Summary
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (イノセントライフ ～新牧場物語～, Inosento Raifu ～Shin Bokujō Monogatari～), also known as Harvest Moon: Innocent Life, is a 2006 farming simulation video game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). It is a spin-off of the Story of Seasons series of games, and was released on April 27, 2006, in Japan and in 2007 for the rest of the world.
| Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | ArtePiazza |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Director(s) | Sachiko Sugimura |
| Producer(s) | Takeshi Ogura |
| Artist(s) | Shintaro Majima |
| Writer(s) | Chie Yokota Keigo Yamaguchi |
| Composer(s) | Yutaka Minobe Yasufumi Fukuda |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Simulation/role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
A special edition of the game was released for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) called Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (Special Edition) (新牧場物語：ピュア イノセントライフ, Shin Bokujō Monogatari: Pyua Inosento Raifu) on March 29, 2007, in Japan and February 12, 2008, in North America. Apart from minor changes, the PS2 version is essentially a port of the original.[1]
Gameplay edit
The game takes place on the relic-filled Heartflame Island which can be explored by walking or riding on a buggy. Players have the ability to explore the island's ruins and even visit a volcano. All these areas have their own terrain and resembles a tropical paradise. In order to explore all over the island, the player must collect jewels and break the seals.
Aside from growing plants and raising livestock, the player has weekly requests from Volcano Town for help with a job.
Plot edit
On Heartflame Island, a heart-shaped island with a volcano, a scientist named Dr. Hope Grain has created an android boy (the player, who is by default named Life) to serve as a rancher for the island. After getting to know Dr. Hope and a girl named Marcia, the player moves to the Easter Ruins to begin his life as a rancher. He also learns of a company called the Banks Corporation has plans to stop the volcano's eruption, which will destroy the island, but the plan soon backfires. During a meeting between Dr. Hope and the mayor, the player and Marcia learn of the player's origins, but Dr. Hope and his maid Vita explain their purpose of why he is created. The player later learns that the island is watched over by three deities: the Forest Spirit, the Water Spirit, and the Fire Spirit. Two ancient races: the Easter People and the Volcano People, had fought each other in the past and to defeat their enemies, the Easter People tricked the Forest Spirit into helping them steal the Crest of the Water Spirit to strengthen their power. The Spirits, angered by their actions, cut off all resources from their lands and the Water Spirit imprisoned the Forest Spirit as punishment for helping the Easter People. The Easter People eventually died out and the survivors fled the island.
Learning that the Fire Spirit is causing the volcano's eruption and only the Water Spirit can stop it, the player makes it his goal to save the island (not succeeding in this in time will result in the island being destroyed). After finding the Crest of the Water Spirit, the player also meets a hag who gives him the Crest of the Forest Spirit, and later meets two Nature Sprites, who are the split forms of the Forest Spirit. However, there is one Nature Sprite who will only appear in a very special event. Dr. Hope eventually falls ill; this causes the third Nature Sprite to appear. After bringing the Nature Sprites the Crest of the Forest Spirit, they merge together to retake the form of the Forest Spirit, who opens the way to the tower near Mermaid Lake. With the hag's help, the player returns to Crest of the Water Spirit to the tower. The Water Spirit, grateful of the player's help, advices them to put the Crest of the Fire Spirit on the Ice Grail located on the Alter of Ice in order to calm it down. After finding the Crest of the Fire Spirit, the player heads to the Alter of Ice to put the Crest there, which summons the Fire Spirit. The Water Spirit calms down its wrath, averting the island's destruction. Back in town, the mayor thanks the player for saving the town and he goes to see Dr. Hope, who is also grateful before dying, causing the player to shed a tear, showing that he has become a human somewhat.
In the post credits scene, Marco, the CEO of Banks Corporation, wonders what went wrong with his plans before suddenly coming up with another idea.
Development edit
The game features a new art style that steps away from the traditional style of the previous Harvest Moon games. It focuses more on solving a main storyline like traditional RPGs, rather than concentrating on farm works. The concept used in Innocent Life would be continued on the Rune Factory series, which also involved ARPG battles. However, the removal of the marriage system in this installment also departs from any previous or later game in the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series except for Harvest Moon GB, Harvest Moon 2 GBC, and Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS2 | PSP | |
| Metacritic | 63/100[2] | 67/100[3] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PS2 | PSP | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | N/A | 5.83/10[4] |
| Eurogamer | N/A | 7/10[5] |
| Famitsu | N/A | 29/40[6] |
| Game Informer | N/A | 7.25/10[7] |
| GameRevolution | N/A | C+[8] |
| GameSpot | N/A | 5.3/10[9] |
| GameSpy | N/A |    [10] |
| GameZone | N/A | 7.9/10[11] |
| IGN | 6/10[1] | (UK) 6.9/10[12] (US) 6.5/10[13] |
| Pocket Gamer | N/A | [14] |
| PlayStation: The Official Magazine | N/A | 8/10[15] |
| RPGamer | N/A | 4/5[16] |
| RPGFan | 76%[17] | 76%[17] |
Both Innocent Life and its Special Edition received "mixed or average reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2][3] IGN said of the former in its U.S. review that the story develops slowly and the gameplay strays too far from Harvest Moon's traditional farming focus.[13] In Japan, Famitsu gave the PSP original a score of one eight and three sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Haynes, Jeff (March 17, 2008). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Special Edition Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
While this is deemed to be the "Special Edition," there are practically no true extras in the title to make it stand out as much stronger than the PSP version. Apart from a few new tasks given to you and a dictionary that defines practically everything within the game, there's very little that is new to the title.
- ^ a b "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon (Special Edition) for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ a b "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvst Moon". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 217. Ziff Davis. July 2007. p. 97.
- ^ MacDonald, Keza (May 10, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Gantayat, Anoop (May 4, 2006). "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Vore, Bryan (July 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". Game Informer. No. 171. GameStop. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Parker, Tom (October 2, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Mueller, Greg (May 21, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Review". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ Di Fiore, Elisa (June 6, 2007). "GameSpy: Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 30, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Bedigian, Louis (May 30, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Burman, Rob (May 11, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon UK Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Haynes, Jeff (May 18, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
Compared to other Harvest Moon titles, this one feels like it strays pretty far away from the franchise's formula. The inconvenient truth is that while you still harvest crops, the farther into the game you go, the less important farming becomes and the more island exploration takes over. Unfortunately, the unbalanced level of exploration, slow development of the story and nonsensical character development (coupled with his virtual isolation) makes the game one of those titles that appeals to an even smaller niche of this niche genre.
- ^ Fear, Ed (May 8, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Review: Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". PSM. Future US. July 2007. p. 82.
- ^ Neufeld, Anna Marie (June 8, 2007). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon - Staff Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Wallace, Kimberley (March 14, 2009). "Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.