The pros of this game:
The music: Oh my God, the soundtrack of this game is so amazing, I adore it, it is the most relaxing, beautiful, and catchy music. Not to mention royalty free, if I was a big YouTuber, I would squeeze some of this music into my videos to make it catch on. But anyways, the music is very cozy, just makes you feel warm and safe. There is something magical about it, and the low quality sound effects are often criticized, but I like it, it adds to the cozy feel.
The characters: I love the characters. The character designs in this game are some of the best, and I just love the way you can pick between any character available that you want to marry, it adds dexterity to the game.
The map: People say the map is too big and confusing, I say it is lovely, very nice layout, I fully memorized it from growing up on this game, I haven't played this game in 3 years and have the whole game mapped in my head.
The cozy vibe: This game exudes the feeling of safety and comfort. Warms your soul like warm broth when you are feeling sick, I had influenza for a month straight, and just binged this game, and it took my mind off the gross feeling of being sick. This game is magical, and my mom always played it since before I was born, and continued playing it as I grew up, and I played it too. The cozy vibe, is just so intoxicating, this game is like a warm hug on a polycarbonate disc.
The sounds: The most controversial and criticized factor of this game. Yes, the sound effects are very low quality, but it adds to the experience, it fuels the flames of nostalgia, the sounds are memorable, and very happy sounding, and they just make the game feel, - again I probably sound like a broken record- cozy, and it is true.
The visuals: Some people praise the visuals for being vibrant, warm, and comforting, while others say it is low quality, and honestly, the people that say it looks low quality must be joking. Every other Harvest Moon game prior to this one, had similar, if not worse graphics, and the colors in this game are so vibrant, especially in the mines, just the glowing colored crystals and ores, the different crops, oh man, it is gorgeous. And also back to characters, I think Melody Of Memory gets way too much glaze on the character designs, despite them looking rather ugly.
The activities: There is so much stuff to do in this game, and everything is exciting. Mining, fishing, farming, raising livestock, festivals, foraging, exploring, on top of the main story. There are so many activities in this game, and it always feels fun.
The nostalgia: This is very nuanced, but for the people that grew up on this game, you know what I mean. This game just fills so much of my childhood memories, and the music and sounds, I love it. I won't dwell on this too long, but it is very nostalgic.

The cons:
Loading time: I have no idea why it takes 30 seconds to walk from one area to another, but here we are. This game has poor performance in loading, which I will never understand.
Lag: This falls into the same category with the loading taking forever, just overall performance issues that have no explanation.
The day length: Days in this game are wayyyyy too short. They had a great idea to triple the day length in Tree Of Tranquility's sister game, Animal Parade, but I feel like there isn't enough time to do anything. I almost never go mining, because when I go, I stay till like 5 am, and my animals will be mad. I can hardly make any money moves like grind mining, because the days are very short, like Minecraft days, only if you don't sleep, you get tired like real life, only in real life, days aren't the length of how long I can put some chicken strips in an air fryer for. It is absurd by any game's standards.
The inventory: The inventory in this game, is a disaster. You have to scroll through empty spaces, which was resolved in the aforementioned Animal Parade, but that isn't even the main issue. The problem, is stacking. OH MY GOD, mining is such a nightmare because ores don't stack, because there are different rarities. Now I love the idea of rarities or grades, like no sparkles is trash, one sparkle is normal gems, 2 is high value, and 3 is extremely valuable. They didn't do that in Animal Parade, which is annoying, I can't differentiate between an actual ore and junk, because it is all lumped together, but the trade off was inventory management, which I can't complain about. Also I hate how animal medicine doesn't stack, and can't be sold. About 4 years ago, I bought like 8 animal medicines because I thought they were all sick, because I forgot to feed them, and the "Angry" symbol is a wobbly blue face with "X" eyes and a hanging out tongue. It gave the impression of illness, but it was just a design flaw, which is another con in this game. Anyway, the medicine didn't work, it is rotting in my cabinet taking up 8 slots, and I can't sell them. How fun.
The bugs: There are a bunch of little bugs throughout the game and I will name a few. I had Silkworms that died, so I bought 2 new ones, and they had 10 friendship levels, because it carried over. I was mad and happy at the same time, because it ruined the experience, but also I was getting Perfect and Shining Silk basically for free. Another bug is weather fishing. Sometimes, I can't catch any fish when a typhoon hits, even though it is supposed to make fish bite more frequently, and unlocks more rare fish like Seasky. There are other bugs I can't think of, and don't care to, so I will just get to the epilogue.

Anyways, my experience of this game is extremely positive, I had so much fun playing it, so many memories and nostalgia, but sadly, if you didn't grow up on this game, I doubt you will have as much fun with it. Very nuanced game, but if the stars aligned for you to grow up with this game in your life, you will cherish it for years to come.

Edit: The picture I posted was the cover picture for the game, I don't know why it was removed, you guys will just have to imagine it, lol.
Edit 2: Oh wait, the picture is back, never mind, lol.

I checked my barn, coop and trees after a storm then saved.....forgot to check the most important building...Definitely using stone next time ߹ - ߹

In "Story of Seasons" I was doing my daily routine as normal.

I went to milk my cows, and for some reason... I wasn't thinking, accidentally equipped my hammer instead of my milker and hit my cow with it 😱

I mean, gamers say that accidentally hitting your villagers with a bug net in Animal Crossing is stressful... that is nothing compared to this.

Sorry Seth!

I just noticed this In Harvest moon more friends of mineral town but there is a little town next to it. I always wondered what it would look like traveling outside of town and it seems like it’s just a ton of mountains with little valleys between them. I’d like to know what y’all think because this makes my imagination run wild. What do you think is outside of the towns in harvest moon? Do you think mineral town is walking distance from forget me not valley?

i’ve completed this orange heart event but i cant yet give the blue feather, am i missing something ? do i just keep talking and gifting daily to increase friendship more ? TIA!

I'm playing IoH and I just married Vaughn (❤️) but now that we're married, he doesn't like the porridge I give him (it's his favourite meal)
Has anyone else ever had this issue?

So I was thinking about trying to get through the game first off without trying to get a good ending. For one, I'm honestly very curious about what the bad ending looks like. Also, I feel like it would set me up for the next try as long as I can carry everything over if I get the bad ending. Because my end goal is to be able to complete all 16 endings and the mecha events and marry Katie in my second try. The question though is, am I able to get the new game plus option even if I fail to save the valley? That way I can get a good head start for whenever I actually try to get a good ending? So that everything carries over?

My favorite bachelor in the series!! I studied some katas and tried my best to replicate stances/movements that stood out to me :-)

I've been playing Friends of Mineral Town and I'm kind of lost, especially since Stardew Valley is the only other farming sim I've played and it has lots of things to do and a clear main goal (perfection). How are other SoS games in this aspect compared to FoMT?

Yes, I know this topic will sound controversial, and many will disagree. Even so, it's no secret that to this day, many members of the Rune Factory community believe that Margaret is Lest's canon wife. I admit, I used to believe it too. However, after visiting many internet forums and reviewing the game several times, I've come to the conclusion that Margaret isn't the canon wife that many of us once believed. There's a lot of evidence that supports what I'm saying, but to make it clear, I'll divide it into two parts: the manga and Margaret's role in Rune Factory 5. Without further ado, let's begin.

The Manga Isn't Canon:

First of all, I want to correct myself on one point. The community says that Margaret is the canon wife, and that's true, but that only applies to the official Rune Factory 4 manga. If you choose the manga version, then yes, Margaret is Lest's canon wife. However, there's a problem. While the manga is official, this doesn't mean its story is strictly canon.

Let me explain: Both the manga and the Nintendo Dreams comic were written under the supervision of director Hashimoto. That makes them official. However, these concept art pieces are more of a marketing tool, designed to appeal to consumers. From a narrative standpoint, they're more like "alternate realities." This is because these comics take the liberty of altering events that don't happen or shouldn't happen in the game. To clarify, let's look at two key points:

• Ventuswill's Human Form: The fact that Ventuswill can transform into her human form at will contradicts the original concept established for the character in the game's main story. In a village event called "Mood Reversal," she says she didn't know she could transform and that, above all, she'll always prefer her dragon form.
• The Sech Empire Soldiers' Role: The Sech Empire soldiers appear in the manga with the objective of capturing Margaret and harming the protagonist. This contradicts the main storyline of the game, as in the base game, their mission was to steal the rune spheres. There's also the question of how the soldiers managed to reach the barn when Selphia soldiers were supposed to be patrolling the area.

Now that we've set the manga aside, let's take a look at Margaret's role in Rune Factory 5. As you'll see, Margaret is the first optional single character in Rune Factory history to openly declare that she's married. However, Margaret doesn't mention her husband's name. The developers never confirmed whether Lest was Margaret's husband, but they didn't deny it either. Even so, there are three key points that could disprove the idea that Margaret is the canon wife:

Noel and Luna's official appearance:

In the official Rune Factory 4 opening, we see Noel and Luna, and it's clear they don't have elf ears. Many fans claim that their ears are hidden in their hair. But that excuse isn't valid. To explain, I'll cite two key examples:

• In "Rune Factory: Factory," we have Marco, Ganesha's son. He's an elf child whose elf ears are clearly visible against his wheat-colored hair at a young age.
• In "Rune Factory 2," there's Orland, Jake's son, who is half-elf and half-human. He also developed elf ears at a very young age, just like his father. And as you can see, his ears are easily visible.

As you can see, the existence of Noel and Luna having elven features contradicts the original concept established in the game's official opening.

The Missing Rainbow Effect:

In Rune Factory 4, if you marry Margaret, you unlock a special ability called "Rainbow Heal." However, in the fifth installment, she no longer has this spell. Many speculate that the real reason is that Lest isn't present, since this magic is meant to heal "that special person in your life." However, that's not true.

What we see is the same "Rainbow Heal" that Daria used to invoke, and at that time, she didn't have a special person. From a technical standpoint, this magic is broken, and the developers chose not to include it in the game because it could unbalance the difficulty, making the game absurdly easy. But from a narrative perspective, this magic has no limits when it comes to healing allies. Therefore, Lest doesn't need to be present for the magic to work.

The Earthmate Paradox:

To better understand this quote, two key points must be considered:

• Margaret travels alone: ​​When Margaret appears as a guest in Rigbarth (if you have save data from RF4 Special), she mentions that she left Selphia decades ago. She explains that her husband and children stayed behind to look after the house while she traveled.
• The extinction of the Earthmates: In the main story of Rune Factory 5, Commander Gideon categorically states that the protagonist of this installment (Ares or Alice) is the last living Earthmate in the world.

What is the paradox?

If Gideon is telling the truth and the protagonist of RF5 is indeed the last, it would mean that Lest would have died, which directly contradicts Margaret's words about her husband waiting for her, since she speaks of her family's current situation.

To resolve this paradox, players conclude that Margaret never married Lest in the official timeline. Her mysterious husband in Rune Factory 5 must be an ordinary human from Selphia, thus keeping the Earthmates' status safe from plot holes.

As you can see, I haven't made anything up. All of this can be verified by revisiting the game. Many won't like what I've written, and I sincerely apologize, but I think the truth must be told. I admit I'm not an expert at writing about these topics and may have made some mistakes. But the main point is this: "Margaret isn't strictly the canon couple," as we've all believed.

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read all of this. It wasn't easy writing each paragraph and doing my own research. Even so, in my humble opinion, I think we shouldn't take external media or dialogue so seriously, and that canon resides in the decisions you make in the game. You are the protagonist, and you are the one who decides the fate of others.

Goodbye.

My personal thoughts. (Important)

I never thought I'd dare to post something like this. Many must be wondering: Why would you post something like this? The truth is... I was planning to post it on the Rune Factory forum, but I didn't have enough karma to do so. But I felt I had to let the community know anyway. Getting it out was a relief, like a long fishbone stuck in your throat. I know many won't like this, and that's their right. That's why I want to say this: The truth is... I firmly believe that you decide the canon with your decisions, not what external media, like magazines, say. You also shouldn't take dialogue too seriously. Everyone can come up with their own theories and use them to defend their position. At least that's what I plan to do in the future when I write my own story.

I apologize again if I caused any offense or if I was too direct with my words. I usually write formally, but that doesn't mean I wrote this with resentment. Everything here is true, and you can see it for yourselves. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read my post. It wasn't easy to gather information and put the pieces together. You don't have to like it if you don't want to. I'm not forcing anyone to be on my side.

Thank you very much, and... goodbye.

I decided to check the first Game Boy game because I'm curious about how much the game has changed over the years and it looks like this could a great game for short sessions!

I have been reading about the mechanics, but I still have some doubts:

1) How much Stamina do you recover at night? AKA How late can I go to sleep? Because the plots I managed to water after I slept way less than before I went to sleep.

2) Do I need to make sure that I have food?

3) Are you supposed to use the Timer to take care of the farm (besides the tool upgrades)? This farm is massive and what's limiting me is not my Stamina (already got Y1 berries), but the clock.

I'm waiting for the last crops of Spring. I have planted all of them at the same time, so I won't have to worry about collecting them and watering other crops, but if I had to water more crops after selling these? I don't see how I would have enough time!

I believe I'm years late to this hahah. What do you think my type is? Also I promise I'm not a furry. I don't mind animal ears and tails but I don't like when there's straight up body fur but the rest of the Rune Factory casts personality are not my taste. Don't like any of them.

Martin too serious and might literally work himself to death if someone doesn't look after him. I don't want to blame myself for the rest of my life if he accidentally works himself to death. Working to death happens a lot in Japan, karoshi

Ryker too lazy and a thief even though he means well. I'm not into Robin Hood type characters. I like mysterious and cool design characters but the bad traits aren't good

Cecil doesn’t feel like an adult, so many people look after him.

Reinhardt, a knight but broke my heart after choosing princess Beatrice to be number 1 priority instead of me in one of the events. I don't think there's anything wrong with prioritising her because she rescued him and his family from poverty. He owes her but still

Lucas looks too old for me and a god

Template is from here. https://pinkcatflower.tumblr.com/post/121329787353/newly-updated-the-old-meme-by-separated-bachelors

made a sorter for bachelorettes and wanted to share it here as well <3 let me see your rankings!!

I have a hacked wii. I also own both tot and ap I bought them when I bought my wii, got the wii specifically for those games. I have gotten cheats to work for AP but not tot. I tried emulating on my tablet but it's not strong enough for Wii games but the cheats worked there. From what I googled it has to do with the hook. Has anyone gotten cheats to work with their wii for tot? I just the stamina cheat. Thank you.

Hello! Does anyone know how you mutate blueberries into blackcurrents? Thank you!

hi, do you guys know how to make rick appear on sunny weekend i already try to reload my save file again and again on sunny saturday but he doesn’t appear either.

So indecisive on names for the default character, farm animals, pets, even the baby. Nothing is a comforting acceptable fit, maybe it’s a little bit of perfectionist, don’t know.

I’d like to name the default character the canon name at least, I’ve heard and seen her canon name as “Pony” but there isn’t anything stable to back it up. Her name fluctuates in media from that, canonish being Gretta in a manual, Aya in Japanese. People say a contest artist named her Pony, it was in the file names. I don’t know there’s all sorts of misinterpretation of this subject.

If you could help clear this up or show me evidence that’d really be great.

Thanks Fogu!

I’m trying to use Delta emulator on my iPhone 16 and the cheat codes aren’t working, I tried using master codes too and nothing changes. Can anyone please help me out? (North America)

Just a thought, I always had in the back of my mind, imagine if marvelous and Natsume came back together for an anniversary game developed by both teams together and it was called something like harvest Moon - story of seasons, or something. I know marvelous did a whole collaboration with Doraemon so hey who knows, I think they both offer something to the farming game landscape

Who Am I kidding? It probably won’t ever happen.

But it’s still fun to think about

Please tell me what you think a game of this caliber would look like?