Harvestella Review: A Stellar Hodgepodge

Harvestella is a visual novel-RPG hybrid with strong thematic influences from Nier: Automata and a tiny bit of the farming sim genre mixed in. The storyline isn't terribly complex, but is an odd mix of fantasy, science, and religion whose logic can be hard to follow, particularly near the end when several plot threads come together. Adding to the confusion is inconsistent wording, such as referring to the planets archaically as stars and at other times just as planets.

For those interested in how strange the lore can get and don't mind spoilers, here is a summary of the plot, or at least the best I could make of it:

AI (called Seth or Omens) were entrusted with the salvation of the dying human race (because humans couldn't figure out how to save themselves or something). All the humans were put into hibernation aboard a space-station while the AI abandoned Earth (called Lost Gaia in-game) to focus on terraforming the moon (called ReGaia) using four Seaslight (giant crystals). In addition to the AI, the humans also created blond-haired little girls to act as "operating systems" for dragons (some kind of super-weapon) and the planet itself (which may have its own DNA, soul, and memories or something). The girl-system in charge of the planet discovered the internet and came to the conclusion that humans wanted to destroy themselves (despite humans creating AI to do the exact opposite). So she created the original Seaslight (called Red Queen) to emit "Gaia Dust" or "Quietus" that is toxic to anyone who inhales it, similar to the effects of real-life Lunar dust. She also ripped a scientist's (Aria) soul from her body - to stop her research or something - and held onto it for 2,000+ years before releasing it (somehow with a physical body) onto the moon via the four Seaslight off-shoots/clones created by the AI.

Meanwhile the moon, with its own girl-system or soul(?), created imitation humans (called Abels) to confuse the AI. She also created the player character by copying or transferring their real-human (called Cains) consciousness or soul from the space-station into an Abel body (where the body came from is never explained) to combat the dust. Fantasy creatures such as faeries, unicorns and sirens were created by the planets and AI for various reasons unrelated to the main plotline.

The game was a bit light on the farming aspects - you have a predefined field and barns with only 2 types of livestock, but I loved the innovations it brought to the genre. More farming sims need a watering mechanic like Harvestella's. Most of the food produced on the farm isn't sold for cash, but converted to dishes/drinks that replenish health and stamina in battle. I was initially surprised by how fast the days moved, but in typical farm sim fashion, the player can take as many days or years to complete objectives as they need. Sprinklers, an upgradable steed and eventually an airship make daily tasks go faster, freeing up more of the day as well.

The daily gameplay loop of farm work, socializing and questing was addictive, but I was disappointed by how disjointed the party members felt because they never interacted with each other. There is a food/rest/chat mechanic in the dungeons that may have solved this, but I forgot it existed. I also thought for sure that Ein's (the protagonist) immunity to the Quietus would factor into the story somehow eventually, but it never does. Instead Aria is the real main character and Ein is just there to support her. In fact, Ein came across as more of a therapist for the group during their personal stories, and in the case of Brakka, as a pest butting into business they had no good reason to be getting involved in. The personal stories for your companions are generally very good. Some are a bit on the nose, like Istina's "shadow of the past" being a literal shadow person, while others were concerning, such as Shrika subjecting an innocent man to religious persecution. But I can look beyond the blemishes to see what the writers wanted to communicate, which are mostly very positive messages.

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