According to a press release from publisher/developer Natsume Inc., the newest entry in the Harvest Moon series, Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is coming to Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PS4, and will be playable at this year’s E3. The announcement comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the Harvest Moon franchise. Partnering with European game publisher Rising Star Games, Natsume is bringing the Harvest Moon franchise to both PC and Nintendo Switch for the first time.
Here’s what President and CEO of Natsume, Hiro Maekawa, had to say on the announcement:
“Harvest Moon: Light of Hope will set itself apart from other Harvest Moon titles with its depth, including a robust story and clear-cut goals. We set out to create a SNES-style nostalgic game with deep and meaningful characters and events, and we are excited to have our fans play it at E3 and tell us what they think!”
Martin Defries, Managing Director of Rising Star Games, added:
“Partnering with Natsume for over a decade, we’ve been delighted to bring the joyful gameplay of Harvest Moon to fans in Europe and beyond. We are excited to be part of the unveiling of Harvest Moon: Light of Hope at E3”.
In Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, players will find themselves stranded after a monsoon capsizes their ocean vessel and tasked with rebuilding from shambles, by growing crops, gathering materials, and forging relationships with the townsfolk.
In addition to the announcement of Light of Hope, Natsume has also announced re-releases of three popular Harvest Moon titles: Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland will release on PS4, and Harvest Moon 64 will release on Wii U. Natsume also announced its first Harvest Moon game for smartphones, Harvest Moon Lil’ Farmers. No word yet on release dates for any of these titles.
I’m definitely excited to see Harvest Moon make its debut on Switch, as I think this series is just another which will exemplify the Switch’s hybrid form factor. I’ll definitely be taking this on the go, and it’ll be nice to play on my TV, too.
What do you think of this announcement? Can you believe Harvest Moon turns 20 this year? Share with us some fond Harvest Moon memories by leaving a comment below.
