| Harvest Moon: Light of Hope | |
| Developer: | Tabot, Inc. |
| Composer: | Tsukasa Tawada |
| Series: | Harvest Moon |
| Modes: | Single-player |
| Genre: | Farm simulation, role-playing |
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is a farm simulation role-playing game developed by Tabot, Inc. for multiple platforms. First announced at E3 2017,[1] It was first released for Microsoft Windows on November 14, 2017, with versions for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch following on May 29, 2018.[2] It was later released for iOS and Android on September 26, 2018.[3] A version containing all previously released downloadable content titled Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Complete was released for Windows 10 and Xbox One on September 18, 2020.[4]
The setting is in a harbor town, with the goal being to revive the lighthouse.[5] As in most Harvest Moon games, players (male is by default named Mike and female is by default named Sabrina) are able to grow crops and raise livestock. Additionally, the player is also able to get married, have a child, buy animals and help villagers with requests. In the Special Edition version, there is a playable character named Soleil (whose gender varies) who can be controlled by a second player.[6]
The story begins with the player washed onto an island where they are found by a girl. They awaken in a house belonging to a herbiest named Jeanne, who is also the owner of a lighthouse that serves as the life source of the island. The lighthouse has long stopped glowing following a violent storm and many villagers have left. She then provides the player a farm to work in. The player later finds a round stone tablet and meets the Harvest Sprite Rowan. Showing the tablet to Jeanne, she believes that it might fit in one of the round slots near the lighthouse. After placing the tablet in one of the slots, the lighthouse begins to light up again; it turns out the tablet is one of the keys needed to activate the lighthouse, but the player must seek out the other four tablets to fully revive the lighthouse. As they continue their quest, villagers begin to one by one move back to the village. The player also meets a mage named Edmond, who is also trying to save the island, which will sink into the ocean if the lighthouse isn't restored. The player later obtains the second tablet from a salesman named Sam and the third from Nova (the same girl who found them and brought them to Jeanne's house), to which they have to also find its missing fragment and have an inventor named Doc help repair it. After reviving four other Harvest Sprites, Edmond and his apprentices help the player revive the Harvest Goddess, who was stuck in bluebird form for a long period of time. She hands them the fourth tablet and after returning it, the door to the Harvest God's shrine is opened. The player retrieves the last tablet, but as they return it, another storm strikes and the fifth tablet is destroyed. The player then has Doc create a new one, but it lacks magical properties. The Harvest Goddess and Edmond explain that they will need the help of the underworld king Gorgan, who is the one responsible for causing the storm in the first place, to empower the tablet, but due to his stubbornness, they decide to do it without his help. The player helps revive the Harvest Sprite Flint, who has a close connection to Gorgan. Nova reveals that the reason he caused the storm is to discourage her from going to the surface, but the tablets being blown away was unintentional. The player and Nova (revealed to be Gorgan's daughter) go to ask him for the Cyanocrystal, which they need to empower the tablet, but Gorgan refuses to help as he doesn't care about the situation. They decide to rely on Nova's help instead and after reviving the last Harvest Sprite, Oliver, they attempt to empower the last tablet, eventually succeeding with the help of the townsfolks, saving the island. Flint reveals that he swapped the Cyanocrystal from Gorgan, which he used to help Nova. Meanwhile, Gorgan is somewhat glad that the island is safe, but is upset that his daughter won't come back home, resulting in the Harvest Goddess and Edmond confronting Gorgan for his overprotectiveness of Nova.
The Nintendo Switch version of Harvest Moon: Light of Hope received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic.