In an interview with Harvest Moon producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto, Famitsu has revealed a new 3DS entry in the series called Harvest Moon: Linking the New World. The “Linking” in the title refers to the idea of “connecting to the world of the game”. It also refers to its communication features, which include using StreetPass to exchange personal data. How this StreetPass functionality effects the game is unknown at this point.
Yoshifumi stated that the field work in Harvest Moon: Linking the New World will be easier this time around, but assured that the basic flow of the game won’t change. Other new features in this new installment include a safari that you unlock as you progress through the story. This area will have plenty of wild animals for you to take care of. The number of wild animals you will encounter this time around will be twice as many as the previous game. You will also be able to trade supplies with other countries this time around.
Development on Harvest Moon: Linking the New World is described as being ‘80 percent complete’. It will be available in Japan sometime in February 2014 for 5040 yen. Although there is currently no official word on a release in the West, you can expect that we’ll see an announcement soon.
However, if you want a Harvest Moon experience sooner rather than later, you have plenty of options to choose from. Rune Factory 4, the latest Harvest Moon spinoff, released last week. Also, Hometown Story, created by Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada, will be released on October 22nd, which you can pre-order on Amazon right now.
