Harvest Moon: One World Gets March 2021 Launch & Cute Pre-Order Bonus

Natsume and Rising Star Games have announced their latest project, Harvest Moon: One World, will launch in early March next year – and that select pre-orders will come with an adorable animal companion. In a departure from the series’ more familiar formula that sees its main character look after a farm and the immediate community, Harvest Moon: One World will set its farming protagonist out into the wider world to discover why crops around the globe are failing.

The latest installment of the long-running farming simulator had been set to launch in 2020 before the game’s creators announced this delay, following in the footsteps of many other titles this year. Some of the most anticipated games that fall into this category are closely connected to the next generation of consoles. Following a less-than-stellar showing in an Xbox presentation, the console’s flagship launch title, Halo Infinite, was delayed until 2021. The PlayStation 5 also suffered its own postponement problems recently when the release of Kena: Bridge of Spirits shifted back into next year.

Like many of the other game delays this year, President and CEO of Natsume Hiro Maekawa explained Harvest Moon: One World’s development was impacted by the global pandemic. However, he assures fans of the series that the developers are hard at work to release a great game that embodies the creators’ vision for its world. Fans will not have to wait too long as Natsume and Rising Star Games will be releasing the project in North and South America on March 2, 2021 – with the European launch falling closely behind on March 5, 2021. Despite the delay, the game is currently available to pre-order and with some retailers that pre-order can come bundled with a cute chicken plushie.

If Harvest Moon: One World’s mechanics and setting feel familiar to you, it may be because so many other modern games have taken it as an inspiration. For example, the hit indie game Stardew Valley was heavily influenced by the earlier games in the series and presents its own twists on Harvest Moon’s farming mechanics and social gameplay.

It is interesting that a game that had once been solely focused on the protagonist’s small farm and a handful of close neighbors should seek to focus on a global crisis just as the real world is facing worldwide concerns. Though the Harvest Moon series is an old one with dedicated fans, the latest installments have been having trouble keeping up. Other, newer titles have taken elements from the farming sim and have, arguably, adapted them in more engaging ways. Perhaps Harvest Moon: One World will be able to capture modern players’ interests with its larger world – or lure them in with the promise of a cute stuffed animal chicken.

Harvest Moon: One World is coming to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 March 2, 2021.

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