60
Slow-paced, full of grinding and quite ugly, this Harvest Moon isn't for everyone. If you enjoy the genre you'll get something, but others won't have the patience.
70
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition takes the famous and veteran saga to the new Nintendo system. This delivery manages to maintain the basics of the saga even when it is not made by the same developer as always, although we must point out that it falters in several aspects and above all, does not include much innovation compared to its predecessors.
55
There’s nothing really new or interesting in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. Even if it’s still the same chill, low-pace game, it’s technically outdated, and too far from Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley’s richness.
7
Fun game. Nothing special, very correct farming game. Graphics are so so, music as well, sound effects aren't good... but despite everything it's addictive. And for me, it's more important whether a game will engage me than how it looks like. Solid 7.
7
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
1
Fooled me twice. I bought Harvest Moon One World and hated it. I decided I would buy the one before it and well... I don't hate this one, but I don't love it. It's a shell of what Harvest Moon was, and as far as I can tell they don't even allow you to enter any other building but your house making the game feel even more of a shell and gives you the impression they just slapped this together at the lowest price point possible. The graphics are awkward and the story is okay I guess. What have they done to what used to be such an amazing title... never buying a Harvest Moon title again.
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope
Released On:
May 29, 2018
Metascore
Mixed or Average
62
User score
Generally Unfavorable
4.2
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Aug 15, 2018
70
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition takes the famous and veteran saga to the new Nintendo system. This delivery manages to maintain the basics of the saga even when it is not made by the same developer as always, although we must point out that it falters in several aspects and above all, does not include much innovation compared to its predecessors.
Jun 10, 2018
64
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope brings the core Harvest Moon concepts to the table but it doesn't do anything more than that. The lack of item variety and multiple missing gameplay elements really shows. It's still addictive but not a worthy successor to the franchise.
User score
Generally Unfavorable
21% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
23% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
56% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
Oct 20, 2020
9
I really wanted to play again this kind of game and I loved it! The story is wonderful and it looks great.
Jun 11, 2018
8
This Harvest Moon game is the first one in a very long time (since Marvelous stopped making HM with Natsume) and I mean that. This game is far better than Skytree on the 3DS. The art style did take me about an hour to get used to and now I actually enjoy it. It is just a little bit odd because it is a strange mix between trying to be cartoon realistic and yet still very cartoonish and colorful. That only took me an hour to get used to. It sort of reminds me of Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life in how it place though it is not 3D. The best thing I can say about this game is the mechanics. This is by far the best mechanics that a HM has ever had. When I go to plant a crop- I not longer have to switch between tools, seeds and then water can. It notices that I am on a spot that can be tilled and tills it when I hit A. It then notices it has been tilled already so I hit A and I use the triggers to select a seed type and then hit A to plant the seeds. Lastly, I hit A one last time to automatically water the seeds with the watering can. I can also choose to hit A another time to select a fertilizer. This is huge! No more locating tools, not having all the tools in your bag and having to run to a chest to get them, no more confusing trigger action on selecting the tools and no odd actions to use them. This is best new mechanic that I have seen and I am glad Natsume has this part not only figured out but i'd say perfected now! The characters are very charming and the expressions used for everyone are absolutely hilarious. The story is a very classic and familiar HM style tale. You wash up on an island that has been destroyed by a massive storm and all the building are destroyed. Since the building are destroyed all of the villagers have left and it's your job to not only to farm and mine and fish but to also rebuild their buildings so that the town's people will return and to bring the light back to the light house! For the $40 price tag this really isn't a bad deal. It isn't $60. I acknowledge the comparison to **** but for the fans of the HM series, this is a massive improvement and a great move back into the right direction to the old games we all fell in love with.
Sep 24, 2018
60
Slow-paced, full of grinding and quite ugly, this Harvest Moon isn't for everyone. If you enjoy the genre you'll get something, but others won't have the patience.
Jul 22, 2018
60
Although the core gameplay is solid, it’s not as engaging as it should be, and all the excitement fades away after a few hours.
Aug 12, 2018
55
There’s nothing really new or interesting in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. Even if it’s still the same chill, low-pace game, it’s technically outdated, and too far from Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley’s richness.
Nov 7, 2025
7
Fun game. Nothing special, very correct farming game. Graphics are so so, music as well, sound effects aren't good... but despite everything it's addictive. And for me, it's more important whether a game will engage me than how it looks like. Solid 7.
May 5, 2020
7
This game is fun but lacks a lot of polish and features that is expected for modern gen games. If you love farming games and have beaten **** to death, this game can scratch an itch. It's more casual then most HM games and feels more like an upscaled mobile game then a console game. It also recycles assets from prior 3DS games which is jarring if you've played them. The sounds/music is terrible so I keep it off. I like the characters and their stories. The male marriage options are very interesting which is great! Typically male marriage candidates are one note and feel like an afterthought. I like the new farming mechanics for new crops in this one. It feels less chores driven. It's easy to progress and make money. The sprites emotions are terrible though, they are like emojis. Spring year 1 is also very boring - like literally put me to sleep - but once I slogged through the first few weeks and opened up more of the town I started having fun and enjoying the chill atmosphere. Overall has an fun, chill, but unpolished and not modern feel.
May 25, 2020
4
I’ve been such a fan of this series for so long and typically adore games inspired by/similar to this series (**** Valley, My Time at Portia) however, from the start of this game I was disappointed. It’s a console/pc release, but the graphics look like a cheap mobile cash grab that is only banking on the series name. The character movement is uncomfortable and the models make me cringe because of how bad they look, especially when the background seems like it belongs in a totally different game. The dialog is awkward and feels too campy or badly localized. It lacks a lot of the charm of other games in the series and just falls flat to me. I was so excited to play this game, but all it did was make me miss the older games. I’ve tired to force myself through the game because of my love for previous handheld and console titles, but it just doesn’t feel like a harvest moon game anymore. It lacks the cuteness that I associate with Harvest Moon and I honestly feel like this game isn’t worth the full price. The only saving grace was that I bought this game for about $20-30 with all the dlc in a digital sale, but even that felt like I paid too much after playing it. It really looks and feels like it should be a $5-10 mobile game instead of a full price console game and that makes me very sad for the future of these titles.
May 29, 2018
4
I don't even know where to start with this. I thought this would be a good place holder until Animal Crossing comes out, but it's not. Yonder is a much much better game than this Harvest Moon. The layout and look of this game is not good at all. I loved old Harvest Moon games, and yes, the game somewhat plays like the old ones, but the visuals are just too ugly to look at. I can't get over that. Yonder looks great, it isn't the same type of game as Harvest Moon, but it is still so much better! The overhead camera angle of this game with 2D graphics, and then you add in the 3D people, it doesn't work. it might have been ok for a smartphone game, but not on Switch or PS4. Stay away from this game. Stick to **** Valley for the farming, but play Yonder for the exploration aspect! ANIMAL CROSSING IS COMING!!!!!
SummaryIn celebration of Harvest Moon's 20th Anniversary comes an all new Harvest Moon title for Steam! Harvest Moon: Light of Hope! The game encompasses twenty years of the spirit that have made the franchise what it is today!
Rated Efor Everyone
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4
- PC
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date:May 29, 2018
Developer:
- Tabot
Publisher:
