Harvest Moon DS Critic Reviews

Being able to save anywhere makes it the perfect portable game, and since there's virtually no learning curve you can pick it up and play at any time at all.

Fans of the Harvest Moon series will enjoy this game a lot, not only because it's the first for the DS, but because it integrates the best parts of a few of the older games all into one.

If you have enjoyed Harvest Moon games in the past, this version stays true to the formula.

Harvest Moon DS has captured the charm of the series well. Not the best of the bunch but definitely worth having since it works perfectly as a portable game.

Working yourself into a state of anaemia hasn't - well, actually it has been this much fun before, but with added animal touchery this will still delight.

With better visuals and touch screen controls this could have been a DS classic. As it is, it's a decent introduction to the genre we shall christen the farm 'em up.

7 / 9 / 7 / 7 - 30

While HMDS will not recruit many new gamers into the fray, it executes exactly where it wants to, and that is in maintaining the fundamentals of the franchise.

It follows the Harvest Moon formula to the letter, and that ultimately makes it just as good as previous installments in the series.

A sweet slice of handheld fun, but familiarity breeds contempt.

The game is every bit as cute and niche as ever, but it’s not even pretending to be anything new or innovative for fans – it’s just the same old slog once again, with only a few new faces and a few new things to see.

We've been waiting for a good "Harvest Moon" game for the DS for many, umm, moons, and we're still waiting.

If Harvest Moon is absolutely essential on your DS, give this one a try at your own risk. As for us, we’ll be heading back to Mineral Town, saving our gold pieces for the real DS successor to Harvest Moon; Natume’s own "Rune Factory."

If cutesy farming RPG makes you raise an inquisitive eyebrow rather than gag, Harvest Moon DS may be worth cultivating.

Not a bad game, especially when compared to the mediocre A Wonderful Life, but it stays too much within the traditional rules of the series, without trying anything different on the new handheld.

The gaming equivalent of a brussel sprout – despite being a solid experience, Harvest Moon DS' weak presentation leaves something of a bitter taste.

Aside from including some half-baked touch-screen features, Harvest Moon DS does nothing to set itself apart from previous games in the series.

The graphics are getting old, the touch screen menu system is lacking, the touch screen animal interaction is pure novelty and grows old fast and the storyline is not necessary.

Harvest Moon DS feels like an incomplete game. The recycled sprites, scattershot nature of the town and integration of the old game’s cast and town make it feel like an expansion pack at best, or just a half-hearted sequel.

A massive disappointment to hardcore fans of the series.