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: A Wonderful Life (January 2023)
• North America: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (September 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)
• Europe: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos (October 2023) and Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (June 2023)

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

Happy Farm'n Friday! A few years ago, I picked up some clearance-sale iris tubers that the local plant nursery was trying to offload. Since the blooms were gone for the year, nobody wanted to buy the plants :( Poor iris. They didn't bloom until this year though! The first one that bloomed is this pretty dark yellow and magenta iris that reminds me of Halloween. So pretty!

Thanks to all of you who correctly identified last week's mystery flower as a Calendula! The plants are dropping their seeds too, so there will be lots more of them growing soon.

We're still waiting on news about the 1.0.5 update to SoS:PoOT. We know the dialog and Quality-of-Life improvements for the game are planned for sometime before the end of this month. With only about two weeks left in May, we're bound to hear news of the 1.0.5 update soon, I hope...

If you weren't aware yet, Rune Factory 5 comes out next Thursday (May 20) in Japan! So excited for those of you picking up the JP game! :) Another live stream will take place tomorrow (May 15) at 8:00 pm Japan time (4:00 am Pacific Time).

HM: One World 1.2 Update

A new update was pushed out to Harvest Moon: One World on Nintendo Switch and Playstation on Thursday. The 1.2 update adjusted the in-game time and the animal lifespans.

• Old clock speed: 1 in-game hour = 30 real-time seconds
• New clock speed: 1 in-game hour = 45 real-time seconds

The patch also updated the animations of some actions. It feels like animal brushing is faster, as is applying fertilizer to planted crops.

Animal lifespans have also been stabilized a bit. An animal, whether purchased or tamed, has a set number of days it can live. Its lifespan is set when you obtain the animal for your farm. The same type of animal could have a really short life or a really long life. The 1.2 update adjusted this, so there are fewer really short or really long lifespans. Now, animals will have a tighter range of days that they will live for. Because an animal's lifespan is determined at the time of purchase (or tame, in the case of wild animals), the 1.2 changes will not affect existing animals on your farm. It will affect newly purchased or tamed animals.

There are also some text changes, such as the Reindeer's profile no longer mentions being able to produce reindeer milk.

Sakuna Shipments

Marvelous JP released a summary of their third-quarter financial results on Wednesday. In the presentation, Marvelous revealed that Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin has shipped over 950,000 copies worldwide between last November and the end of March when the company's quarter ended. That's a lot of rice farming! The presentation also reiterated that Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town has shipped over 700,000 copies between February and the end of March. The company aims to have SoS:PoOT reach a million worldwide shipments.

That might eventually happen, as Famitsu updated their weekly sales data from Japan. From April 26 to May 9 (which includes Japan's Golden Week), the video game publication estimates another 6200 physical copies sold. This puts Famitsu's estimated Japan physical sales at more than 281,000 copies. With the popularity of digital games and the shipment/sales numbers from other regions, Marvelous may indeed be well on their way to 1 million copies shipped.

Kickstarter Updates

The release date for the magical fantasy farming game, Sun Haven, has been delayed a few weeks. Originally planned for a May 28 release, the game has been postponed until June 25, 2021.

A new farming game launched on Kickstarter this week. A New Leaf: Memories by Iron Heart Studios puts the amnesia-minded protagonist on a foreign island. With the help of the local townsfolk, players develop their farm to recover their lost memories. The game will be published by Crytivo and planned for PC, Playstation, XBox, and Nintendo Switch release.

Besides farming, players can go spelunking through mines to collect ores and gems, care for livestock, cook meals in their farmhouse kitchen, and go fishing. There is also a villager relationship system, same-sex marriage, and a bulletin board where they'll post requests for players to complete.

The game is quickly heading towards its main funding goal of about S$46,430 (about $35,000 USD). You can learn more about the team and their game on their official website:

• A New Leaf: Memories

Until next time!

- Cher
(Time to make the hanging baskets for the porch rafters!)

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