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News Harvestella (farming simulation RPG from Square Enix) announced for Switch and Steam, out November 4

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Game looks really good, easily the most exciting new announcement in the direct.
Is funny how much better the direct presenter is though, I genuinely couldn't get through 30 seconds of the Square version of the trailer because the way they had that guy talk is vomit-inducing haha.
 
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Poor Marvelous can't catch a break, first Stardew Valley completely outclassed HM/SoS, now they're coming for Rune Factory.

I'm not complaining, as I love the genre and Marvelous' output is very inconsistent in quality.

P.S. they really really need to have gay marriage in this game otherwise I'm out.
Is marriage in general even confirmed?
 
This one stole the show for me. It looks so interesting, like a life sim FF game? Not sure how to describe it but it just grabbed me and pulled me in.
 
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I'm curious to see more.

I like the visual style, and this is basically a Square Enix take on Rune Factory, with their usual JRPG elements but in a farming sim game.

It looks kinda neat but if Tokyo RPG Factory is involved, i want to check if it doesn't quickly become super boring as their previous games.
 
Poor Marvelous can't catch a break, first Stardew Valley completely outclassed HM/SoS, now they're coming for Rune Factory.

I'm not complaining, as I love the genre and Marvelous' output is very inconsistent in quality.

P.S. they really really need to have gay marriage in this game otherwise I'm out.
This is a good thing, this will hopefully force them to step up their game. And give them some new ideas/inspirations.
 
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It looks kinda neat but if Tokyo RPG Factory is involved, i want to check if it doesn't quickly become super boring as their previous games
They probably aren't involved, they would have said so already if so.
Or at least they don't seem to be the game designers.
 
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Is it a play on words on "Harvest" + "Stella", or a play on words on "Harvest" + "Cinderella"? 🤔
 
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The fact that I'm even remotely interested in this tells me that my gaming tastes are really changing over the years. I blame Xenoblade and Animal Crossing.

Looks awesome.
 
confused Steam Deck noises

Though I guess I'm not sure what I'd prefer if performance is similar. The Deck does have that really noisy fan that can be rather annoying
That's why I generally keep all games on Deck at 30 or 40 fps. Once I go above that, shit's starting to hit the fan, in the truest sense there, ahaha.

I still need to figure out a buying strategy for Deck / Switch releases, tbh. I've actually double dipped on a lot of stuff at this point, and no, I don't feel any shame.
 
It should run well on Switch since it's console exclusive, and very likely made with Switch in mind from the start.

Also did anyone notice that Go Shiina is composing the music?? As if I needed another reason to get excited!
 
confused Steam Deck noises

Though I guess I'm not sure what I'd prefer if performance is similar. The Deck does have that really noisy fan that can be rather annoying
And honestly the Deck's slow wakeup/sleep really bothers me. I now appreciate the Switch's instant on/off sleep mode. That and the fact that I constantly hit the haptive pad on the right and side of the console with the side of my thumb and it's irritating.
 
I still need to figure out a buying strategy for Deck / Switch releases, tbh. I've actually double dipped on a lot of stuff at this point, and no, I don't feel any shame.
This is where I'm struggling right now and games like this aren't making it any easier. While I'm as old-school as they get and prefer having a physical game, the amount of plastic accumulating in my house has me feeling quite bad about it.
 
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It should run well on Switch since it's console exclusive, and very likely made with Switch in mind from the start.

Also did anyone notice that Go Shiina is composing the music?? As if I needed another reason to get excited!
Didn't stop Rune Factory 5! Though this game seems to have way more of a budget and probably a team more experienced with 3D development

Yeah the music is pretty great in the trailer already, probably going to be a killer soundtrack
 
If this has a compelling story and/or same-sex marriage it'll be a safe buy for me. It's also funny how much they copied from Rune Factory.
 
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theres obviously a big crossover audience for these types of games when well executed/marketed. Not sure this is it but it makes sense for square to try to tap in these type of experiences
 
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I still need to figure out a buying strategy for Deck / Switch releases, tbh. I've actually double dipped on a lot of stuff at this point, and no, I don't feel any shame.
Same, turns out I really like the Deck and valve has me spending more on steam now.

I am thinking in general, if the switch version is competent and there is a nice physical release, I will go switch. Else wait for sale and go Deck.

Eg for Persona 5 it's gonna be switch and what's sure to be a nicely packaged cart.
But for 3 and 4, I'm leaning Deck.

For Nier Automata it's a harder call. 30fps on switch, but that physical edition they are prepping looks lovely!
 
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The music in the trailer is fantastic. I am not a fan of farm sims but I am getting this one.
 
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Ooh that's exciting


I've seen that these info are the PR assets shared above (I was told to not share them online lol) but there still is juicy info in there and..these PR info have been fully localized also in itlaian, something that it doesn't always happen: this could mean nothing, or that SE is confident/want to push the game
 
I'm not normally into farm sims, but this one looks really interesting. If they can have a good balance between farm/life sim stuff and combat and exploration, then I think I'm all in. I really like the art style and look of the game.
 
I really hope this game turns out great so it lights a fire under Marvelous' ass; they've been too complacent with this genre and some competition will hopefully do them some good.
I agree. Competition is good, especially for this genre. Can't wait to check it out.
 
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Ha ha that's quite the farmers outfit.

Oh, there's an entire world map. I like that.

Ah, theres combat, it's squeenix rune factory. still, put on a farmers outfit when it's time to till the fields. I can just see the stains all over the pompous frills of dazzling white already.
 
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Turns out this is developed by Live Wire, who made Ender Lillies, according to RPG Site (based on the Australian ratings board I think).

Ender Lillies was positively received, so this bodes well.
 
Turns out this is developed by Live Wire, who made Ender Lillies, according to RPG Site (based on the Australian ratings board I think).

Ender Lillies was positively received, so this bodes well.
Eh, hopefully the gameplay is a little better because I thought the movement was not that good in Ender Lillies.

(As far as Metroidvanias go, I think the Record of Lodoss War one had better controls).
 
Eh, hopefully the gameplay is a little better because I thought the movement was not that good in Ender Lillies.

(As far as Metroidvanias go, I think the Record of Lodoss War one had better controls).
Hopefully the area design is more than empty rooms with more scenery than stairs or enemies
 
It might be my most anticipated game of this year.

The art looks absolutely incredible, i already love farming games and JRPGs so this looks like 100% made for me: visually it's one of the best looking Switch games. I wonder if the modern city-looking area is a new town, or a sort of vortex world.

Seriously this is the same console of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

HARVESTELLA_2022_08-03-22_003.jpg

HARVESTELLA_2022_08-03-22_023.jpg
 
Oh it's from the Ender Lilies devs? Talking about one hell of a jump, from 2D soulslike Metroidvania indie game to doing a full on 3D Rune Factory clone for SQEX.

Hopefully it's not as difficult as Ender Lilies was in parts. ^^
 
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Okay so on reading that little piece SE put out:
  • Quietus is an interesting concept. I had an idea that you might need to stockpile food for the town to prepare for Quietus, but right now it just seems like a way to force the player to do the dungeons?
  • Nemea is a gorgeous place. It’s the town of spring so we can assume there’s at least three other towns corresponding to the three other seasons.
  • Character designs are similarly pretty. Doesn’t seem like there’ll be romance, and I’m fine with that. Really depends on how interesting the individual backstories are.
  • Not sure why they went with job classes instead of simply changing your moveset with the weapon you equip. Makes me curious how in-depth the battle system and enemies are going to be.
  • I’m bothered by the slightly altered crop names (Strawbuddy sounds stupid) but man the food looks gooood. Again, interested in how the cooking works. Not gonna be surprised if it’s more involved than picking an option from a menu.
  • FISHING YESSS
  • Those processors remind me of Harvest Moon’s makers.
Yep, looks really promising so far.
 
Details from the Treehouse demo
Here's the Treehouse presentation for those who missed it.

Personal thoughts:
  • The player character has amnesia, truly Square has done their research on farming sims.
  • The timer seems to be in a 10 minutes to 8 seconds ratio. An in-game 18-hour day would then take approximately 14-15 minutes. Not bad.
  • The overworld is dainty, I dig it.
  • Liking the UI for the farming, it has all the QOL features you'd want to keep things breezy. And the targeting system for the plots look less janky. Interesting that you need to till a square twice to prepare it for planting.
  • The crops grow way fast! Like after a day. The farming is probably going to be more simplified than I thought. The battle system on the other hand looks decently fleshed out, so I imagine the gameplay loop is going to lean more on the adventuring. Seems like you can equip three job classes at a time, and changing jobs changes your movesets. That said the fights only seem a couple notches above something like RF, and I wonder if that's going to be good enough, especially if the farming is going to be less involved.
  • Ugh, fishing looks like it takes way too long. It took the streamer a full minute before getting a catch. And it looks like pure RNG, you can't aim for shadows in the water or something.
  • You level up when you sleep, and it looks like levels only apply to battle stats. The skill-specific levels are one thing I'm gonna miss from Rune Factory.
There's still a lot we don't know about the game, such as the crafting and the socialization, but right now I'm actually feeling a bit lukewarm to it. Might have been more excited if I hadn't gotten RF5 already.

EDIT: There's also a food meter, but I'm not sure if it's a cooldown timer (preventing you from spamming healing food items) or it's a needs bar that needs to be kept full. The latter option would be a better fit for the gameplay loop, though. Or maybe it's both?
 
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Thank you for the detailed analysis and thoughts @meatbag! Just going to embed that video for those who want to watch it while reading those details.




With it looking so close to the Marvelous games it's certainly interesting to see the similarities and differences. The farming did look quick and easy, but hopefully the team at Live Wire aren't lacking the other QoL elements and speed RF has built upon over the years. I'm still looking forward to this game though, and I think final impressions will really determine whether it's a day 1 purchase or not.
 
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