It’s hard to believe that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is 30 years old, but when you look at how far we’ve come since those early days of home video game systems, it’s surprising it hasn’t been longer. Many of the games on the SNES pioneered new gameplay methods and genres, and often still serve as inspirations for games developed today.

The SNES itself may not be remarkable by today’s standards, but its games have left a mark on the world that will never fade. In fact, many of these originals are still played today, even when more modern examples or even remasters are available. In some cases, the SNES game may not have aged all that well, but its legacy continues through the series or genre that it started.

That is exactly what happened in the case of one little, unassuming SNES game that went on to be considered the first in an entirely new genre and led to over 40 games in the franchise.

Harvest Moon Introduced The World To The Farming Sim Genre

The farming sim genre, and some would even say cozy gaming, originated with the very first Harvest Moon game for the SNES. First released in Japan in 1996 under the name Bokujō Monogatari, and soon after brought to North America, renamed as Harvest Moon, the title initially didn’t sell too well.

In a time when competitive fighting games and platformers were all the rage, the concept of a slow-paced country-living simulation game didn’t sound as exciting. However, as more people tried the game and word got out, sales increased until it eventually became enough of a commercial success to warrant continuing the series.

Putting players in a rural farm setting where players grow crops and raise livestock was a stark contrast to the types of games on the market at the time. Harvest Moon was inspired by game producer Yasuhiro Wada’s childhood in the countryside, and his desire to attempt to make an RPG that didn’t involve combat. Little did he know that his simple, cozy game would kick off a cultural phenomenon.

Harvest Moon Started It, And Stardew Valley Ignited It

After that original Harvest Moon game launched on the SNES, numerous other Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons games have been released, as well as the more fantasy-focused spin-off series Rune Factory. However, there is one game separate from all three of these franchises that holds the title as the most successful farming sim of all time: Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley‘s creator, ConceredApe, drew inspiration for his now-beloved farming game from the 1999 title Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. The games share similar farming mechanics, social systems, and even the basic premise of a protagonist moving onto a rundown farm that they’ve inherited from a deceased grandfather.

Since Stardew Valley‘s 2016 release, it’s been hard for any game to compare, particularly with its solo dev, ConcernedApe, continuing to provide regular updates and additions to the title, even while working on his upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier. For many players today, Stardew Valley is the face of the farming sim genre, even though the gaming community has recently been flooded with similar types of games.

The Farming Sim Genre Has Exploded In Recent Years

Since around 2020, there has been a massive increase in the number of games in the farming sim genre. While these can sometimes feel very similar to Stardew Valley, and therefore also Harvest Moon, which inspired it, they often come with tweaks to set them apart.

These include features such as Moonlight Peaks focusing on vampires and werewolves, Coral Island‘s underwater world, and more. Others, like Fields of Mistria, have tried to give a more in-depth story and smaller tweaks to the gameplay mechanics, offering yet another alternative for players.

The popularity of the entire cozy gaming genre, which also includes life sims like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, grew at the same time, helping to build a community of players who appreciated the more leisurely gameplay mechanics that these titles brought.

The Harvest Moon And Story Of Seasons Split

Unfortunately, although Harvest Moon may have started it all, the franchise lost quite a bit of momentum when the name “Harvest Moon” became a bit of a legal issue. It’s a long story, but I’ll try to explain it succinctly.

The Japanese developers behind the original Harvest Moon, Marvelous, had localized the game for North American audiences through the company Natsume. Unfortunately, when Natsume and Marvelous split, Natsume kept the rights to the English title Harvest Moon, even though Marvelous had originally started it.

Therefore, when Marvelous wanted to continue their series, they had to use a new title for the franchise, even though the games were going to be in the same franchise line and made by the same team. So, the name Story of Seasons was born, despite being, for all intents and purposes, the same series.

To make things even more confusing, Natsume then started releasing similar games using the Harvest Moon name. All this division caused a lot of brand confusion, and public perception was tainted when the new version of Harvest Moon did not continue to have the same polish and depth that the previous ones had, with many fans not understanding that Story of Seasons was the actual continuation.

Farming Sims Are Still Going Strong

Today, farming sim games are one of the most recognizable and beloved genres on the market. It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t know of Stardew Valley these days, and even titles like Fire Emblem now feature farming within their gameplay.

What once was a struggling start to a leisurely combat-free game on the SNES has led to something nobody could have predicted. The genre has grown and evolved over the years, with games learning from each other what works and what doesn’t. Yet, through it all, farming sims still generally include many of the very same features as when Harvest Moon was first released 30 years ago.

Systems

Released

June 17, 1997

ESRB

e

Developer(s)

Marvelous

Publisher(s)

Natsume

Engine

unreal engine 4