Natsume has announced their E3 2019 lineup, and part of it includes a brand-new game in the Harvest Moon franchise. Titled Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, it will be the first game in the franchise since 2017's Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. While it's always exciting to get a new opportunity for getting some farming done, there are some caveats with this announcement that may leave fans a bit disappointed.
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash is going to have its gameplay revealed to the world for the first time at E3 2019. I'm always down for more farmin' gameplay — I couldn't possibly count the hours I spent playing Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Unfortunately for folks like me, it seems that this new Harvest Moon game is not going to be a core title. (Let's just hope it's not as bad as Lil' Farmers.)
"We are excited to announce a new Harvest Moon game and reveal a first look at its gameplay and features at E3 2019,” said Natsume President and CEO Hiro Maekawa in a press release. "Fans might be surprised at what we have in store for Harvest Moon this year. This different take on the Harvest Moon experience will let players enjoy the classic features of the series in a new and exciting way!"
Framing the game as a "spinoff", it seems likely that we aren't going to get the traditional Harvest Moon experience from Mad Dash. What exactly it will be is difficult to say from the title and what little information we have at the moment, but we won't have to wait too long to find out for ourselves. (Personally, my money is on a kart racer.)
It should be noted that the folks who made the original Harvest Moon games parted ways with Natsume some time ago. While Natsume retains the rights to the Harvest Moon brand, the people who made one of the most popular farming RPGs have since moved on to their own Story of Seasons franchise, as Marvelous began localizing the titles themselves with XSeed and didn't have the localized trademark.
Aside from Harvest Moon: Mad Dash, Natsume will be showing Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure and Cosmic Defenders. Mad Dash is expected to launch in the future for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. We'll know more once E3 2019 kicks off; make sure to stick with TechRaptor for our E3 coverage!
What do you think Harvest Moon: Mad Dash will be all about? Are you interested in playing a spinoff game or would you prefer a core Harvest Moon experience? Let us know in the comments below!
