What is HARVESTELLA? We take a closer look at the game
Did you see the announcement for HARVESTELLA?
This new game lets you live the virtual existence that you want to, through the ever-changing seasons of vibrant fantasy world.
We’re really excited about this one and can’t wait to tell you more about it. So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do!
What is HARVESTELLA?
HARVESTELLA is a Life Simulation RPG where you can enjoy daily life, socializing, and adventuring.
For example, you could spend a relaxing day farming, fishing, or raising livestock…
…head to town to chat up the locals…
…or step bravely into a dungeon to take on some monsters - the choice is yours.
Whatever activities you engage in (and there a lot of things you can do), time constantly passes. You’re free to spend it as you please, but every 30 days, the seasons change.
Spring…
…Summer…
…Autumn…
…Winter.
But there’s one more season to worry about in HARVESTELLA: Quietus!
It occurs as the seasons shift. During this time, the crops wither and the deadly dust prevents people from walking around outside.
You’ll have to plan your farming and activities around the endless march of time - and the approach of Quietus.
Read on, and we’ll reveal just a few of the things you can get up to in the world of HARVESTELLA - but first, let’s take a look at the story and characters!
The Story
HARVESTELLA takes place on a planet where four giant crystals, known as the Seaslight, govern the seasons. All life receives their blessings.
One day, the Seaslight start behaving abnormally. Quietus begins to visit in the interim between seasons - and quickly establishes itself as the season of death. The Seaslight glow with a strange light, emitting a dust formed of light that threatens all it touches - crops die, and people are trapped inside.
During one particular Quietus, your character - a traveler - collapses in an isolated village. You meet a girl called Aria, who claims to have come from the future and is researching the mysteries of this new, unwelcome season.
Thus you and she take the first step on a journey that will reveal the very truth of the world.
The Characters
As you live your life in this troubled world, you’ll interact with some fascinating people. Let’s meet a few.
The Protagonist
- Occupation: Traveler
This is who you control - you can choose your gender / appearance at the start of the game.
You were saved by the village doctor after collapsing during Quietus and have lived near the village ever since.
Aria
- Occupation: Scientist
This girl who has traveled to the past, due to some kind of accident.
She ends up living in your home, while she searches for a way to return to her own time and delves into the mysteries of Quietus.
Asyl
- Occupation: Argus Brigade
This young man lives in a town near the Spring Seaslight. He grew up in the town orphanage, and now is part of the Argus Brigade.
Thanks to his straightforward and honest personality, the townspeople place their trust in him.
Shrika
- Occupation: Missionary
Shrika’s a missionary of the Seaslight Order - as the name implies, they worship the Seaslight.
She fights with blades of light that fly through the air, and travels from place to place, resolving various incidents.
Daily life: Farming
Next, we’ll showcase some of the activities you can engage with, including farming. You can grow vegetables, grains, and fruit in your fields - your specific options will largely depend on the season.
Your first step is to plant your crops.
Tend to them and soon they’ll be ready to harvest!
Once you’ve harvested your crops, you use the shipping box to send them off and earn money. Alternatively, you could keep a few to use as ingredients in cooking.
Speaking of cooking…
Daily life: Cooking and crafting
At home, you can craft and cook to help you on your adventures.
The food you cook can give you lots of benefits, including restoring HP. Some recipes even grant you status boosts. Plus they look delicious!
You can also craft items that will help you when exploring the dangerous dungeons.
Socializing
It’s fun to live your best life on your own, but everyone benefits from a few friends. You can earn useful rewards by clearing quests given to you by townsfolk, including money and items.
As you complete character stories, you’ll become closer to residents of the town.
Adventure: Overworld
In the overworld, you’ll find numerous towns and dungeons, which all vibrantly depict the four seasons. You’ll meet fascinating new characters in towns, and fearsome enemies in dungeons.
You can explore more than the land - get your hands on a submarine and you can explore some parts of the ocean. What secrets lie within the waters?
Adventure: Combat and jobs
Parts of HARVESTELLA’s world are dangerous, full of monsters who want nothing more than to give you an early retirement.
You and your party can overcome battles by using joint attacks and switching instantly between a wide variety of different Jobs. Hit an enemy’s weakness and you’ll do massive damage!
You’ll have access to a wide variety of Jobs - these determine what actions are available to you in battle. Each Job has a unique weapon and characteristic skills.
For example, the Fighter is a physical attacker who can unleash swift sword techniques. The Job lets you handle multiple enemies at once by using both single target and ranged attack skills!
The Shadow Walker Job lets you deal mortal damage with twin blades. What’s more, you can enhance your own attacks and deal impressive amounts of damage with hard-hitting skills.
Prefer to keep your distance? The Mage Job specializes at long-range magical attacks. Because Mages can utilize multiple elements, they’re able to deal huge amounts of damage by skillfully targeting enemy weaknesses.
Those are just three of the Jobs you’ll be able to use in HARVESTELLA - but of course, there are a lot more. But we don’t want to ruin all the surprises here, so we’ll let you discover some of them yourselves when the game comes out.
Speaking of which…
When is HARVESTELLA releasing?
HARVESTELLA releases for Nintendo Switch and Steam on November 4, 2022.
We’ll have more to share about the game in the coming months as we get closer to release, so make sure you follow Square Enix on social media and bookmark the Square Enix Blog to see news and updates!