Where to get it

2022 · Live Wire · Adventure · Life simulation

Harvestella

Nintendo console exclusive

Introducing a brand-new fantasy x life simulation RPG from Square Enix! Through the changing seasons, explore an imaginative world, tend your crops, make new friends, face enemies in dynamic combat, and unravel the mystery of the season of death, Quietus.

Released: 4 November 2022
Platforms: Nintendo Switch Windows
Genres: Adventure Life simulation Role-playing Simulation
Developers: Live Wire
Publishers: Square Enix
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB T PEGI 12 GRAC 12+
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 48hmain story100hcompletionist
Composers: Go Shiina

About

Harvestella is a 2022 farm life sim role-playing video game developed by Live Wire and published by Square Enix. It was released for the Nintendo Switch and Windows on November 4. It has been compared to Final Fantasy and Rune Factory, and revolves around farming crops while attempting to save the world from the sudden appearance of a deadly magical plague known as Quietus.

›Story

Our protagonist awakens during the height of Quietus, a disaster that visits with the changing of each season – and a threat to all life.Lead a life of self-sufficiency with your vibrant house as a base and cooperate with allies to overcome various threats, all as you draw ever closer to the truth behind the disasters and the very world’s creation!

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game includes action RPG combat, with the player being able to choose one of twelve classes, including Fighter, Mage and Shadow Walker. Other gameplay aspects include life simulation elements, where players can explore their village and talk to its residents, farming, cooking, crafting and fishing. Besides the main story, each of the main characters have ten missions that the player must complete to strengthen their relationship with them, but they don't have to be done right away. There are also side missions that the player can do anytime.

Both the character and side missions can be done by talking to a character with a symbol above them. The missions will not continue until the player receives letters from the characters, requesting them to come see them. They can also be done even after the main story is finished. Should the player successfully bond with one of the main characters, it could result in a marriage.

Story

The protagonist walks through a desolate town undergoing a phenomenon known as "Quietus" and is greeted by an angelic being. They wake up later, having been found by a woman named Cres, and are in an amnesiac state. Cres takes the protagonist to a nearby village she lives in called "Lethe" and, as a physician, treats them. Cres reveals that the protagonist was exposed to the dust of Quietus, which typically causes terminal illness in all living things that breathe in a sufficient quantity.

She is shocked to see that the protagonist is otherwise healthy. The protagonist is released eventually and decides to figure out what to do while they work on figuring out their past. The civilians at Lethe village end up befriending the protagonist, who does work around the village and starts their own farm.

Reception

Harvestella received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregator Metacritic. Jonathan Bolding of PC Gamer called the game "Square Enix's answer to Rune Factory", saying that it had a "distinctive spin and visual style". Cass Marshall of Polygon called it "an intriguing take on a chill vibes genre of game", and calling its fully 3D graphics an "interesting perspective".