Become a Minecraftian farmer in Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley

The cow says...

Harvest Moon is looking a little different these days. Maybe a haircut to get out all that hay, or a nice new pair of overalls? No, that isn't it, it's--aha! It's all that extra Minecraft they added to Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley! And don't worry, it's actually a really good look.

Natsume's first turn flying solo with the Harvest Moon series, The Lost Valley expands the Moon-verse with the introduction of the all-new, semi-fantastic titular plain. After you're is caught in a snowstorm and led to safety by a mysterious voice, a weather sprite asks you to help bring seasons back to the Lost Valley, which is currently trapped in unending winter. (Elsa, is that you?) The task requires you toluckily enoughfarm the land until the seasons return, at which point the game kicks off that sim farming (farm siming?) we all know and love.

What sets this iteration apart is the way you interact with those around you and how customizable your farm is. Gone are the days when you visited town everyday to sell crops and bribe the townsfolk. In Lost Valley, the town has been replaced by a network of other rural folk you can interact with daily in order to strengthen your relationships with them. All of that happens within the farmland itself, so you never really leave the land you're cultivating. Plus, you get to personalize it more than ever before, using Minecraftian building techniques to create elevated plains, dig ponds, build impossibly high towers of earth, or whatever else your heart desires. All the while the game maintains fan favorites like caring for animals and cooking, bolstering the idea at the heart of Harvest Moon: hard work pays off, even if the work is mostly button presses.

Want to know more? Check out the following slides for screenshots and more info!

Plant and grow your own crops from a variety of new offerings and old favorites--I hear the broccoli is delicious.

Raise and take care of adorable animals, and even increase their skill level for mysterious purposes.

Build a farm only limited by your imagination with new 3D building tools.

Foster relationships with your fellow farmers, get married and have little farmhand children.

Do all other kinds of fun activities, like fishing and cooking, and whatever else might help out on the farm.