Latest Reviews of Natsume Games
Review Harvest Moon 64 - Rose-Tinted Specs Recommended For This Beloved Farm Sim
Aged like a fine bottle of milk
To paraphrase a bunch of anti-Nazi singing nuns: How do you solve a problem like reviewing a game that's almost 25 years old? The nuns never came up with an answer, but we have to, because this is a review, not a convent, and it's the issue at the heart of this review, after all. Harvest Moon 64 came out in 1999 —...
Review Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos (Switch) - Terrible Title, Pretty Alright Game
Harvest Dew
If the 'Uncanny Valley' is the term for something being almost-human-but-not-quite, then Harvest Moon: Winds of Anthos is in the Uncanny Stardew Valley. It's so close to being a really good farming sim game, but doesn't quite manage to hit the mark. However, for the first time in the
Review Pocky & Rocky Reshrined (Switch) - A Thrilling New Interpretation Of A SNES Classic
Rise and shrine
Note: This review is based on the Japanese release — the game launched in North America and Europe on 24th June 2022. Pocky & Rocky, a Super Nintendo top-down run-and-gun, was developer Natsume’s gold standard, fondly remembered for its taut arcade action, adventurous stage design, and beautiful visuals. Where Tengo...
Mini Review Spanky's Quest (SNES) - Surprisingly Charming Monkey Business
Bubbles from Natsume
With five new additions to Nintendo Switch Online's catalogue of NES and SNES games arriving today, we decided to review these new/old releases to help you decide which to play first. Enjoy! In the late 1980s, a simian named Jiro was one of the most popular monkeys in Japan, becoming famous for his 'reflection' pose. He also...
Review Harvest Moon: One World (Switch) - A Poor Imitation Of A Once-Great Series
Time to take this old horse out to the back of the barn
Harvest Moon: One World, to summarise the next few hundred words of complaining, is a badly-paced, unattractive, hollow facsimile of a Harvest Moon game. And yes, we're well aware of the Natsume/XSEED schism, and that Story of Seasons is the "true" Harvest Moon game, but even still, how the...
Review Wild Guns Reloaded (Switch)
Welcome to Westworld!
Back in 1994, Natsume delivered the definitive ‘shooting gallery’ shmup made famous in previous years by the likes of Neo Geo NAM-1975 and TAD’s Cabal. Sadly, a limited number of copies coupled with being a late generation SNES game meant that a lot of people missed out on this slice of space western action. Add in some...
Review River City: Rival Showdown (3DS)
Come get some!
Following on from last year’s River City: Tokyo Rumble, Natsume is taking the rough ‘n’ tumble Kunio-Kun out for another spin in a follow up action game. River City: Rival Showdown largely follows the same beats as its predecessor, but refines many of its ideas down into a tighter and more enjoyable experience. Though it still...
Review River City: Tokyo Rumble (3DS)
Straight out of the '80s
River City Ransom was a fantastic NES brawler that - in many ways - was a pioneer for the then-fledgling genre, and has gone on to achieve something of a cult following. It was actually part of the much larger Kunio-kun series, though this perhaps wasn't so easy to keep track of due to spotty localization and a lack of...
Review Super Strike Beach Volleyball (3DS eShop)
The Family that Plays Together
You wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the art in Super Strike Beach Volleyball looks familiar. You also wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the art looks like it was ripped completely from games such as Family Tennis 3D or Family Fishing. Make no mistake, this latest all-ages outdoor sport title is part of the Arc...
Review Gundam Wing: Endless Duel (SNES)
Bringing a Gundam to a fist fight
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing made quite an impact in the West, with the forty-nine episode anime series getting aired by Cartoon Network which would ensure it became one of the most recognizable entries in the iconic Japanese science fiction mecha series in our part of the planet. Predictably, video game adaptations...
Latest Natsume Articles
News Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Plants 'Great Outdoors' DLC Next Month
You wanted s'more?
Publisher and developer Natsume Inc. has today announced that Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will be treated to a new paid DLC on 3rd October titled 'The Great Outdoors Pack'. Marking the game's first anniversary, the DLC adds treasure hunting, camping, two new characters and the ability to bring your animals along with you on...
Exclusive Shadow Of The Ninja - Reborn's Legendary Devs Reveal Details In New Mini-Doc
"Looking back, it feels like my dream has come true"
As we gear up for the release of Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn, a remake of Natsume's classic NES action platformer, today we can exclusively reveal a new behind-the-scenes look at the development story behind the reimagined version. As put together by publisher ININ Games, the mini-documentary...
Feature Harvest Moon 64’s Relationship With Alcohol, The "Magic Liquid" Of Flowerbud Village
Surviving the censors
Alcohol takes on an almost spiritual quality in Harvest Moon 64 Update: Of course, three months after this article went live, Nintendo expanded its roster of N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online to include this one. Cheers! Nintendo games are usually all-ages affairs, but every once in a while a game breaks the...
News New Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Trailer Gives First Look At Gameplay Footage
Ready for harvest this September
Things have been quiet around Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos for a while now. The game was first announced at the end of last year, and the only glimpse that we have got in the ensuing months was a couple of screenshots in March and a release date of 26th September. But now, Natsume Inc. has released the first...
"I think it's your destiny to take on this farm"
In a little less than a month, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life will finally be making its way to the West on June 27th, 2023. The game joins Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town as the second modern remake of a farming classic, introducing new players to a franchise that's now been running for...
News First Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Images Tease What's Next For The Farm Sim Spin-Off
Farming AND romance? What a concept!
We're all looking forward to the remake of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, right? Even if you're not, it's fair to say that it has been a long time coming, especially when you consider just how much has gone on behind the scenes for this series since the original GameCube release back in 2004 — see, it's...
Feature What Is The Difference Between Story Of Seasons And Harvest Moon? A Handy Explainer
I was elected to weed, not to read
We've finally done it. After starting every article that concerns either Story of Seasons or Harvest Moon with a potted explainer of the schism between Natsume and Marvelous XSEED, we've finally sat down and put (electronic) pen to (electronic) paper and written out a long-form explanation of what "Harvest Moon"...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
"Your dad and I shared the same dream, you know..."
Hello everyone; welcome to another edition of 'Box Art Brawl'! It's kind of mad that another week has passed already, right..? Where is the time going?! Never mind. Last week, we took a look at one of the all-time greats on SNES: Mega Man X. It was a ruddy close one, too! Europe and North America...
News Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Available To Pre-Order Now
With a limited edition to follow later
Natsume has announced that you can now pre-order the newest entry in the beloved multi-directional shooter series, Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, in America and the UK! Controlling Shinto shrine maiden Pocky and her tanuki companion Rocky, this is the first new entry in the Kiki Kaikai series in nearly 21 years...
PSA Get All The Harvest Moon Games Before The 3DS And Wii U eShops Close
They've bought the farm
If you're embedded within the farming game community, you'll know all about the Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons schism, in which (Western localisation team and publisher) Natsume and (developer) Marvelous went their separate ways. Natsume kept the Harvest Moon name in the West, and cranked out a bunch of wildly disappointing...
News Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Finally Gets A Release Date On Nintendo Switch
Five playable characters and a host of new modes also confirmed
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, which was delayed from last year, has finally gotten a solid release date for Japan. Published by Natsume Atari and developed by Tengo Project, the game is the latest entry in the popular KiKi KaiKai series. The franchise has seen instalments on a wide...
Soapbox Why Harvest Moon 2 GBC Is Still The Best Farming Game Around
Less is more
We recently published our reader-ranked top 50 Game Boy Color games, and we've taking a look back at a handful of our favourite GBC carts. Today, Kerry reminisces about her very favourite farming sim... There have been a lot of Harvest Moon games over the y
Feature Should You Buy Harvest Moon: One World, Or Story Of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town?
We did a direct compare and contrast to answer that question for you!
Right, farming fans and friends: let's get it out of the way. Harvest Moon is not Harvest Moon. The series known as Bokujo Monogatari in Japan was translated as "Harvest Moon" when it came out back in 1997, and that title stuck with the series until 2013, when Natsume - the...
Video Natsume Releases Trailer For Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, Plus Autumn Release Date
Pocky and Rocky in the Nintendo Switch docky
We first found out about the Pocky & Rocky sequel back in September last year, when it was tentatively titled "KiKi KaiKai: Kuro Mantle no Nazo". Today, Natsume Inc. revealed a new teaser trailer for the game, which now bears the title of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined. The game follows on from the 1992...
Soapbox Why Do People Love Games Like Stardew Valley And Animal Crossing?
Playing games shouldn't feel like work, right?
One of my favourite things to do after a long day of nine-to-five work is crack open a beer, get cosy on the sofa, and play two to five hours of a game where I have a nine-to-five job. It seems ludicrous to spend my free time doing exactly what I do in my non-free time, and yet, here I am - one of...
Video Watch Harvest Moon And Story Of Seasons' First Half Hour, In This Side-By-Side Comparison
Speedrun Any% Pre-Cow
In the race for "best farming game of March 2021", there's still everything to play for. Harvest Moon: One World came out earlier this week, and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has a release date of 23rd/26th March depending on whether you're in North America or Europe/Australia, and we've been reporting on the battle...
Video Check Out Harvest Moon: One World's Launch Trailer
"The biggest Harvest Moon game in history"
Harvest Moon: One World is out today, so it's finally time to check out the game with this detailed launch trailer. Showing off the festivals, different locations, bachelors and bachelorettes, the fishing, and the mining, as well as the new Expando-Farm, it's clear that there's a lot to spend your time on...
News Limited Run Games Is Republishing Two Natsume Game Boy Games This Year
Sea of Solitude: The Director's Cut also gets a physical edition on Switch
Of all the strange things to happen this last year, we didn't count on a Game Boy resurgence. Between Twitter's Pokémon Red playthrough, horror game Deadeus and Kickstarter project
Memory Pak When Harvest Moon Taught Me About Death
You can't just save scum this one away
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. We hope you've got some tissues ready because this one's going to be a bit of a weepy. People play Harvest Moon games for their...
News Get A Peek At A New Harvest Moon: One World Bachelor And His... Camel?
Rural romance
Every month or so, the Harvest Moon: One World website gives us a look at one of the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes that will be available to woo in the game. With the advent of a new year, that means a new boy or girl ready for us to feast our eyes upon, and decide whether or not they will make the cut. Harvest Moon is a...
News New Harvest Moon Trailer Shows Off Bachelors To Woo And Animals To Wuv
Camels and reindeers and goats, oh my
The Harvest Goddess has disappeared again, and she's taken all the crops in the world with her. For someone who literally has one job, she's not very good at it. But that's how Harvest Moon: One World starts, and at least it gives your farmer avatar something to do: restore the land, find all the harvest...
Poll Box Art Brawl #57 - Shadow Of The Ninja / Blue Shadow
Rattling the Kage
Welcome back, one and all, to the latest edition of Box Art Brawl. After a week-long hiatus to charge our hadouken, we're returning with another bout featuring regional box art variants battling for your pleasure (and votes). Last time we took a look at Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in a particularly close-run duel between...
News Embrace Farm Life With This Harvest Moon: One World Limited Edition For Nintendo Switch
You can pre-order it right now
The Switch isn't exactly in short supply of farming, social and lifestyle sims, and later this year Natsume is adding another one to the mix - Harvest Moon: One World. The game was announced in May, and more recently we got our first look. Now, NIS America has revealed the limited edition physical offering for $79.99...
Poll Box Art Brawl #48 - Wild Guns
Wild world
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, our weekly dust-up to find out which of three regional box art variants is the best. Last week it was Shadowrun's turn to battle itself. Japanese Shadowrun obliterated the competition with over 70% of your approval, leaving second-place North America and third-place Europe to mop up the remainder. This week...
News New Game+ Expo To Feature 14 Publishers This June, Including SEGA, Atlus And SNK
Livestream event to include KOEI TECMO, AKSYS and Inti Creates
E3 may be skipping 2020, but other bodies are stepping up to fill the summer video game vacuum. There's Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, which will be delivering news and announcements throughout a four-month window, but there's also a new Expo in town, and it's got some big names...
News Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Plants 'Great Outdoors' DLC Next Month
You wanted s'more?
Publisher and developer Natsume Inc. has today announced that Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will be treated to a new paid DLC on 3rd October titled 'The Great Outdoors Pack'. Marking the game's first anniversary, the DLC adds treasure hunting, camping, two new characters and the ability to bring your animals along with you on...
Exclusive Shadow Of The Ninja - Reborn's Legendary Devs Reveal Details In New Mini-Doc
"Looking back, it feels like my dream has come true"
As we gear up for the release of Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn, a remake of Natsume's classic NES action platformer, today we can exclusively reveal a new behind-the-scenes look at the development story behind the reimagined version. As put together by publisher ININ Games, the mini-documentary...
Feature Harvest Moon 64’s Relationship With Alcohol, The "Magic Liquid" Of Flowerbud Village
Surviving the censors
Alcohol takes on an almost spiritual quality in Harvest Moon 64 Update: Of course, three months after this article went live, Nintendo expanded its roster of N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online to include this one. Cheers! Nintendo games are usually all-ages affairs, but every once in a while a game breaks the...
News New Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Trailer Gives First Look At Gameplay Footage
Ready for harvest this September
Things have been quiet around Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos for a while now. The game was first announced at the end of last year, and the only glimpse that we have got in the ensuing months was a couple of screenshots in March and a release date of 26th September. But now, Natsume Inc. has released the first...
"I think it's your destiny to take on this farm"
In a little less than a month, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life will finally be making its way to the West on June 27th, 2023. The game joins Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town as the second modern remake of a farming classic, introducing new players to a franchise that's now been running for...
News First Harvest Moon: The Winds Of Anthos Images Tease What's Next For The Farm Sim Spin-Off
Farming AND romance? What a concept!
We're all looking forward to the remake of Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, right? Even if you're not, it's fair to say that it has been a long time coming, especially when you consider just how much has gone on behind the scenes for this series since the original GameCube release back in 2004 — see, it's...
Feature What Is The Difference Between Story Of Seasons And Harvest Moon? A Handy Explainer
I was elected to weed, not to read
We've finally done it. After starting every article that concerns either Story of Seasons or Harvest Moon with a potted explainer of the schism between Natsume and Marvelous XSEED, we've finally sat down and put (electronic) pen to (electronic) paper and written out a long-form explanation of what "Harvest Moon"...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
"Your dad and I shared the same dream, you know..."
Hello everyone; welcome to another edition of 'Box Art Brawl'! It's kind of mad that another week has passed already, right..? Where is the time going?! Never mind. Last week, we took a look at one of the all-time greats on SNES: Mega Man X. It was a ruddy close one, too! Europe and North America...
News Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Available To Pre-Order Now
With a limited edition to follow later
Natsume has announced that you can now pre-order the newest entry in the beloved multi-directional shooter series, Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, in America and the UK! Controlling Shinto shrine maiden Pocky and her tanuki companion Rocky, this is the first new entry in the Kiki Kaikai series in nearly 21 years...
PSA Get All The Harvest Moon Games Before The 3DS And Wii U eShops Close
They've bought the farm
If you're embedded within the farming game community, you'll know all about the Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons schism, in which (Western localisation team and publisher) Natsume and (developer) Marvelous went their separate ways. Natsume kept the Harvest Moon name in the West, and cranked out a bunch of wildly disappointing...
News Pocky & Rocky Reshrined Finally Gets A Release Date On Nintendo Switch
Five playable characters and a host of new modes also confirmed
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, which was delayed from last year, has finally gotten a solid release date for Japan. Published by Natsume Atari and developed by Tengo Project, the game is the latest entry in the popular KiKi KaiKai series. The franchise has seen instalments on a wide...
Soapbox Why Harvest Moon 2 GBC Is Still The Best Farming Game Around
Less is more
We recently published our reader-ranked top 50 Game Boy Color games, and we've taking a look back at a handful of our favourite GBC carts. Today, Kerry reminisces about her very favourite farming sim... There have been a lot of Harvest Moon games over the y
Feature Should You Buy Harvest Moon: One World, Or Story Of Seasons: Pioneers Of Olive Town?
We did a direct compare and contrast to answer that question for you!
Right, farming fans and friends: let's get it out of the way. Harvest Moon is not Harvest Moon. The series known as Bokujo Monogatari in Japan was translated as "Harvest Moon" when it came out back in 1997, and that title stuck with the series until 2013, when Natsume - the...
Video Natsume Releases Trailer For Pocky & Rocky Reshrined, Plus Autumn Release Date
Pocky and Rocky in the Nintendo Switch docky
We first found out about the Pocky & Rocky sequel back in September last year, when it was tentatively titled "KiKi KaiKai: Kuro Mantle no Nazo". Today, Natsume Inc. revealed a new teaser trailer for the game, which now bears the title of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined. The game follows on from the 1992...
Soapbox Why Do People Love Games Like Stardew Valley And Animal Crossing?
Playing games shouldn't feel like work, right?
One of my favourite things to do after a long day of nine-to-five work is crack open a beer, get cosy on the sofa, and play two to five hours of a game where I have a nine-to-five job. It seems ludicrous to spend my free time doing exactly what I do in my non-free time, and yet, here I am - one of...
Video Watch Harvest Moon And Story Of Seasons' First Half Hour, In This Side-By-Side Comparison
Speedrun Any% Pre-Cow
In the race for "best farming game of March 2021", there's still everything to play for. Harvest Moon: One World came out earlier this week, and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has a release date of 23rd/26th March depending on whether you're in North America or Europe/Australia, and we've been reporting on the battle...
Video Check Out Harvest Moon: One World's Launch Trailer
"The biggest Harvest Moon game in history"
Harvest Moon: One World is out today, so it's finally time to check out the game with this detailed launch trailer. Showing off the festivals, different locations, bachelors and bachelorettes, the fishing, and the mining, as well as the new Expando-Farm, it's clear that there's a lot to spend your time on...
News Limited Run Games Is Republishing Two Natsume Game Boy Games This Year
Sea of Solitude: The Director's Cut also gets a physical edition on Switch
Of all the strange things to happen this last year, we didn't count on a Game Boy resurgence. Between Twitter's Pokémon Red playthrough, horror game Deadeus and Kickstarter project
Memory Pak When Harvest Moon Taught Me About Death
You can't just save scum this one away
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. We hope you've got some tissues ready because this one's going to be a bit of a weepy. People play Harvest Moon games for their...
News Get A Peek At A New Harvest Moon: One World Bachelor And His... Camel?
Rural romance
Every month or so, the Harvest Moon: One World website gives us a look at one of the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes that will be available to woo in the game. With the advent of a new year, that means a new boy or girl ready for us to feast our eyes upon, and decide whether or not they will make the cut. Harvest Moon is a...
News New Harvest Moon Trailer Shows Off Bachelors To Woo And Animals To Wuv
Camels and reindeers and goats, oh my
The Harvest Goddess has disappeared again, and she's taken all the crops in the world with her. For someone who literally has one job, she's not very good at it. But that's how Harvest Moon: One World starts, and at least it gives your farmer avatar something to do: restore the land, find all the harvest...
Poll Box Art Brawl #57 - Shadow Of The Ninja / Blue Shadow
Rattling the Kage
Welcome back, one and all, to the latest edition of Box Art Brawl. After a week-long hiatus to charge our hadouken, we're returning with another bout featuring regional box art variants battling for your pleasure (and votes). Last time we took a look at Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in a particularly close-run duel between...
News Embrace Farm Life With This Harvest Moon: One World Limited Edition For Nintendo Switch
You can pre-order it right now
The Switch isn't exactly in short supply of farming, social and lifestyle sims, and later this year Natsume is adding another one to the mix - Harvest Moon: One World. The game was announced in May, and more recently we got our first look. Now, NIS America has revealed the limited edition physical offering for $79.99...
Poll Box Art Brawl #48 - Wild Guns
Wild world
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, our weekly dust-up to find out which of three regional box art variants is the best. Last week it was Shadowrun's turn to battle itself. Japanese Shadowrun obliterated the competition with over 70% of your approval, leaving second-place North America and third-place Europe to mop up the remainder. This week...
News New Game+ Expo To Feature 14 Publishers This June, Including SEGA, Atlus And SNK
Livestream event to include KOEI TECMO, AKSYS and Inti Creates
E3 may be skipping 2020, but other bodies are stepping up to fill the summer video game vacuum. There's Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, which will be delivering news and announcements throughout a four-month window, but there's also a new Expo in town, and it's got some big names...