On the Wii and DS: first information and screens.

A couple of new Harvest Moon titles were announced today, for both of Nintendo's systems. First is Harvest Moon DS Cute (which seems like a candidate for name smoothening), a title which comprimes of the usual Harvest Moon affairs: plants, cows... witches? Natsume have went more left field than normal for this one, concuting an actual plot and everything. Straight from the press release:

"The cheerful Harvest Goddess and misunderstood Witch Princess have always had a love-hate relationship through time, but who would have thought that the Witch Princess would unknowingly cast a spell banishing the Harvest Goddess to another world! In the Witch Princess's haste to undo what she had done, she sent all 101 Harvest Sprites to find her�against their will of course.

The task of finding all 101 Harvest Sprites and bringing back the Harvest Goddess has fallen to you. Now it's up to you to restore the magic of Forget-Me-Not Valley. Seek out the Harvest Sprites as you plant fields, tend livestock and find the right husband to share your farming dreams!"

There you have it. You can see for yourself when the game's released at the beginning of next year. The second DS game, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, is basically Harvest Moon meets Lost. Stranded on an island with some comrades, you have to forge your own life there, and deal with newcomers to the strange location, which may or may not have some sort of spectacular secret. WiFi-compatible, the game is due out in Q2 2008.

Also down for release in Q2 is the as-yet unnamed Wii update of the series, complete with motion sensitive farming. Dig those holes! Milk those udders! And so forth. The press release suggests another attempt at a backstory: apparently you must teach the town how to reconnect with nature, to satisfy some sort of Tree Goddess. Or something. Whatever happened to just digging?

Screenshots, and character art, of all three titles feature below.

Click for Island of Happiness Screens (5 New)


Click for DS Cute Screens (5 New)


Click for Island of Happiness Screens (5 New)