Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon is the latest installment in the Harvest Moon series. Unlike previous games, the player’s only option when starting the game is the main character’s name. The game is set in 2022 on a small island in the southern hemisphere. The player is cast as a brand new robot – created by Dr. Hopes from Volcano Town – rather than a human teenager as in previous games. Marriage, for example, is not possible at this time. The main goal is to save the island from destruction by nature’s angry spirits, and the robot will be taught how to develop more human characteristics to accomplish this. Much has changed regarding gameplay compared to previous entries in the series.
Many of these changes are improvements as well as fixes to previously exploited tricks. Walking through planted crops is one of the game’s significant enhancements. Seeds are now planted in 1×1 squares rather than the old 9×9 method. Bases can be purchased directly individually rather than in bags of nine. Crops and flowers are no longer destroyed if players drop them on the ground for an extended period. Things that grow in the wild can no longer be harvested. A special “Scale Pack” is required to gather them, and only 3kg can be carried at all times. Crops grown in the wild are no longer available daily. They now have specific “regrowth” periods and specific schedules on which the fruits or other things are fully grown and ready to be harvested, just like in real life. Time no longer stops when entering a farm, but it does when entering other people’s homes. At the start of the game, the entire field is no longer available. It must be increased by breaking the seals on it. The story quests and cave exploration provides the gems needed to unlock them. The time sequence has also been altered. Players can now wake up earlier than usual, but only if they go to bed before 21:00. (11:00 PM).
