Harvest Moon: One World For Nintendo Switch Changes Up Farming Formula

A new Harvest Moon game is coming to Nintendo Switch, and Natsume is promising a big shake-up for this version of the longrunning farming sim series. Harvest Moon: One World will launch this fall, offering a new engine and visual style to go with some big mechanical changes.

Rather than the traditional Harvest Moon setting of a small rural town well-stocked with all sorts of cash crops, One World makes these produce itself a rarity and invites you to explore the world for your wares. You'll travel to spots like the island Halo Halo or the mountainous Salmiakki in addition to your usual farming routines.

"Harvest Moon: One World features a brand-new way of exploring Harvest Moon that seasoned players and new generations will both enjoy," said Natsume president Hiro Maekawa, in the announcement. "Over the decades, Harvest Moon has evolved but has always retained the traditional, family-friendly farming fun that the franchise is known for. The new engine and new graphics will upgrade this experience for 2020. We are so excited to share more about the features of Harvest Moon: One World in the coming months."

The most recent traditional Harvest Moon game was Light of Hope, which released in 2017--though there was the more arcade-party style Harvest Moon: Mad Dash in 2019 as well. The farming sim genre has gotten more competitive recently though. Part of that is due to the Story of Seasons games, which sprung out of Marvelous splitting with Natsume and the two developing their own similar series. But it's also been shaken up by the success of the indie hit Stardew Valley, which paid homage to the style of SNES-era Harvest Moon games.