Harvestella

[Mabbie]

So, if you're wondering if R$250 for a game is actually an expensive price? Well.... it's an ABSURD price! hahah.... Harvest Moon POoT costs R$150, which I would be willing to pay, paid R$99 on FoMT, and R$74 on Coral Island, and I just bought it because maybe it's going to get more expensive when the full version releases.

Steam don't allow to divide the cost (I don't know how to say in english, like to buy today and pay half on next month), so it would be unthinkable to buy a R$250 game just like that.

On personal expenses, I'm a single mom, who works like crazy to earn a sh*tty sallary, and my kid is diabetic, so..... lots of dietary restrictions, and everything is more expensive when it comes to diet and zero-sugar items.

Plus bills, groceries, gas...... you guys know what I'm talking about.

Sadly, we have such an absurd tax rate over games and consoles, it's not that easy being able to buy original things. (That's why <b>Very Bad Things™</b> and emulators were super popular when I was growing up... mom and dad buying you original games? FORGET IT!)

Edit: I just put things on my Steam wish-list and wait hahah... like Ni no Kuni, that went from R$150 to R$19 :]

K8's Mom, I'm so sorry for your losses.

[Kikki]

Oh man, yeah, do I know about that! (About health restrictions in food raising the bills. I'm allergic to bloody everything, lol. Dairy comes to mind as an annoying one, necessitating expensive alternatives.)

Ah, you're speaking of paying in installments, right, Mabbie? Lots of stores do that...buy this $800 dining table now and pay $200 each for the next 4 months, or whatever.

So Harvestella's price is strangely high, for you. For me, when Ni No Kuni first released, it was also the standard $79.99 that Harvestella is, but it goes on sale a lot, and I think it may have seen a permanent price reduction on some consoles.

Pokemon Scarlet/Violet just released. What does it cost on your eshop, Mabbie? Is it also R$250, like Harvestella? If it's not, that's very strange, that Harvestella would be so much more than other games! By the way you asked, I did think maybe the price was weirdly high for you, though I don't know much about Brazillian currency or cost of living, to figure it out on my own.

[Mikodesu]

K8sMum, it's really lovely that you've been able to find so much comfort in your daughter's hobby. It's very special, and something I wish I could have shared with my family in their similar situation. If nothing else, I hope the year hurries itself up for you.


And now I'm wondering why Harvestella is so expensive in Brazil. Looking on Steam DB, PoOT is R$160 full price, compared to Harvestella being R$250 full price. I think PoOT released on PC later, so maybe it got a discount for that... PC only games tend to be cheaper.

After a little research...

I think this is either a Squeenix issue, or a simultaneous PC/console release issue. Just out of curiosity I looked up recent Square games. Diofield Chronicle, out in September, is also R$250. Diofield Chronicle also has a physical release in the states. Comparable situation, at least.

Edit: Kikki, I just Googled Pokemon Scarlet/Violet and it's R$300.... Nintendo, please.

[Kikki]

R$300 would be about $75 CAD. That's comparable to our prices, but I felt like that's not giving me the right picture, so checked and found that Brazillian prices on almost all cost of living matters are much lower than Canada's. The cost of groceries, for example, averages about 55% less. Rent's about 75% less. Etc. So for games to be about the same price as ours means they're crazy expensive. That's kind of like the newest Pokemon costing me $150-200 CAD instead of $80, lol.

Seems like video games are a premium luxury item or something, cuz those prices are cuckoo.

[Mabbie]

Like I said, the taxes over games are insanelly huge, sadly we brazilian gamers suffer a lot when it comes to buying games lol...

Well, images speaks louder than words, so I googled the new Pokémon, and:

Spoiler:

hahahaha damn..... so it costs R$391 if we pay via PIX, otherwise it costs R$434... all we can do is laugh, seriously.... the minimum wage is R$1200, so a person that works for that amount of money per month would have to work like 1/3 of the month just to buy a game? And it's a pre-sale! A Switch console costs like R$4.500, my brother who's an engineer is considering to buy one, but me, a mere mortician, who's a single mom? Uhhhh no. Just can't.

That's the main reason I'm always delaied when playing games... there are many more lauched after FoMT, and I'm playing FoMT now... new games, launching games? Nah. Just nah!

I'll have to wait and see the price of AWL when it releases.... I just can't say for sure if I'll be able to buy it while it's brand new. :\

@Kikki Yes, paying in installments.. didn't have a clue how to say it in english, thanks!

[Kikki]

Maybe you could arrange to trade for games sometimes? Like...if someone was interested in Brazillian candy (chocolate bars/candy/cookies/dry goods like tea/other non-perishables/etc), perhaps you could send them a grocery bag full of it, and they could send you a game in return. You are sure to have cool stuff from Brazil that we in North America don't have access to or perhaps even awareness of. I'm pretty sure you could arrange it, if you were comfortable doing so, and get the game at a price that's more comparable to what we pay in relation to cost-of-living and salary.

I don't know if that sounds reasonable to you or not, but I think it's an option, if shipping costs and mail restrictions aren't prohibitive. I'd do it, and I bet plenty of others would, too.

But Squeenix does do a lot of sales, and pretty good ones, so within the next half year you're very likely to see Harvestella on a decent sale that might bring it down to an acceptable price range.

[Mabbie]

Maybe you could arrange to trade for games sometimes? Like...if someone was interested in Brazillian candy (chocolate bars/candy/cookies/dry goods like tea/other non-perishables/etc), perhaps you could send them a grocery bag full of it, and they could send you a game in return. You are sure to have cool stuff from Brazil that we in North America don't have access to or perhaps even awareness of. I'm pretty sure you could arrange it, if you were comfortable doing so, and get the game at a price that's more comparable to what we pay in relation to cost-of-living and salary.

I don't know if that sounds reasonable to you or not, but I think it's an option, if shipping costs and mail restrictions aren't prohibitive. I'd do it, and I bet plenty of others would, too.

But Squeenix does do a lot of sales, and pretty good ones, so within the next half year you're very likely to see Harvestella on a decent sale that might bring it down to an acceptable price range.

Actually that's a pretty nice idea ^^

But like you said, a high-end console with original games are indeed luxury items around here. Simply not everyone can have access to it, sadly. But I don't freak out about it, I just wait for sales and move on

Sorry for deviating so much on the main topic's subject.

[K8sMum]

Kikki and Mikodesu: thank you both for your kind thoughts. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas will be quiet days for me. I have been invited to m bff's home but she's 6 hours away and this is not the time to be driving the NYS Thruway for that distance. Plus, I won't risk the chance of colouring their holidays with my grief. I will have bittersweet memories and shed some tears with my friend over the phone then dive into Harvestella and Pikmin 3 Deluxe with a vengeance.

I'll breathe again come January.

[Mikodesu]

@K8sMum: I hope Pikmin and Harvestella treat you well. Between the two they're a wellspring of content. (I don't think I've come across even half of the fish or crops yet.)


Got a couple more Steam achievements tonight, and by a very slim margin...more people have collected 10 Conellu dolls than have completed Chapter 3. (I THINK you have to get to the Chapter 3 area to find 10...unless I've missed that many. Which is completely possible, I found one just...in a hole in the wall going back through an area to kill FEARs.)

Spoilers for the beginning of Chapter 4, but I figure this is a better place to put them...

Spoiler:

I was planning to jump off the game the morning of the cutscene where Geist just shows up IN YOUR HOUSE. My « Harvest Goddess », that was great. So far he's turning out to be a pretty satisfying villain. Gratefully none (so far) of the absurd villain trope, letting the hero go/not killing them when they really shouldn't be. You could argue him not knowing for sure if he killed you before throwing you off his airship was dumb, but...I dunno how else you get a person off the airship otherwise. I let it go.

I really don't want to know how much longer I have, but I figure there's at least 2 more dungeons left. Seeing how the castle is a dungeon, and I assume the Seaslight in the starter town that I can't remember how to spell is a dungeon (JRPGs always have a 'final dungeon'). I guess at this point I'm hoping for two more dungeons worth because I don't want the ending to be rushed. The story so far has just been world building + mcguffin hunting. If the castle is it...that would be disappointing.

(Plus there's also bomb level 2 and electronic repair kits to learn how to make...?)

I feel far worse about leaving Aria to languish now that I've gotten to know her and like her, but I want to farm and level weapons before we go off to the castle.

I'd be really curious to know in the long run how the word count of Harvestella compares to a traditional farm sim. There are SO many quests, I have to balance out how often I'm watching cutscenes verses doing other things. I especially appreciate not being snowed into doing anything outside the main quest. Those are the only cutscenes that start automatically. And if you get a character involved in two quests, a menu pops up when you talk to them for which one you want to instigate. Good design, I approve.

[K8sMum]

I just started Spring yr 2 after finishing chapter 4. The end battle is really something. Non-spoiler hint: take tons of drinks, like 25.

After this the game really surprised me by where you go next. I think they've done a very good job of varying the intense-ness levels. I also like that yeah, the world is in grave danger but hey, I have a farm to run.

The story is just so damn good!

[Mikodesu]

And now I've finished Chapter 4! Very interesting boss fight, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Not sure what I think about having to balance out food that has 'fullness' and food that doesn't for healing, but it's not too bad. It does force you to use makers, if anything.

Chapter 4 boss fight spoilers...

Spoiler:

Got a crash in between phases of the fight. I was starting to think the boss was over and kinda had a 'Huh? That was easier than I thought' moment before the second phase kicked in. I wish Geist had used more of the other boss' attacks, but what he did have was interesting. (Except the big laser after you cut the tethers to the Seaslights. I could never get it NOT to trigger, which always felt like BS.) I liked him as a villain all the way through.

The only problem he has is knowing a lot of things about the player character that he shouldn't. I guess it's a case of the writers forgetting. Hopefully it's not the last time we see Geist, but I have a feeling with the 'memory chip' business, it will be.

Next day edit:
Either Steam achievements are borked, or people are hacking their games to get around boss fights, because...

Spoiler:

More people have completed Chapter 5 than Chapter 4. Not much, by a couple percentage points, but... that shouldn't be possible? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯