What at first looks like another descendant of Harvest Moon ends up bearing a closer resemblance, thematically and tonally, to NieR Automata. That’s not a comparison that’s easy to live up to, but Harvestella manages to leave its mark.
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