Harvestella Reviews

Harvestella is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10
Feb 7, 2023

Harvestella is Square Enix's endearing first attempt at a farming sim RPG, only slightly held back by its budget.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2022

Harvestella is far from being the most impressive and innovative mixture between a farming simulator and an action RPG, but it’s far from being outright bad or worthy of being ignored, either. It’s got some neat redeeming factors, namely its phenomenal soundtrack and relaxing farming vibes, while suffering from an uninspired combat system, and some really poor pacing problems.

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4 / 5.0
Dec 19, 2022

Harvestella somehow manages to pull off some highly ambitious storytelling, accompanying with it a highly satisfying gameplay loop that is hard to put down. The game has a much stronger and widespread appeal than many may have been lead to believe heading into its release, and is an easy recommendation.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2022

Harvestella is the secret best game you probably haven't played yet.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 18, 2022

In a vibrant and colorful world, as a player you will grow your crops, befriend the townspeople, overcome threats, discover the origins of the world and the truth behind the Quietus disaster. This is a period of death that comes at the beginning of a new season. At first, Harvestella feels like all the other farm sims, but Haverstella has found a way to make the most simplicity work. The simple combat mechanics are nothing to rave about. Everything else, like agriculture, is excellent. As a player you can explore different cities and dungeons of the world. The length of the days feel perfect. You can do whatever you want and still have some wiggle room to run around and talk to townspeople, fish, explore, or even look for NPCs.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

Dec 12, 2022

Harvestella cultivates its characters and story, but other mechanics aren't quite as ripe.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 12, 2022

This is a game with a lot of heart that I kept wanting to explore even with its messier aspects. If you're looking for a farm sim mixed with a JRPG or a JRPG mixed with a farm sim, this is perfect for you. And if you go into it with the right mindset, you'll enjoy the relaxing stroll of this world and its gameplay.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 8, 2022

In lesser hands, Harvestella's balance of JRPG and farming sim could've ended up as a bland mishmash. Instead, Live Wire and Square Enix have created a solid blend. Its effective gameplay loop and engaging story push you down surprising paths that are fun to travel.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2022

Harvestella isn't going to remove Rune Factory from existence, but it has a lot of potential as a strong competitor. This first (and hopefully not only) outing has an extremely strong basis and manages to hit a lot of the high marks of JRPG-style farming simulation, while having enough of its own personality to avoid feeling like a clone. Only the overly stiff combat and general simplicity of the game hold it back from being as good as its obvious inspirations. It's so close to being great that it's easy to imagine a sequel hitting all of the marks. There's a lot to like here if you can get past the slow start, and by the time I finished the game, I felt almost as satisfied as I was with Rune Factory 5. Harvestella is absolutely worth a look if you're a fan of the Rune Factory franchise and want to see a different developer's take on the concept.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2022

Our test of Harvestella took place on Nintendo Switch, but the JRPG is also available on PC. With a playful soul constantly poised between Action RPG and life-simulator, the JRPG alternates real-time clashes, cultivation of the fields and socialization activities with its traveling companions.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Dec 3, 2022

Harvestella is a basic JRPG and Farming Sim that just never seems to stick the landing on any of its mechanics or narrative. It starts out fun and then eventually becomes a chore with unskippable cutscenes.

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6.8 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2022

Harvestella’s systems feed together in a way that forces you to engage with nearly everything it offers, whether you want to or not. But those slice-of-life activities are mundane and get in the way of letting you enjoy the RPG elements on your own terms. Maximizing a day’s schedule is sometimes rewarding, but the sluggish pacing makes it tough to stay engaged for the long haul. Harvestella forces you to do a whole lot to complete comparatively little. At 70-80 hours, it’s one of the biggest chores I’ve played in some time. That’s unfortunate because the combat, story, and characters are decent enough that, in a more traditional RPG framework, they’d shine brighter. As it stands, squeezing this fruit isn’t always worth its small amount of juice.

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85%
Nov 30, 2022

For the right players, Harvestella is a game of the year (or even generation) contender. Everyone else might be left wondering what they are missing.

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8.5 / 10.0
Nov 23, 2022

Harvestella is a fresh take on life-sims that wears many different hats well, but doesn’t always know when to wear them.

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3.3 / 5.0
Nov 21, 2022

Overall, Harvestella is a mixed bag of a JRPG with many flaws but also many great, engaging elements. As a result, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except those who especially love farming simulators and classic JRPGs.

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77%
Nov 21, 2022

Harvestella offers a unique mix of farming sim and action RPG Lee. While there are some flaws in both aspects, and the presentation, Harvestella still offers an entertaining experience thanks to the gameplay mix and story.

Review in German | Read full review

76 / 100
Nov 20, 2022

Harvestella is an interesting concoction of a JRPG experience merged with farming, which results in pure escapist fun. The combat and farming aspects are by no means elaborate, but their simplistic approach creates a relaxing atmosphere that is great to play in short bursts.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2022

Harvestella is a game with a very addictive loop. With each dungeon leading you to a new plot revelation, and each season giving you new crops to grow it's like the game is begging for "just one more day" and it can be hard to say no. While I wish that there was more depth to the characters, especially in the voice acting department, and the game doesn't make any major strides, it is still a decently fresh take on the genre. It is important to know that Harvestella really is a JRPG before it is a farming sim; even though farming is a lot of fun, it is not the main thing you will be doing. Even though both farming and combat are simple, the combination of both manages to make Harvestella feel deeper than it actually is. So if you are on the lookout for a new RPG farming adventure to play after finishing Rune Factory 5, this might be it!

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2022

Solid and definitely have an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2022

Harvestella tells an enthralling tale filled with gorgeous designs and interesting characters but it's simple gameplay mechanics hold it back from truly shining.

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