History VideoGame / HarvestMoon64

* LostForever: Cliff, Karen, and Kai will all leave the village if you don't befriend them quickly enough (though Kai will stick around if Karen does, given that she's his LoveInterest). There are also numerous photos with a limited window of opportunity -- some are one time only events, and all of the girls' pictures will be unavailable after you get married.

* WhamEpisode: The [[spoiler:death of Ellie's grandmother]] midway through the game, as there's no foreshadowing or build-up to it. The only indication of something being different is the fact that the character in question is in a slightly different location from their regular spot. Worse, it affects more than just the player -- after it happens, [[spoiler:Ellie]] is an emotional mess for quite some time afterward. [[spoiler: It can be avoided if the player avoids speaking to the grandmother when she is seen sleeping outside.]]

* WhamEpisode: The [[spoiler:death of Ellie's grandmother]] midway through the game, as there's no foreshadowing or build-up to it. The only indication of something being different is the fact that the character in question is in a slightly different location from their regular spot. Worse, it affects more than just the player -- after it happens, [[spoiler:Ellie]] is an emotional mess for quite some time afterward. And unlike virtually every other negative outcome to a character arc, which can be avoided if the player puts enough effort into it, this one happens no matter what you do.

* KissingCousins: Your grandfather, the protagonist of the original ''Harvest Moon'', canonically married one of the bachelorettes from that game. All of the bachelorettes of ''this'' game are their granddaughters. This means that one of the five girls has the same grandparents as you -- making you cousins. The trope is presumably averted, however, since it's never stated ''which'' bachelorette is your cousin, so it's safe to assume that it's [[SchrodingersGun not the one you married]]. However you can still have {{Squick}} induced if you court all the girls.

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: Ellie's grandmother's]] death mid-way through the game, as there is nothing indicating that it happens. The only indication of something being different, is the fact that said character is in a slightly different location from their regular one. And it gets worse when one realizes that it was ''the player'' who initiated the event by talking to the character. YouBastard.

* ShoutOut: If Karen and Kai get married, their child will be dressed up in a Pikachu outfit.

''[[VideoGame/HarvestMoon64 Harvest Moon 64]]'' is the third game in the ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' series, released in 1999 for the {{Nintendo 64}}. An EvenBetterSequel to the original, it cemented the franchise as a successful (and [[MoneyDearBoy profitable]]) CultClassic. ''Harvest Moon 64'' sticks to the [[StrictlyFormula series formula]] -- indeed, helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] it -- and generally expands on original concept. The player's grandfather has recently died and the player has decided to move in and work the farm in grandpa's place. You have just over two years (until the end of the third Spring) to whip the farm into shape, become an active part of the local community, woo, wed, and bed a local bachelorette, and generally become a successful and responsible adult. At the end of this period, your father visits and grades your progress, marking the conclusion of the game as such, though there's nothing to keep you from [[PlayableEpilogue playing indefinitely after that]].

''Harvest Moon 64'' is the third game in the ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' series, released in 1999 for the {{Nintendo 64}}. An EvenBetterSequel to the original, it cemented the franchise as a successful (and [[MoneyDearBoy profitable]]) CultClassic. ''Harvest Moon 64'' sticks to the [[StrictlyFormula series formula]] -- indeed, helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] it -- and generally expands on original concept. The player's grandfather has recently died and the player has decided to move in and work the farm in grandpa's place. You have just over two years (until the end of the third Spring) to whip the farm into shape, become an active part of the local community, woo, wed, and bed a local bachelorette, and generally become a successful and responsible adult. At the end of this period, your father visits and grades your progress, marking the conclusion of the game as such, though there's nothing to keep you from [[PlayableEpilogue playing indefinitely after that]].

''[=HM64=]'' is, like the rest of the series, a SimulationGame that combines aspects of business, social, and space management games into a single whole. It holds something of an odd place in the franchise -- while it helped solidify much of the series' gameplay, it still suffers from quite a bit of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and much of its content was ignored or altered for later ''Harvest Moon'' games. It's generally regarded as one of the best games in the franchise, but due to its age relatively few current fans have played it. It didn't help that ''Harvest Moon: Back to Nature'' (released at about the same time) had a different set of characters which took precedence over the ''[=HM64=]'' versions for quite some time, leaving them in something of a CanonDiscontinuity limbo. New games have reintroduced some long-missing characters, however (such as Elli appearing in ''Tree of Tranquility''), so that part of ''[=HM64=]'''s history seems to be over.

* ChristmasRushed: Widely thought to be the reason for the general lack of polish, such as the large number of typos and the like; the game was released on November 30th, 1999.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The characterization in this game is quite different from the next game, ''Back to Nature''. Characters relations to each other, and rival pairings, are different too. It's also more fluid and natural then a lot of future games.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: There is one cutscene in which Karen is clearly drunk and has a blushed face.

* gettingCrapPastTheRadar: There is one cutscene in which Karen is clearly drunk and has a blushed face.

* {{Arcadia}}: Flower Bud Village is very Arcadian, mixed with a bit of (the positive version of) EagleLand. [[labelnote:Details]]While not as {{Anvilicious}} as many examples (and tempered by the existence of numerous JapaneseHolidays), many aspects of the game are quite Western -- the church is obviously Catholic (despite [[CrystalDragonJesus worshiping the Harvest Goddess]]), {{Mukokuseki}} is largely averted (several characters are visibly Asian, while at least one is either [[AmbiguouslyBrown hispanic or black]]), and various elements (such as the architecture) seem to owe more to the West than Japan. In all, it gives a more "early 20th century" feel than the "suburban 1950s" typical for type 1 EagleLand.[[/labelnote]] It's a [[CloseKnitCommunity close-knit pastoral community]] where the worst thing that ever happens is a beloved elder dying peacefully in their sleep, or a youngster succumbing to the lure of the big city and leaving home.
* ArtStyleDissonance: The art style is very chibi and cute but the story may be the darkest the series has to offer. It has everything from alcoholism to implied abuse all in a cute format.

* GoodBadTranslation: There were more than a few quirks with the translation, like items being called different things depending on where you checked, but the most amusing was definitely Natsume spelling ''their own name'' wrong on the title screen. (The used "Natume", [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/did-natsume-misspell-its-own-name-in-harvest-moon-64/ which is technically correct]], but obviously inconsistent with the usual translation.)

* LostForever: Cliff, Karen, and Kai will all leave the village if you don't befriend them quickly enough (though Kai will stick around if Karen does, given that she's his LoveInterest). There are also numerous pictures with a limited window of opportunity -- some are one-time only events, and all of the girls' pictures will be unavailable after you get married.

* MoreFriendsMoreBenefits: One of the positive ending messages requires you to have a Red Heart relationship level with all five girls, even though you can only marry one.
* MythologyGag: Ken from the ''GameBoy'' titles appears unnamed.

* GoodBadTranslation: There were more than a few quirks with the translation, like items being called different things depending on where you checked, but the most amusing was definitely Natsume ''spelling their own name wrong'' [[http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/up/news/harvestmoon6401.png on the title screen.]]
** The Natsume typo seems to not be a typo in itself as pointed out [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/did-natsume-misspell-its-own-name-in-harvest-moon-64/ here]]

** The Natsume typo seems to not be a typo in itself as pointed out [[http://legendsoflocalization.com/did-natsume-misspell-its-own-name-in-harvest-moon-64/here]]

* {{Arcadia}}: Flower Bud Village is very Arcadian, mixed with a bit of (the positive version of) EagleLand. [[labelnote:Details]]While not as {{Anvilicious}} as many examples (and tempered by the existence of numerous JapaneseHolidays), many aspects of the game are quite Western -- the church is obviously Catholic (despite [[CrystalDragonJesus worshiping the Harvest Goddess]]), {{Mukokuseki}} is largely averted (several characters are visibly Asian, while at least one is either [[AmbiguouslyBrown hispanic or black]]), and various elements (such as the architecture) seem to owe more to the West than Japan. In all, it gives a more "early 20th century" feel than the "suburban 1950s" typical for type 1 EagleLand.[[/labelnote]] It's a [[CloseKnitCommunity close-knit]] [[{{Arcadia}} pastoral]] community where the worst thing that ever happens is a beloved elder dying peacefully in their sleep, or a youngster succumbing to the lure of the big city and leaving home.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The characterization in this game is quite different from the next game, ''Back to Nature''. Characters relations to each other, and rival pairings, are different too. It's also more fluid and natural then a lot of future games.

* IdenticalGrandchild: You resemble the protagonist of the first game. Ann resembles Ann from the first game, Popuri resembles Nina, and Elli has quite the resemblance to Ellen.

* SuperTitle64Advance: It's Harvest Moon Sixty-Four. Not much to add to that.

* {{Arcadia}}: Flower Bud Village is very Arcadian, mixed with a bit of (the positive version of) EagleLand[[hottip:*:While not as {{Anvilicious}} as many examples (and tempered by the existence of numerous JapaneseHolidays), many aspects of the game are quite Western -- the church is obviously Catholic (despite [[CrystalDragonJesus worshiping the Harvest Goddess]]), {{Mukokuseki}} is largely averted (several characters are visibly Asian, while at least one is either [[AmbiguouslyBrown hispanic or black]]), and various elements (such as the architecture) seem to owe more to the West than Japan. In all, it gives a more "early 20th century" feel than the "suburban 1950s" typical for type 1 EagleLand.]]. It's a [[CloseKnitCommunity close-knit]] [[{{Arcadia}} pastoral]] community where the worst thing that ever happens is a beloved elder dying peacefully in their sleep, or a youngster succumbing to the lure of the big city and leaving home.

* MainstreamObscurity: Often cited as the best ''HarvestMoon'' game however few fans have even played it. It's become quite expensive, often $35 - $80 a cart.

* SuperTitle64Advance

* IdenticalGrandchild: You resemble the protagonist of the first game. Ann resembles Ann from the first game, Popuri resembles Nina, Maria is essentially just the first Maria with glasses, and Elli has quite the resemblance to Ellen.

If a game about doing farm chores and talking to people doesn't strike you as particularly engaging, then rest assured that it's BetterThanItSounds.

* {{Arcadia}}: Flower Bud Village is very Arcadian, mixed with a bit of (the positive version of) EagleLand[[hottip:*:While not as {{Anvilicious}} as many examples (and tempered by the existence of numerous JapaneseHolidays), many aspects of the game are quite Western -- the church is obviously Catholic (despite [[CrystalDragonJesus worshiping the Harvest Goddess]]), {{Mukokuseki}} is largely averted (several characters are visibly Asian, while at least one is either [[AmbiguouslyBrown hispanic or black]]), and various elements (such as the architecture) seem to owe more to the West than Japan. In all, it gives a more "early 20th century" feel than the "suburban 1950s" typical for type 1 EagleLand.]]. It's a close-knit pastoral community where the worst thing that ever happens is a beloved elder dying peacefully in their sleep, or a youngster succumbing to the lure of the big city and leaving home.

''Harvest Moon 64'' is the third game in the ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' series, released in 1999 for the {{Nintendo 64}}. Arguably a SequelDisplacement, it cemented the franchise as a successful (and [[MoneyDearBoy profitable]]) CultClassic. ''Harvest Moon 64'' sticks to the [[StrictlyFormula series formula]] -- indeed, helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] it -- and generally expands on original concept. The player's grandfather has recently died and the player has decided to move in and work the farm in grandpa's place. You have just over two years (until the end of the third Spring) to whip the farm into shape, become an active part of the local community, woo, wed, and bed a local bachelorette, and generally become a successful and responsible adult. At the end of this period, your father visits and grades your progress, marking the conclusion of the game as such, though there's nothing to keep you from [[PlayableEpilogue playing indefinitely after that]].