The Ushi No Tane websites specialize in information, FAQs, and guides about the Nintendo console versions of the Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Legend of the River King video games. These game genres are created and published in Japan by Marvelous (JP). In other regions, you'll find Natsume, XSeed Games/Marvelous (USA), Marvelous (EU), and Rising Star involved in the series' release.

The latest version of the mainstream farming series that have been released in various regions of the world are:

• Japan: Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)
• North America: Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition (October 2025) and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)
• Europe: Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home Special Edition (October 2025) and Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar (August 2025)

The latest version of River King, in all regions of the world, is River King: Mystic Valley (JP 2007, NA 2008, EU 2009).

Since 2000, Ushi no Tane has been run by a grouchy old lady who happens to be fond of video game agriculture along with two feline helpers: Intern Captain Bootu and Intern Hondo Mewnaka. The website is not officially affiliated, sponsored, endorsed, or employed by the developers of Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, or River King. This is simply a fan site.

Latest Farming Video Game News

New Farm'n from Orange Seasons Dev, Sakuna Collab Tools in Japan, and Phosphorus is My Pest. | Posted at 03:25 PM 16 January 2026

Happy Farm'n Friday! The lab test results are back for the two soil samples. Now, at least I have a plan to improve the soil quality for this year's crops, or make a really good attempt at it!

The results on the left are for the front yard garden beds that are near Big Doug the fir tree, with Doug's roots enmeshed throughout the soil. I assumed the PH would be sky-high because the soil around fir trees tends to be more acidic, but that isn't the case at all. Turns out, the soil is super low in nitrogen and super-high in phosphorus. The high phosphorus may be from excessive fertilizer application (oops) or mixing in too many organic materials such as leaves or manure. So the best thing is to switch to a fertilizer that contains no phosphorus and then grow crops that suck that stuff up, which turns out to be lettuce, watermelon, cucumber (Mr.Fogu is not a fan), oats, and tomatillos. That's all very doable! Minus the cucumbers.

The graph on the right is from the soil delivered last spring from the garden center that was advertised as ready for planting and full of all sorts of numminess. Essentially, it is low in most everything. No wonder nothing grew well! I also added some of the soil I had in reserve to the test container, just in case the two tomato plants that barely thrived had sucked up all the nutrients. Maybe the garden center delivered fill dirt instead of garden soil? lol. This looks like an all-purpose organic fertilizer will help here, in limited quantities.

Both samples had high iron (Fe) as well, even though they were on opposite sides of the property. Too much iron can mean slow or stunted growth, which is what I experienced with the tomatoes and the barely thriving pumpkin. This one is a bit trickier, as crops that are heavy absorbers of that nutrient are cranberry, bing cherry, lima beans (yuck), and... tomatillo! Another explanation for the high iron level may be rust/metal from the trowel I was using to collect the samples. I did wash the tool before and during the soil collection, but there is always the possibility of contamination.

I do like tomatillo, but not sure that's the only thing I want to grow this season.

New Farm'n - Farming Camp

SOEDESCO announced this week that they'll be releasing a new pixel-based farming game in 2026. From game development studio Inner Fire, known for Fantasy Farming: Orange Season, comes a summer-camp themed farming game called Farming Camp.

Each summer, Evertree Farming Camp sets out to find its next standout Evertree Farmer - someone prepared to push agriculture to new heights. Dreaming of a brighter tomorrow, young Alessandra joins the competition to win the title, but first she must go up against her peers and learn what it truly means to be a good farmer.

• Cozy, single-player farming with camp structure and daily routines
• Beautiful hand-drawn, 2D top-down world packed with charming details
• A colorful cast of teenagers with evolving friendships and dynamics
• Quests and progression that reward exploration, effort, and consistency Minigames that break up the day and test different farming skills

This new game is currently planned for a Steam/PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and XBox X/S release later this year. You can add this game to your wishlists today (Nintendo's wish list option coming later):

• Farming Camp | Steam Store
• Farming Camp | PlayStation Store
• Farming Camp | XBox Marketplace

Sakuna Tool Collab

Specialty-goods website Mura no Kajiya ("Village Blacksmith") is accepting preorders for several Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin branded goods, made by artisans in Japan. Available items are:

• A rice measuring box for 2200円 (~$14.00), made of cypress wood with a laser-engraved image of the rice princess and the game's logo.
• An aluminum rice cooker (kamado) for gas cooktops that can cook up to 2 cups of rice. With a stainless steel lid, wood accents, and engraved logo artwork, this little cooking pot costs 13,750円 (~$87.50)
• A sharp hand sickle, with a blade made using a combination of layered iron and steel by farming tool manufacturer Asano Mokko. The blade is laser engraved with the logo/sakura image, while the walnut handle features a rice motif. This rice harvesting tool costs 6600円 (~$41.50).
• Lastly, a recreation of Sakuna's hoe using iron/steel melding techniques with a walnut handle, manufactured by Kondo Seisakusho, a blacksmith company experienced in farm tools. Intended to be used by purchasers in their gardens (not solely as a display piece), the hoe's balance has been considered in its design and can also be repaired by the manufacturer if the blade is chipped. The blade has an engraving of Sakura holding a hoe, while the handle has the rice motif, at a cost of 14,300円 (~$91).

Preorders are open until February 15 and can ship internationally through Mura no Kajiya's global shipping partner, WorldShopping.

• Sakura Collaboration Products | Village Blacksmith

This collaboration is part of the promotional efforts for the upcoming Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin mobile game in Japan, which is also being promoted by an upcoming 2-part anime series featuring Kokorowa's rice farming adventures, scheduled to air on February 15 and 22. The game will also be released on Steam, but its entry on the Steam Store is region-locked and inaccessible outside of Japan.

Until next time!

- Cher
(Hurry up springtime, I gotta plant some stuff!)

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