The Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Guide and Review

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Guide – What’s In the Name?

This game has a few versions with different names – a typical story for Japanese game development. Let’s try to figure out how and why this happened before starting to explore the Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life guide in detail.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (AWL), a classic title from the Story of Seasons series, initially came out in Japan in September 2003 and in North America in March 2004 for the GameCube. Made by Marvelous Interactive, also the publisher, this game is part of an extensive series that has held players captive with its delightful and engaging farm simulation. The GameCube version features connectivity with the Game Boy Advance game Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, making it more interactive.

There was an extra edition for the PlayStation 2 in Japan and then North America, which came out in 2004 and was followed by another release on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 later on. The newest versions fixed some lag issues from its prior porting into those consoles. In July of the same year, Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life (the “girl” version with the female protagonist) was released for GameCube outside Japan. This is a quite rare edition.

Then we jumped to June 27, 2023, and a new version called Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life was available for fans. It can be played on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. This Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition guide offers an improved visual style along with updated characteristics of the traditional farming adventure. It welcomes both new participants as well as veteran enthusiasts into its peaceful universe of the Forgotten Valley.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Guide – Differences Between the Original And Special Editions

The original Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is not solely about farming but also about living an amazing life. In contrast to other farming simulator games, that push you to make the most of every second, this game has a chilling vibe. Every season lasts about 10 days, allowing for enjoyment in each moment. The purpose is to have fun with a relaxed life and expand your farm at your speed.

The journey is not only about farming. You meet people in town, find someone to be with, and begin your own family. The characters grow older and transform, making a living community. As you lead your child’s progress, they will steadily become an adult and be shaped by what you do and the bonds of friendship with the community.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition a.k.a. Stories of the Seasons: A Wonderful Life (released in 2023) adds some modern updates. You can now pick non-binary gender options and same-sex marriage, making the game more inclusive. Building a family is easier with no barriers to having a child, supported by the magic of Harvest Moon world.

The game may look happy on the outside, but it also goes into more subjects that are serious. The larger spaces and calm scenes in The Forgotten Valley add to a sense of self-reflection with characters sharing the hidden tales about unachieved hopes and demands from parents. This adds emotional depth, making the game more interesting to explore.

Marvelous Interactive has made the game run well, so you can experience it without any issues. Even if there are many animals on your screen at once, the game will load quickly and offer a stable framerate. The art style of this game is cheerful and colorful, being a significant improvement over the previous Story of Seasons games.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is not a game that suits everyone. This slow-moving, community-centered game demands a lot of monotonous work and patience from players. However, if you can accept its unique vibe and cozy atmosphere, this title can be a healing and cozy experience. No matter if you are a veteran follower or a new participant, the experience of leading a beautiful existence in this calm agricultural simulation is enchanting.

The following Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life guide will include tips you may use both for the original and special versions of the game. We will specify the changes for different aspects of our guide if there are changes in the gameplay, story, or balance.

We also recommend you join the Reddit discussion about the differences between these two editions of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. 

Harvest Moon: It’s A Wonderful Life Crop Guide – Basics

In Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, you can grow many kinds of crops and each has peculiar features to explore. To begin with, you must till the soil using a Hoe and then plant seeds that have been purchased from Vesta’s farm. You may also use the Seed Maker that can be ordered with the Ledger. Or you may acquire them by triggering Daryl’s “Seed Maker” event. At first, you will get 70 plots of land that can be arranged as two fields having dimensions of 7×5 cells.

Growing and Raising Crops

Every crop has its best season for growing. If you plant crops at the wrong time, they might grow slowly or die. To make sure your crops are strong and healthy, it’s very important to give them fertilizer often. A properly picked fertilizer makes them grow faster and eventually have a better quality grade. For example, using the fertilizer two times a day can change B-grade crops into S-grade ones in the big growing patch. Crops usually become mature at noon or midnight – this depends on the time you planted them and their growth cycles.

Important notice: it is best to plant crops on the first day of their corresponding season. In such a way, they will be ready for harvest when the season ends. If you plant after this day, there could be a danger of withering if the next season is not good for them to grow.

Selling Crops

The quality of your harvest affects its price when you sell it, either at the farmer’s market or to the NPC called Van. For better grades that can fetch more money, make sure to fertilize frequently.

Here are the selling prices for different crops based on their quality grades:

The Prices for Selling Seeds

Just like crops, seeds also have grades. Vesta sells B-grade seeds, but you can get higher-grade seeds by processing high-grade crops in the Seed Maker.

As part of our Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life seeds guide, take a look at the selling prices for seeds based on their quality grade:

In the Special Edition, the prices were drastically lowered.

We’ve just scratched the surface of the economics of crops, trees, and seeds in our Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life guide. You should check the fullest recommendations and tables for all the crops on the largest fandom website.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Tree Planting Guide

Growing trees in AWL needs a little bit more care and thoughtfulness than usual crops. This is how you need to care for trees after planting to make sure they grow and fruitful:

• For planting, use a Hoe to till the farm’s soil. This step is important for all types of crops and trees;
• Purchase your seeds from Vesta and plant them in the prepared soil;
• Keep watering on a schedule. The plants should be watered two times per day. The soil should stay moistened well. Maintain this routine until the time when flowers start appearing and fruits or vegetables are produced by the plants;
• Trees must have enough space for their roots to spread out. Make sure no other plants are growing in the area directly surrounding the tree because it can restrict its growth;
• The best method to arrange an orchard is by giving adequate space for every tree. Plant the trees in a grid pattern where there is enough room between each one;

Growing Fruit Trees in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life

In addition to crops, you can also grow fruit trees. Each tree produces fruits for one season every year. You can buy tree seeds at Vesta’s farm and plant them in any of your 3 fields. Before producing the fruits, the tree will flower. Trees, like crops, benefit from regular fertilization and need to be watered often, especially in the summer.

Surely, you can sell the fruits from such trees at such prices, depending on their quality:

In the Special Edition, the selling prices for fruit were slightly increased. Fruit seeds can also be sold, and their prices depend on the grade of the fruit processed in the Seed Maker. In the Special Edition, these prices were also lowered. Check this Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life tree guide for the Special Edition.

With careful planning and consistent care, you can turn your farm into a thriving and profitable enterprise of fresh fruits.

Tips for Growing a Thriving Orchard in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life:

• Tree planting too close to one another or near other plants may restrict their growth. Make sure that each tree has adequate space to flourish;
• Similar to Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life crops guide, trees require consistent watering until they become strong. You need to water them twice in a day;
• Remember that trees require much more time to grow and produce fruit than regular crops. That is why you ought to be patient and persistent;

This part of the guide may look a bit tiresome but if you intend to fulfill the whole Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life trophy guide on PS4 and other platforms.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Celia Guide – How to Get Married?

Cecilia or Celia (the Japanese version is Sepiria) is one of the eligible bachelorettes that players can court in both AWL Original and Special Editions. This kind-hearted girl works as hired help on Vesta’s farm, showing her pleasant nature despite having weak health. She is skilled in plant care and housework.

However, sometimes she acts like a child or appears to be naive. She has difficulty expressing her wishes. She likes Vesta, calling her “Aunt Vesta”, and she is always under the watchful eyes of Marlin, who is Vesta’s brother. As we play the game, Celia slowly becomes more self-reliant and confident in herself.

Celia’s Schedule:

• Before Marriage: Celia wakes up at 6 AM and spends time in her room and kitchen. Then she goes to work in the fields. She does not go out from the farm often. Only sometimes she visits the nearby spring close by forest or goes to the beach, Romana’s courtyard, or town but always comes back home early before sleeping at 9 PM;
• After Marriage: Celia still wakes up around 6 am, but she goes to sleep later, nearly 10 PM. In Chapter 2, she is mainly inside either in the kitchen or with her kid. Starting from Chapter 3 and further, Celia spends more time outside but mostly works at Vesta’s and player’s farms. In Chapter 4, she resumes visiting the woods and the spring more frequently;

Gifts for Celia in AWL

Celia likes special things as gifts. For instance, if you give her a pretty coin, she might question whether or not you sell it. This demonstrates her interest in objects that men usually enjoy. This is how you may win her heart (literally by getting more heart points from her) through Heart Events:

1. When Celia is outdoors, enter and exit a building on Vesta’s farm. Celia says, “You like farm work?” If you say yes, she expresses happiness and talks about how the farm’s produce gives her strength. She then asks if you think she is silly and you shake your head;
2. Enter Vesta’s home around 10 AM when Celia is alone inside. Celia asks you to hang out, but Marlin downplays it by reminding her of an errand. If you suggest going together, Vesta interrupts and Celia finally inquires if you still want to go with her;
3. Exit your house around 9 AM to see Celia heading to the spring. You go after her and observe animals collectively. When you remain quiet, she appreciates the instance and states that it is her preferred place. If you move, she becomes angry and departs. Enter Vesta’s home when Celia is not outside. Celia is sharing with you about a planned marriage that Vesta is organizing. She feels concerned and wants to know your viewpoint;
4. Enter Vesta’s home when Marlin, Celia, and Vesta are inside. You see a disagreement about the arranged marriage. Ultimately, Celia expresses her demand for additional time to consider the arrangement;
5. After the events seen earlier and achieving maximum hearts with Celia, depart from your house in the morning. Celia declares her love for you, she terminates her engagement. If you accept her love, then it will become impossible to propose marriage to other bachelorettes;
6. Offer Celia the Blue Feather after seeing her events and maxing her hearts. If you did not watch the confession event, when she asks if the feather is for her and you confirm it, she accepts the proposal. If you viewed the confession event, then she takes the feather automatically. If you still haven’t proposed and Celia has the most love for you at the end of Winter. Celia comes to your farm, sharing worries about what you want. If you propose, it will result in marriage;

In Special Edition, when the player marries Celia and they get a girl, she will put on clothes of a different color. Once you interact with Celia after the confession event, you are unable to propose marriage until your offer is made to her.

Celia is only one of the potential spouses in the game. You can check the full Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life guide to available companions.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Child Guide (Special Edition)

Bringing up a child and building a friendly family is an engaging process that requires from you commitment. In Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, you can get married, have children, and observe as characters age while you progress yearly through the in-game system which aligns with traditional seasons including Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

During the first year, just before or at the end of it, players can get married to their chosen companion. Regardless if players pick one of A Wonderful Life’s bachelorettes or not, they will have a child together and can select its name and gender or then decide on the traits of the character. As the child grows up, players can influence their child’s interests and career choices.

During the second year in AWL, you may examine your child’s likes and abilities under the Resident Info tab. The bars indicate how much your child enjoys or is proficient in the 6 major career choice categories:

• Ranching;
• Farming;
• Athletics;
• Music;
• Art;
• Academics;

The child’s basic interests are shaped by the spouse’s choice and the player’s interests. For example, if a player marries Gustafa who has a love for music and nature then that kid may naturally like music too. Nonetheless, as the game continues, players can still somewhat alter their child’s career path.

How to Influence the Child’s Career in AWL:

1. Buy Gifts from Van’s Marketplace. During your second year of raising a child, you can buy things like a toy ball, drawing pad, and wooden blocks. These objects will then show cutscenes of the child playing with them – this might raise their interest in various career areas. At this point, it is worth checking this detailed Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Cutscene guide to understand what you should look for;
2. Complete Resident Requests. Completing requests can give players more gifts for their child, like the bucket and spade from Lou in the first year or Plant Encyclopedia from Baddoch in the 3rd year;
3. Respond to the Child. You could create a response for the child, like “I love animals too!”, or “I’m happy to see you here”;
4. Different Gifts Matter. As the child gets older, giving them gifts such as food products, plates or things you find in the mine could influence what they like. From their third year of age onwards when they stop accepting cuddles and start showing interest in presents;
5. Answer the Questions of a Child. When the child interacts through random encounters, specifically the treasure box encounter in the third year, he/she sometimes asks questions. Commonly, these examples are significant opportunities to assist in shaping his/her interests;
6. Focus on Their Wishes. At times of the year such as the Fireworks Festival, making wishes with a focus on your child might enhance the odds for specific career selections or closures;

You just need to appreciate your kids and give useful gifts to share good bonds and then build a strong relationship. It resembles our Hello Kitty: Island Adventure guide – we strongly encourage you to try this game too, especially if you are searching for a game to play with kids.

Useful Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Tartan Guide

Tartan (a.k.a. Tsurutan) is a special plant character with two heads in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition, and Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life. Tartan stays at Takakura’s house and has the skill to blend crops, making new mixed crops.

To meet Tartan, you should at first befriend Takakura in such a way:

• To boost your friendship level with him, chat with Takakura each day and present him with gifts;
• In Chapter 2 or later, you can send Takakura to the city to buy an animal;
• Enter Takakura’s house at 5 PM, the night after he comes back. A cutscene will let you meet Tartan;

Tartan can blend crops, creating new, useful hybrids. These hybrids grow quickly and you can sell them at a higher price. Generally, most hybrid crops are available for purchase at the mean sale price of their two parent crops. However, there are a few random hybrids – these can sometimes bring in more money than usual. Tartan can also provide helpful hints for cooking recipes during conversations.

To befriend Tartan, talk to him for one (real-time) hour. This can be divided into various parts. Spend 5–10 minutes daily talking to Tartan, and you will become friends in a few days.

Tartan has a dislike for carrots when they are in their plant form and will not consume them. If you give a carrot to Tartan, it must be only as a seed.

Normally, hybrids that are made using carrots will have a higher selling price compared to some other crops. So, it is better to concentrate on experimenting with carrot hybrids as they promise more profit.

Read the following Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Tartan guide on Reddit to understand better how to blend different species of plants to get valuable hybrids.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Animal Guide – Care and Growth Methods

In Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life every animal requires love and care. To take care of animals, follow these steps:

• Regularly brush all animals, snuggle them, and wash them (especially Sheep);
• Sheep, Cows, Bulls, Horses, and Goats produce fodder. You can cut this from the fenced field found in the middle of your farm. We also advise watching the AWL video about taking care of cows;
• Chickens and Ducks – feed them Bird Feed that you can order from your Ledger;
• Dog and Cat can consume any food that humans eat. Just put more food in empty bowls and pet them regularly;

Also, you need to follow special housing specifications for each animal type as well:

• Sheep, Cows, and Horse reside in a warm Barn;
• Chickens and Ducks live in the Coop;
• Dogs should get a dog house from Takakura shortly after the game begins;

How to Get New Animals for Your Farm?

Buy livestock from the Ledger and they will deliver it in front of your house. You can buy such animals as cows, chickens and sheep. As for dogs and cats, you choose the dog type at the start of the game. The type only affects their look, all the dogs behave in the same way in the game. Give your dog some food, and this will make it love you more. Then, it will protect your farm from Murrey. Cats will appear later in the game and you need to take care of them just like you do with dogs.

This is how much you should pay for AWL animals (the prices may vary in different editions):

• Normal Cow (Male): 2,500 G;
• Normal Cow (Female): 5,000 G (produces Milk);
• Brown Cow (Male): 10,000 G;
• Brown Cow (Female): 20,000 G (produces Brown Milk for Butter);
• Marble Cow (Male): 10,000 G;
• Marble Cow (Female): 20,000 G (produces Marble Milk for Cheese);
• Star Cow (Male): 25,000 G;
• Star Cow (Female): 50,000 G (produces Star Milk);
• Sheep (Male): 3,000 G;
• Sheep (Female): 3,000 G (produces Wool);
• Chicken (Male): 500 G;
• Chicken (Female): 1,000 G (produces Eggs);

Keep in mind that livestock will come in one day after ordering. You will get a phone call at the farm for a meeting and naming of the animal.

Also, you may buy a Pond from the Ledger for 10,000 G. Once you construct it, Takakura will provide two Ducks (one male and one female) to your farm. You can buy Goats during the second year of your farming from the Van’s stock. Check this detailed Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life animal guide about goats.

Useful Tips about Caring After Animals In AWL:

• Initially, the Barn holds up to 8 animals, upgradeable to 15 for 120,000 G;
• Animals are given Fodder for their food, which can be bought or made by growing and collecting it from the farm;
• Talk and cuddle your animals, and brush their fur or feathers often. Use the chalkboard in the Barn to monitor how happy your animals are;
• Use the Milker on Cows and Goats to gather Milk. You can’t milk a pregnant animal, but after giving birth their milk quality improves;
• Use Shears to collect wool from Sheep. “Happy” Sheep produce better quality wool;
• Animals could naturally get pregnant if you have a male or female animal. Look at the chalkboard to see the status of the pregnancy;
• Before giving birth, pregnant animals must be kept alone in the barn’s fenced-in area;
• Use the Ledger to sell old or unrequired animals. The selling price is the same as the buying price;

This chapter about growing and caring for animals finishes our guide. What do you think about this beautiful game? Surely, we couldn’t cover all the aspects of this deep and interesting game. That is why we recommend checking the Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life guide book on Amazon or at least check the fandom wiki pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I marry a character in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life?

To get married to a character in AWL, you need to build a good relationship with the available for marriage NPC, talk to them daily, give gifts they like, and participate in festivals. When your relationship becomes strong, enough propose a Blue Feather that can be purchased from Van for 1000 G after constructing a large house. If it is accepted by the other person then it means both of you are now married and live. With time, your spouse will assist in farm work and potentially have a child together.

2. How can I improve my farm’s productivity in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life?

Concentrate on the improvement of your tools and buildings. Upgrading your watering can and hose. And, you should put money into animals and crops that give high outcomes or very important things. Make sure you take good care of your livestock by feeding them regularly and looking after them and their places of living. Also, join in the festivals to get the rewards and socialize as well. In the end, think about growing crops that match each season and arranging your farm’s structure in a way that uses space and resources more efficiently.

3. What are some tips for making money in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life?

Earning money in A Wonderful Life requires thinking and control. Concentrate on things that give a lot of profit, such as raising animals for their products – milk, eggs, or wool – because these items have a high price tag. Grow the crops that have high value at different times during the year. Also, use celebrations to make more money. Join in town events and finish tasks from local people for rewards. Think about improving your farm buildings to handle more things and work faster. In addition, you can sell extra items or products in Van’s shop for more money.

Conclusion

Therefore, this is our ultimate Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Guide. You are free to add your tips and secrets about this great farming sim game that has been mesmerizing the fans for over 2 decades. We strongly advise you to try playing any version of this game – on old consoles or new consoles/Steam. Just give this cozy and beautiful game a try!