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

Happy Farm'n Friday! I'm still burying kitchen scraps in the front-yard raised bed, while at the same time pulling out Big Doug's fingerling roots. Ug, that tree just won't get out of the garden beds. The bed farthest from the tree is where I wanted to plant beans this year, but for the bed closest to Doug, I may just stick with shallow-rooted lettuce. I'm dreading the rooty mess waiting to be discovered in that second garden box.

HM Cozy Bundle Images

This week, Natsume released a few screenshots of their upcoming re-release of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley and Harvest Moon: Skytree Village. These Nintendo 3DS games were released in 2014/2016 and were the first mainline Harvest Moon games designed by Natsume after the 15-year partnership between Marvelous and Natsume dissolved for business reasons. Since the bestest Nintendo platform is not generally supported anymore, these two games are being upgraded to support the Nintendo Switch and will be released as a two-game cartridge in June 2025.

Here are some side-by-side comparisons of DS to Switch graphic upgrades:

Lost Valley 3DS on left, Lost Valley Switch on right

Skytree 3DS on left, Skytree Switch on right

The second screen usage on the older game was mainly for the world map and menus, such as bag inventory and save/load options. On the updated version, the world map is now located in the upper corner of the Switch screen. The 3DS lower screen also listed the command options after entering Cultivation Mode, which allowed players to modify the game's world terrain by building plateaus or digging valleys. In fact, to reach the Harvest Goddess or the Underworld King, you were expected to build pathways up and down. Since the Cultivation Mode was just a simple button-press toggle, it should be easy enough to implement in the Switch version. All the 3DS games' controls should translate over well enough.

If you're not familiar with the cultivation options in the original 3DS games, elevation was a big factor when it came to triggering crop mutations and catching fish. Players could terraform their valley space to be as tall or as deep as they wanted by adding or removing soil via Cultivation Mode. In Lost Valley, some species of fish would only appear in water spaces that were within a range of land levels (e.g., Rainbow Trout only could be caught in a water area that was between land level 15 and 30). While in Skytree Village, it was the level of the water and the size of the pond. FYI, you'll need a pond that is at least 23 squares by 23 squares if you want to catch a Piranha in Skytree Village.

Crops could mutate into new varieties based on the current season (spring, summer, fall, or winter), the soil quality (dry, mixed, grassy, or swampy), the health of the plants (storms, watering frequency, fertilizer), and the elevation of the seeds were planted (levels 1 through 31). Having four factors that influenced crops made for a very challenging group effort when trying to discover every crop in the game; one crop only mutates on specific soil at a mid-level during fall when planted in a checkerboard pattern, with an empty square between each seedling!

Growing everything in the 3DS games was insanely ridiculous compared to the more-recent Winds of Anthos. I am hoping that crop growing has been simplified in the Switch game. At a minimum, the amount of crop health damaged by storms needs to be reduced. Alas, I'm not involved in the game's development. If I was, then I would have made OG Doc a marriage candidate.

He does look pretty snazzy on Switch though. Can't complain there! I don't expect he'll be a marriage candidate added in the Switch port. That vixen florist Carol was added in Skytree Village, who was then shipped together with Doc in Seeds of Memories, most likely due to my polite (yet repeated) inquiries about Doc's lack of marriage candi-dateness. Bah, Carol…

Preorders for the Harvest Moon Cozy Bundle are available worldwide. In Asia, distribution will be handled by Soft Source (who also managed the Asia releases of Everafter Falls and Sunny Side), while the European release is handled by Natsume's overseas partner, Numskull Game. The EU physical release will be available as a Collector's Edition which includes two sticker sheets and sticker backgrounds, an A4-sized poster, and a CD soundtrack. North America's physical release (US, Mexico, and Canada) will include an acrylic standee, priced at $39.99 USD. NTSC preorders are available now from the Natsume online store:

• Pre-Order: Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley & Skytree Village Nintendo Switch with FREE Acrylic Standee | Natsume Store

Indie Dev Updates

Pathea has released a free demo for My Time at Sandrock on all home console digital platforms (PS5, Switch, and XBox) in North America, if you've wanted to give this builder-style farming game a try. The demo doesn't appear to be on the EU or Australian Nintendo eShops.

The publisher of the recently released shop farming game Sugardew Island, for sale as of March 7, revealed sales data about their game's audience, which is kind of interesting:

• Nintendo = a total of 75% of all sales, of which 50% were digital and 25% physical
• Steam = 18% (not bad…)
• PlayStation 5 = 7%
• PlayStation 4 = less than 1%

For the Switch release, they received the most sales from Japan, followed by the US in second, and Germany in third. Cozy farm'n on Switch is popular in Japan!

Stairway Games recently revealed their roadmap plans for version 1.2 and version 1.3 of Coral Island.

Update 1.2 is planned for the first half of 2025 (ideally this summer) and brings with it four-player co-op multiplayer support (including co-op marriage), a revamped romance system, and more. Romance will have events tied to heart level requirements. Players must complete hanging-out events, give a going-steady locket, then increase affection until another event is cleared and a Diamond Ring can be given. There are post-marriage heart events too! New Spooky Festival costumes will be included, such as that electrifying outfit Pablo will be sporting for the event.

Update 1.3 will release in the second half of 2025 and bring a Merfolk festival, games to play at the Recreation Center, a Haunted House game to play during the Spooky Festival, and growth stages for the player's children.

Steam Spring Sale

A celebration of flowers and fauna, the annual Steam Spring Sale offers us farm'n game fans an abundance of discounts for digital farming games. These deals expire Thursday, March 20:

• Blue Oak Bridge = 20% off
• Coral Island = 30% off
• Cornucopia (Early Access) = 20% off
• Critter Crops = 50% off
• Doraemon Story of Seasons = 50% off
• Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom = 35% off
• Echoes of the Plum Grove = 40% off
• Everafter Falls = 20% off
• Everdream Valley = 65% off
• Everholm = 40% off
• Fae Farm = 50% off (DLC is 40% off)
• Farmagia = 60% off (it's kinda farming…)
• Fields of Mistria (Early Access) = 20% off
• Forest Spirit (Early Access) = 50% off
• Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special = 50% off
• Harvest Moon: One World = 50% off
• Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos = 50% off
• Harvestella = 50% off
• Immortal Life = 50% off
• Little Known Galaxy = 30% off
• Luma Island = 20% off
• One Lonely Outpost = 55% off (already? 1.0 launched on March 6…)
• Ova Magica (Early Access) = 20% off
• Paleo Pines = 60% off
• Pathless Woods = 20% off
• Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons = 50% off ($5!)
• My Time at Sandrock = 40% off (DLC is 20% off)
• Monster Harvest = 75% off
• Fantasy Farming: Orange Season = 25% off
• Roots of Pacha = 40% off
• Rune Factory 3 Special = 60% off
• Rune Factory 4 Special = 70% off (only $9!)
• Rune Factory 5 = 60% off
• Rusty's Retirement = 30% off (only $5!)
• Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin = 50% off
• Shepherds Crossing = 50% off
• Snacko (Early Access) = 20% off
• Stardew Valley = 40% off
• Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life = 50% off (DLC is 60% off)
• Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town = 75% off
• "Story of Seasons" Life and Love: GMode Archive (JP language only) = 30% off
• Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town = 65% off
• Sugardew Island: Your cozy Farm Shop = 15% off
• SunnySide = 40% off
• Sun Haven = 60% off
• Wylde Flowers = 25% off

Whew, that's a lot of farming…

Until next time

-Cher
(Happy Pi Day!)

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