here isn’t enough room to list the far-reaching improvements that this game features from its predecessors. Suffice it to say that, where the previous games felt like work, A Wonderful Life feels curiously satisfying. Earlier entries made many players want to explore wider areas, talk to different people, have other tasks to complete, raise new animals, and maybe even woo a lady friend. Each of these wants is now offered, but that’s not to say that A Wonderful Life is the end-all of RPG/simulation titles. It’s just that this entry will reach out to more players, who in turn, will find themselves comfortably at home.

Along with the staggering feature list, there are some really nicely updated graphics and connectivity with the GBA title Friends of Mineral Town. You can go visit the town in that game, scrounge up the latest gossip, and generally mill about.

The biggest and best addition of this game is a little less tangible, though. It just doesn’t feel like work. Farming is less of a chore and managing your livestock is interesting. Customizing your herd and crossbreeding your vegetables is a perfect way to break what would be (and has been) otherwise tedious, monotonous tasks. Not quite Animal Crossing caliber (I never felt that same draw to play), but well worth picking up.  

ANDREW REINER   8 I’ve always found the Harvest Moon titles to be incredibly laborious. It’s a series about completing farming chores to better your relations with the village. Seeing that I won’t even take out the trash in real life, do you really think that I’m going to water the tomatoes in a game? In this entry, Natsume has streamlined many tasks, making the experience less burdensome. The injection of variety, such as courting women, really breaks up the monotony of farming as well. This is easily the most polished entry yet. If you love this series, or are looking for an RPG with a different vibe, here it is in all its agronomic glory.