 TREE-MENDOUSLY FUN! 12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
I admit, with other critics reviews, I was a bit weary about the new Harvest Moon title. But I must say that even though there are a few drawbacks, Harvest Moon has made a nice transition to the Wii...
POSITIVES:
+ HIGH REPLAY VALUE - As with all of the other HM titles, ToT will keep you busy from morning to night. You'll find yourself juggling a multitude of things from wooing a girl, to watering crops, tending to livestock, working part-time jobs, heading to the mine, etc. The setting is very large with lots of places to explore (and unlock). Hours upon hours of things to do.
+ CORE HM VALUES: All of the things that make a good Harvest Moon game are here. Finding and courting a mate, digging at the mine, cooking, building up a house, exploring, and even a story to keep things interesting. Avid Harvest Moon fans will NOT be dissapointed!
+ LOTS OF SHIPPING BOXES - Hardcore HM fans know that if you wanted something shipped, you need to bring it home and stuff it in the shipping box. Not anymore! There are nearly a dozen of these scattered throughout the land for you to use so you can keep that rucksack empty. AND, you can even take things out in case you changed your mind later on. A well-improved change.
+ WALK-THROUGH CROPS: FINALLY, you can reach all of your crops without having to cut one or two down to reach the center! The crops now allow you to walk through (around) them to get to those pesky middle ones! Another well-needed change!
+ FUN FESTIVALS: The previous Gamecube title had rather lackluster festivals. They've revamped them a bit and added a nice feature - you can enter the festival, leave, and return. Before, once you entered the festival, you were not able to return if you decided to leave. Like this feature!
NEGATIVES:
- LOADING TIME: Upon passing from scene to scene or indoors to outdoor, you'll find youself staring at a 'PLEASE WAIT...LOADING' screen a lot. The wait can be anywhere from 2 to 10 seconds (typically about 3-5 seconds), but it can be a bit annoying, especially if you accidently slip into one from one scene to another.
- SLOW START: One of the nice things about Harvest Moon is the freedom to do what you want. You'll find that as the story unfolds in the start of the game, you'll be limited on what you can do for the first few days. It'll take a good hour before you can truly get the freedom to do what you want.
- SMALL USE OF WII CONTROL: Sadly, there wouldn't be much difference in this game if you were to use the Classic Remote. The Wii remote does little to add to the expirence of farming. It'd be nice to have HM be a bit more interactive with the unlimited possiblities of the Wii remotes motion sensors.
- DAY A BIT SHORT: The island is very large, and there's lots to explore. The days seem short and I find myself only being able to do one or two things before I have to rush back home. Whatever happened to that 'RETURN HOME FOR THE DAY' option that HM: MM had?
OVERALL:
Everything that we want in an HM game is here and more. The core factors are at play with little change from previous HM releases.
Unfortunately, there are definitely some aspects overlooked like Wi-Fi playing and more Wii remote use. But, I'm sure those will be ideas on future releases.
Overall, you're looking at hours of entertainment with a few minor drawbacks. Diehard fans will fall in love all over again. Newbies will find a new addiction.
Review ID: 10000000009050918  Thank you for voting. If your vote meets our guidelines, it will be posted within 24 hours. You cannot vote on the helpfulness of a review you wrote. Your request cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later.  Another fabulous Harvest Moon game for all ages 8 of 9 people found this review helpful.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Harvest Moon series of games, and the latest games to be released cofirm the value of the series. Harvest Moon has created a world defined by a fundamental philosophy that encourages hard work, patience, friendship and loyalty to the community. Your character, in 'Tree of Tranquility' for the Wii, is given the task of restoring an Island to its former state of prosperity and fruitfulness.
You can play either a male or a female character in this game. You can choose one or more of four lots for your house, farm, raise animals, fish, mine and cook, court and marry one of the eligible bachelors or girls on the Island and have a child. In fact, you can begin a new game playing the character of your own child!
Your own success works towards the benefit of the entire community. In helping others, you help yourself. Selfishness and obsession with wealth have no place in Harvest Moon. You do need to make money in order to upgrade your farm and enjoy all the best options in life, but your success in every endeavour is linked to the prosperity of the community as a whole.
In Tree of Tranquility, unlike many other Harvest Moon games, you actually can travel to more than one island once you have unlocked new options. You can meet exotic animals and encourage them to become your pets by befriending them. Wild animals who can be tamed include cats, dogs, a penguin and a turtle.
On your ranch, you can raise poultry and livestock as well as exotic creatures including ostriches and silkworms.
'Tree of Tranquility' has a clearly-defined plot in terms of rebuilding the Rainbow Bridges that will allow a new Mother Tree to grow in place of the one that has died. For lovers of Northern Mythology, the Mother Tree holds echoes of Yggdrasil, the World Tree but there is neither combat nor strife in 'Tree of Tranquility'. Instead, the bridges are created by means of 'Recipes' as you collect the required ingredients.
This game will appeal to any one who loved 'Magical Melody' as you can choose whether to live in the mountains, by a river, near the city centre or at the beach. Festivals are splendid and the Courtship Events will not disappoint. In particular, the traditions of meeting at the foot of the 'Mother Tree' for declarations of love and the 'Starry Night Festival' in the Brownie Ranch District are extremely romantic.
Harvest Moon is appropriate for players of any age and will delight both young and old. It is well worth the investment and you will find that you can continue to enjoy the game for months or even years.
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