It doesn’t matter how well you think you know the video games industry and its genres, there are always surprises landing on the shop shelves. Farming games, of all things, may only be part of a sparsely populated genre, but the games themselves are, if nothing else, original. Bringing the unusual onto GameBoy Color is Ubi Soft with Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Fortunately for farming aficionados, those who want a similar experience, but without the sore feet and sweaty armpits, can rejoice ... more >>

It doesn’t matter how well you think you know the video games industry and its genres, there are always surprises landing on the shop shelves. Farming games, of all things, may only be part of a sparsely populated genre, but the games themselves are, if nothing else, original. Bringing the unusual onto GameBoy Color is Ubi Soft with Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Fortunately for farming aficionados, those who want a similar experience, but without the sore feet and sweaty armpits, can rejoice.

Your challenge within Harvest Moon is to turn a rundown plot of land into a successful and thriving ranch. Although this may sound simple, there are a vast number of variables to consider, making the game a great challenge to master. After choosing to participate as either a boy or a girl, you must work hard to explore and expand your world. Taking place in a vast environment, you now have the opportunity to visit new shops and other characters. Here, you can implement new tools into your farm and purchase new items, creating a personal gameplay experience. What’s more, you can now trade fish, insects and plants with other owners of Harvest Moon and even Legend of the River King. You can also make your plot of land more habitable and visually impressive by collecting and growing a variety of flowers and herbs. If you can manage to combine all the game features into a single farm, you might just stand a chance of becoming the much-vaunted Ranch Master.
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