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Systems > GameCube > H > Harvest Moon: Magical Melody > Staff Review
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Review by Jason Venter
April 19, 2006
The Harvest Moon series has always existed peacefully in the middle of an industry dominated by football players, race cars and aliens. Some people believe the franchise is meant only to provide an easy gift for a younger brother or sister. While syrupy visuals (think Animal Crossing) and cover art support that theory, you’re missing out on something special if you let your investigation end there. Dig further and you’ll find one of the most rewarding titles available on the GameCube. If Magical Melody is your introduction to the series, you couldn’t have picked a better time to climb on board.
As premises go, the one you’ll find here is simple: you’ve just purchased a plot of land and you’re going to turn it into a successful farm. There are, of course, a few wrinkles. For starters, the harvest goddess has turned to stone. You’ll need to collect magical notes gleaned from day-to-day activities to release the seal that binds her. You’re not the only one trying to do so, either. Your competitor, a sour-faced individual named Jamie, is working feverishly to one-up you. This might sound like a transparent gimmick designed merely to keep you playing, and at its heart I suppose that’s exactly what the whole “magical melody” thing really is. Fortunately, the gameplay is such that it wasn’t even necessary.
But wait, didn’t I say that this is a farming simulation? How much fun could it possibly be to plant, water and pick your crops? The answer is that a game devoted purely to those pursuits wouldn’t be much fun at all. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody’s developers were clearly aware of that, so they added in a bunch of interesting diversions. You can woo the village lady of your choice (or the handsome hunk, if you choose to start with a female protagonist), raise a fine bunch of livestock, dig for precious metals in a cave, go fishing, discover tasty recipes, attend village festivals, customize your house’s interior, turn into a lumberjack in the local forests or even work at befriending the various wild animals roaming throughout the area. Every action you take consumes some of your energy, even as a clock ticks down the time. There’s simply not enough time in the day to do everything you want at a leisurely pace. That’s what makes everything so much fun.
Perhaps your eyes are already glazing over. That’s partly my fault, I’m sure, but it also has a little something to do with the subject matter. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody clearly is not for everyone. I already mentioned it, but I’ll say it again: the visuals here look like something out of Animal Crossing. I know some people who refuse to play that game primarily because it doesn’t look mature enough. They’re afraid their image will suffer or something. Well, the same applies here. Sure, you’ve got some visual quality. It’s hard not to be caught up in the spell when you walk through a snowstorm or chop down some trees while fish swim through the nearby stream. But you have to be susceptible to life’s simple pleasures.
You also have to be a bit patient, and that’s the game’s one true flaw. Though you can sit down for a five-minute play and perhaps live out one day in-game, that’s not really how Magical Melody should be experienced. There are simply too many things to keep in mind, too many objectives that you’re trying to satisfy all at once. Those who can’t multi-task won’t find the game rewarding at all. Uneven controls don’t help, either. An example that comes up a lot is crop maintenance. When you’re first setting up your empire, you have to hoe a lot of soil to make the way for seed. There are invisible grids all over the place that you’ll never see. It’s far too easy to waste time and energy on a space you’ve already cultivated, just because you were in a hurry and didn’t face precisely the right way. Though I found that you can hold the “R” button to make a patch of light show where you’ll perform your action, digging or watering crops still feels just the slightest bit obtuse.
Another problem is that you must earn upgrades that make the system feel more natural. At first, you just have a little watering can that can saturate one square at a time. That wastes time and energy, and it’s not particularly fun. Once you raise and sell a few crops, you can then sell them and purchase useful upgrades, but even then it’ll take time before you can carry much in your travel bag. These “flaws” are overcome in time, but some people just won’t have the patience to endure.
That’s a shame, because Harvest Moon: Magical Melody truly is something special. There are so many things to do and see that it’s not difficult at all to spend 20 or 30 hours playing without running out of new experiences (I say that from experience). If you can get past the childish veneer and the occasionally redundant game objectives, you’ll find that your time has been well spent. Let someone else slay all those demon warlords. Instead, why not kick back and plant some pumpkins? Maybe later you can bake a pie!
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| Some people get it and some don't. If you're one who does, then you won't easily find an experience more magical than this one. Factor in how long it'll all remain fresh and you have a clear winner. | ||
| Read more about the review rating scale... | ||
Staff reviews represent the opinion of the individual staff member that wrote them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the site staff as a whole. If you disagree with the contents of this review, you may click to leave feedback on our dedicated forum. Thank you!
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Title: Harvest Moon: Magical Melody |
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Animal Crossing is another GameCube game in the Simulation genre that has been attracting activity lately, so you might want to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about!
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