The new Harvest Moon game looks pretty good (is something I haven’t said since 2012)

These winds might be blowing in a favorable direction

I think Natsume is pretty confident in Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos. After announcing the game was on its way last year with no video or artwork beyond a logo reveal, it started to ramp up interest in the upcoming title with screenshot releases on its social media channels. Coming off of Harvest Moon: One World, it didn’t too bad. In fact, it looked like it could be the best Harvest Moon game since Bokujō Monogatari dipped. With the release of the first trailer, that’s still a definite possibility (even if it is a mighty low bar to clear).

Right now, the farming sim genre is as competitive as it’s ever been. Stardew Valley remains the stalwart favorite of the category, but that hasn’t stopped a trove of indie and established developers from their hats into the ring. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life just dropped, and in the months ahead, we’ll see titles like Fae Farm, The Ranchers, and Pixelshire. Despite the issues the series has had over the past decade, I think the Harvest Moon name still carries some weight in the industry, and with this trailer looking as good as it does, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more people opting to give the Natsume series a shot this time around. This may end up as another misfire along the lines of Harvest Moon: One World, but I’m choosing to have a positive outlook on life.

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will launch for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on September 26, 2023. One thing to make note of if you’re looking to get this on Switch is everything in the trailer was captured on a PS5. Just something to keep in mind.