In the long line of the Harvest Moon series, Tree of Tranquility presently sets the high mark.
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility reaches all of these standards, and, at this point in the franchise, the game has never looked better, played smoother, featured better organization, and offered more player choices. The controls are improved to make farming more task friendly, with more fluid movement, and easier organizational concepts for selling of produce, storing of goods and utilizing purchased items. The player can find treasures in the mines during the day, fish in the river at night, have a drink at the bar, and find unique goods at seasonal festivals.
The main plot line for the game follows the quest to revive the magical Tree of Tranquility in order to bring the good fortunes of the Harvest Goddess back to your small island sea shore and mountain town. As either a male or female character, you are placed in control of a farm, raising livestock and harvesting crops to earn income and develop your land. Of course, with any Harvest Moon game, there is a wonderful focus on developing relationships with local townspeople, learning cooking recipes, receiving gifts, and discovering important information, all leading to the eventual point of finding a spouse and raising a child.
Nintendo consoles have traditionally featured the best Harvest Moon games (Harvest Moon 64, A Wonderful Life & Another Wonderful Life, and Animal Parade). Save the Homeland for Playstation 2 was an average game, especially average in the Harvest Moon series. However, the Nintendo DS has made a real charge at the consoles because of the sheer amount of Harvest Moon games released for the system. However, Tree of Tranquility benefits from better graphics and atmosphere, which is why it is the head of the line.
Casual players of Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility will more than likely quickly come to the conclusion that the game is similar to the others that preceded it. Fans and likely fans, on the other hand, will be pleased to see the similarities to Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and the Harvest Moon-inspired series, Rune Factory. The game plays very well on the Wii, and it is also one of the more mature oriented titles in the franchise, considering many are strictly focused on younger gamers. It has above average replay value for a set story, but fans will play over and over again, maybe not immediately, but throughout years.
Until the next Harvest Moon is released, whenever the may be, Tree of Tranquility will remain the best HM game to purchase for console, and more than likely fitting to stand as the best out of the franchise.