Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
In-depth farm sim is great entry in popular series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar
What's It About?
HARVEST MOON: GRAND BAZAAR begins with the same story as almost every other game in the series: You are a newcomer to a small town, about to start up your own farm. And just as in other Harvest Moon games, you will socialize with neighbors, woo boyfriends/girlfriends, attend festivals, start a family, etc. The big difference here is that you can't just sell your produce by tossing it into a bin: You have to run a farm stand at the local bazaar, selling your crops as well as recipes you cook, items you find, flowers you pick, etc.
Is It Any Good?
Getting to run your own farm stand in Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar is a fantastic new feature that adds so much depth to this long-running (and sometimes repetitive series). Fans of the Harvest Moon games should love this new twist, which layers on a whole new money-management strategy aspect to the game. And newcomers to these farm sims will have a deeper playing experience than they would have by picking up one of the older titles. The open-endedness of the game allows for some nice exploration and a true customization of your experience. The characters here are also all new (no recycling of characters, as has been done in some previous HM games), and are on the whole a very likable bunch. The farming itself may have been turned into harder work than before, but the ability to sell things other than crops adds a lot of much-needed variety. This is one of the best Harvest Moon games in a long time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the experience of playing a game like this -- with a generally positive, friendly attitude and no real "action," per se -- differs from playing a game that revolves around violent action. Can a slower-paced game, like Harvest Moon, be just as much fun?
In the game, you can play as either a boy or a girl. Would you ever play as the opposite gender? Why or why not? What might you learn from doing so?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Natsume
- Release date : August 28, 2010
- Genre : Simulation
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 30, 2016
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