Harvestella Demo Impressions

During the Nintendo Direct on Tuesday, Harvestella was shown off by Nintendo and Square Enix again. The action/adventure sim has always looked really good to me. I’ve had my eye on it since it was first announced. So I was really excited that a demo was coming out on Tuesday too. I downloaded the demo asap and played it. Here are my impressions of what I played!

Havestella is an action/adventure sim that feels a bit like Rune Factory and also a bit like Square Enix’s Bravely Default. The demo released on Tuesday lets players play the first two chapters or at least 15 in-game days. I won’t spoil the game’s story but I will say that its very interesting and features a main character who doesn’t know who he, she or they are.

The game lets you pick between being male, female or non-binary. Nice options to have, though all the characters look the same no matter the gender; there are only some small hair color, eye color, and face color tweaks. The main character meets some interesting characters that put them on a quest that isn’t completely clear yet. The story is very interesting nevertheless. Best of all is the gameplay though. I haven’t finished the demo yet, but I wanted to share my thoughts on what I’ve played so far.

The first thing that struck me about the Harvestella demo was just how beautiful the game is. The environments and the characters are just breathtaking and very well made.This game has the same type of graphics as the Bravely Default series but with taller characters. Everything about the game visually reminds me of that series.

The gameplay is not at all like Bravely Default though. Instead, it feels much more like Rune Factory. You have a house and a small farm you can work. Time moves rather quickly, so you have to decide what you want to do each day. Be very careful while on the world map because a day can go very fast there. In my opinion, it goes a little too quickly but once you get the hang of it, you’ll figure out what you want to do fast and it won’t be a problem.

You can go to a nearby town and talk with the locals and there are places you can visit to explore and fight monsters. Of course you can fish as soon as you discover how to do that! I wish the time ran slower, especially so I could fish more.

I wanted to go fishing just as soon as I saw the fishing spots in the game but you don’t start off with the knowledge of how to fish. I wasn’t sure how you would learn. The game doesn’t tell you anything about fishing. Its very hidden in the demo. Perhaps in the full game you’ll be told where to go to get fishing knowledge. I’m not sure.

It took me until into the second chapter to find out where to get it (its in the local item store). I wish I had known about it sooner. The fishing in this game is very good. It feels a bit like Animal Crossing fishing with casting a line and then pressing one button to get the fish. Its very simple and enjoyable.

The farming in Harvestella is well done too. The tools you have feel very unique to this game. And the combat! Its very good, especially when you unlock the job system. You start with Fighter, but I also got the mage job in the demo too. Both of the jobs are unique, with fighters been more hands on, and mages working from a distance! The skill tree for each job is neat too. There is also a computer controlled party member. He isn’t a huge help but its better having him than not. He is a neat character too.

And while you explore monster filled areas, you don’t just fight. You can fish, find objects, repair bridges and ladders, and more. Harvestella is a lot of fun overall. The fishing, combat, and farming are addictive. The  places you explore are well designed and beautiful.

I want to go back to the beginning of the demo after I finish it for the first time and try to get fishing sooner. There is also, potentially, a hammer you can get to break rocks too. Harvestella has so much going on and I can’t wait to play the full game!

Square Enix’s Harvestella comes out on November 4^th, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. I highly recommend checking out the demo!