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! The mound of dianthus grass planted a year ago started blooming last week, and they're really odd star-like flowers. Those overseas in Europe are probably more familiar with Fringed Pink Dainthus, but it's rather unique in this area. I shouldn't have packed four plants in Turtleque's shell cavity; it's a little tight! As scraggly as the plants look, they do smell nice.

The city tree crew blew through the neighborhood this week, looking for low-hanging branches on the street trees. Ours weren't too bad (I had paid a crew years ago to trim the trees), or so I thought. The city crew mutilated a LOT of foliage, taking out every branch below 20 feet. And dropping the branches on my iris bed. Jerks. Some of the irises had their greens snapped off, so that's it for the damaged plants this year. Maybe they'll bloom next year.

The crew wasn't consistent around the neighborhood, either. They only "trimmed" the trees at houses that didn't have cars parked outside. So now we have a mix-match of beanpole-shaped trees that look like they came from Dr. Seuss's book about the Lorax, with normal-looking trees farther down the street. But because of our tree laws (the street trees are owned by the city), I can do nothing other than grumble about how weird it all looks.

On the bright side, the front yard garden beds receive more sunlight during the day. Just trying to keep it positive...

A new story trailer released for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma this week, but it gives away a lot of the story. Super spoil-y. I thought maybe it might contain just a bit of new stuff, but Marvelous gave out plot twists and story components I would have liked to have discovered myself when playing the game. So, I won't share that this week; you can find it on YouTube if you're interested.

Cozy Bundle CE for EU

The re-release of the Nintendo 3DS games for Switch, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (2014) and Harvest Moon: Skytree Village (2016), will be packaged as a limited collector's edition in Europe via Numskull Games.

The EU CE includes a copy of the Switch game, a CD soundtrack, a two-sided A4-size poster, two sticker boards, and two sticker sheets, one of which has Doc; such a treat automatically makes the EU limited edition version of the game better than the NA offering, where we get an acrylic animal standee thing.

Numskull's collector's edition comes with a "Best of Harvest Moon Soundtrack" without specifying whether it just includes music from Lost Valley and Skytree Village or if it includes tunes from a variety of HM games. I know that SV had a CD soundtrack back in the day. Maybe it's a recreation of that or something entirely new. No idea!

For those in the EU, the collector's edition is available for preorder on Amazon UK (£41.66) and Amazon DE/Amazon FR (€59.99). You can preorder from the Numskull Games' website:

• Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley and Skytree Village | Numbskull Games

SoS:GB Updates

In this week's Zephyr Town Walker from the official JP website, the publisher introduces animal care.

Mayor Felix will stop by to give a chicken to the new farmer, along with some Chicken Feed. Players can put the food into the troughs in the barn or hand-feed the food to their barn animals. Animals that have been fed can produce goods the next day. I'm assuming the animals won't become sick when not fed; it will be like SoS:FoMT, which means the animals don't produce anything to sell when they're not fed (and never get sick). In Grand Bazaar, the animals can also be sent outside to free-graze on the grass, so you don't have to feed them fodder or chicken feed indoors. As long as they get fed somehow, there will be products to collect and sell at the bazaar.

The bell used during the bazaar to entice visitors to the player's booth also works on farm animals! Ringing the handbell will help to raise friendship as well as entice the animals to walk towards the protagonist. Interacting also raises friendships. Felix also gives a brush for keeping animals clean, the milker for collecting milk from cows, and sheers for collecting wool from sheep and alpacas. The higher the friendship, the better the products the animal will produce.

Marvelous JP also launched a retweet/follow campaign on Twitter for players in the Japan region to win a set of animal air fresheners.

Digital Preorders

Breezy farmers can now preorder the digital version of Grand Bazaar on the Nintendo eShop. Marv also released a new trailer to promote digital preorders, showcasing the mighty voice of non-marriage candidate Mayor Felix.

There are three digital preorder options available:

1. The Digital Standard Edition that comes with a copy of the Nintendo Switch game and a preorder Cow Set DLC (cow costume + cow-print wind glider) for $49.99 / £44.99 / €49.99
2. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the game, the Cow Set DLC, and the Trunk of Transformation DLC (four more animal costumes, four hairstyles, and the ninja costume and wind glider with ninja-themed bazaar booth decorations) for $59.98 / £59.98 / €59.98
3. Finally, the Digital Super Deluxe Edition is the game, the Cow Set DLC, the Trunk of Transformation DLC, a digital art book, and a digital soundtrack for $69.98 / £69.99 / €69.99

The Trunk of Transformation can be purchased separately for $9.99 / £7.99 / €9.99. The digital art book, soundtrack, and Trunk DLC offered with the Super Deluxe edition will also be available as a Super Digitial Deluxe DLC Set for $19.99.

An option for preordering the digital Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Grand Bazaar is also available directly from the Nintendo website (instead of via the eShop) for $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99. The Sw2 digital preorder also includes the Cow Set DLC, with the option to buy the Trunk DLC (deluxe) or artbook/soundtrack/Trunk DLC (super deluxe) after the game is released on August 27.

Note that the physical premium editions of Grand Bazaar come with a physical artbook and physical soundtrack but do not include the Cow Set DLC or the Trunk of Transformation DLC. Marvelous USA has temporarily paused preorders for the physical premium edition due to ongoing international tariff volatility. This same chaos has impacted the premium physical edition of Guardians of Azuma, which contained several physical bonus items manufactured overseas. Marvelous USA posted a message to fans this afternoon explaining that the Earth Dancer Edition might not be ready by the game's June 5th release date. The game-only physical copies are not impacted and are currently on target for the June 5 release.

Marvelous has also clarified that farmers who buy the physical copy of the Switch 2 game will receive the full version of the Switch 2 game and not a download code. This holds true for Guardians of Azuma as well.

The entry for the art book in the Nintendo eShop does note that the EN voice actor for Sophie is Deva Marie Gregory, who acted as Arche in Farmagia and Sharon in Unicorn Overlord.

Play SoS:GB at PAX East

For visitors heading to PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts, from May 8 to May 11, Marvelous USA will have Grand Bazaar and Guardians of Azuma available to play at their booth. XSeed Games has vampire-themed indie farm'n game Moonlight Peaks, which has a free demo on Steam if you wanted to check it out. You can't go wrong with a monster as the shipping container, ya know!

New Farm'n

Another indie farming game from RedDeer Games was launched today for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation (XBox coming soon). Sunseed Island is a cartoon-themed world repair game where players farm, collect materials, craft, and rebuild a town to restore the magical Sunseed Tree.

Besides the basic farming stuff, a town hall exhibition can be completed by donating fossils, fish, insects, cooked meals, and plushies. Meet other magical animal characters and explore different biomes to discover treasures and wildlife, all while rebuilding the village that encircles the Sunseed Tree and bringing the lands back together.

Sunseed Island is priced at $2.99 during the first week of release (until May 1) on the Nintendo eShop, after which it will be $10. The game is priced at $10.99 on PlayStation.

• Sunseed Island | Nintendo Switch
• Sunseed Island | PlayStation Store

(Note that while the Nintendo website says the discount ends May 15, the console eShop says it ends May 1.)

Pacha 1.3 Released

The free update to prehistoric farming game Roots of Pacha is now available for all platforms (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Steam, and XBox). The Sun and Moon update by developer Soda Den adds two new villages, new marriage candidates, crops, a pole fishing mechanic, and more, and happens to be released on the game's second-anniversary launch on Steam, April 22.

The content appears as players reach the mid- and end-game portions of the game's main storyline. Clearing the forest cave puzzle will unlock access to the Mograni Tribe's mountainous region, and after all the base-game caves have been cleared, players can visit the tropical Yakuan Tribe's area. There are new villagers (19!), two additional marriage candidates, animals, seeds, trees, and ideas to discover (such as soap and jamp making). Even new festivals, mini-games, bug-catching, and crop mutations!

Roots of Pacha is discounted 50% on most platforms in celebration of the 1.3 release, with the discount expiring on April 29 (Steam and XBox) or May 5 (Switch). It doesn't appear to be on sale on PlayStation (gosh Sony...)

• Roots of Pacha | Microsoft Store
• Roots of Pacha | Nintendo Store
• Roots of Pacha | PlayStation Store
• Roots of Pacha | Steam Store

Until next time!

- Cher
(Go beans, go! Let me see your stalks! Oh la la!)

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