Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

 Wii
  • Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Sep 30, 2008
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 32
  3. Negative: 4 out of 32
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  1. TattP.
    Jun 27, 2009
    4
    Had been enjoying A Wonderful Life and waiting to for the new version on the Wii, Tree of Tranquility is a huge disappointment for me. First of all, the first impression is the low graphics quality. In A Wonderful LIfe (GameCube) has much nicer and cuter design and details. Before you can hold a chicken and run anywhere with it..now you can only hold it and put down exactly where you got Had been enjoying A Wonderful Life and waiting to for the new version on the Wii, Tree of Tranquility is a huge disappointment for me. First of all, the first impression is the low graphics quality. In A Wonderful LIfe (GameCube) has much nicer and cuter design and details. Before you can hold a chicken and run anywhere with it..now you can only hold it and put down exactly where you got it from. So if it's blocking the eggs then you will keep picking the chicken up rather than the eggs which is super annoying. Also, in AWL, you can see the character rubbing his face with the cows and horses with love and passion.. now it's just a tap.. I think it has lost these kinda details, which I think they made Harvest Moon a great game play. Secondly, the controls...in ToT you can't change angles..when I try to water the crops, higher crops are blocking the ones behind (if there are any!). The good thing is that you can level up your skill and can now water/till more squares at once which saves a lot of time and energy. Thirdly, in AWL, you can order delivery of seeds or animals, but in ToT, you have to run all the way to the shops to be able to buy things and it could take up to half a day because there are more areas to cover. The telephone is merely for weather forecast (which is much more quicker and cheaper than telly) and shops opening time. Fourthly, I agree with previos reviews, the storyline is not solid enough. Also, a good game does not need game faqs walk through, but this game you can't play without one. Fifthly, one great thing (of many great things) in AWL is that you can manage sleeping time. In ToT no matter what time you sleep you'd wake up at 6am. If you don't go to sleep before 6am your character will suddenly become fatigue and super slow..and in ToT game, a day goes by in a blink. Although ToT has has unnecessarily taken away those great features from the previous Harvest Moon (i'm really curious why they did it). Improvements? More areas to explore; you can play as a boy or a girl, or your child (should have spent that time improving the controls and graphics).… Expand
  2. Koratah
    Apr 11, 2012
    4
    I've played a good chunk of the HM series and was very disappointed by this one. I'd recommend the next in line, which is kind of a TOT.2 in a way(same characters/general idea), Animal Parade, because this one kind of turned me off to the series for awhile. The graphics are rather disappointing, especially while the previous installments of the series on the GameCube impressed me more. TheI've played a good chunk of the HM series and was very disappointed by this one. I'd recommend the next in line, which is kind of a TOT.2 in a way(same characters/general idea), Animal Parade, because this one kind of turned me off to the series for awhile. The graphics are rather disappointing, especially while the previous installments of the series on the GameCube impressed me more. The controls are clunky, the sound effects get annoying--the sparse voice acting, a few lines for the player characters, are low quality and it makes me think they recorded it on a laptop microphone.. The day goes by much too fast to traverse the huge map effectively in a day(you often need to do this to buy seeds and supplies, wasting half your day)--this is remedied in Animal Parade, however. The camera is stuck in place, and sadly this is not changed in AP, either--the environments are interesting but the camera makes it so you can't appreciate them. I'm also a bit disappointing voice acting or additional features weren't added in this time around... Overall, I'm disappointed--I'd like a HM game where things like camera movement and graphics aren't sacrificed for nothing, and I'm eager to see if they make improvements in the next few games... Go buy Harvest Moon: Animal Parade instead.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Best Wii Game of 2008
38
#38 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2008
24
#24 Most Shared Wii Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Nintendo Power
    65
    The problem is that the game feels phoned in, from the tacked-on motion controls to the scan tutorial system that assumed you've already played every other Harvest Moon game. [Oct 2008, p.90]
  2. Game Informer
    68
    Bottom line: if you expect nothing out of the Tree of Tranquility except the same old same old, then this will do the trick. [Oct 2008, p.106]
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  3. Cheat Code Central
    72
    If you are really into farming, and don’t mind the repetitive tendencies of the series, then Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a solid entry and definitely worth your time.
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