Harvest Moon®: Home Sweet Home Special Edition is a simulation game for PC and consoles developed by IMAGICA GEEQ INC. It is part of the popular Harvest Moon game series, a franchise known for its relaxing farming gameplay, where players tend to crops, raise livestock, and complete requests for villagers.

In Harvest Moon®: Home Sweet Home Special Edition, you return to your childhood home of Alba Village to revive the once-flourishing town by building your own farm and revitalizing the community in hopes of bringing in tourists and future new residents. It is a cozy adventure made for all audiences.

Restore life to Alba Village

Harvest Moon®: Home Sweet Home Special Edition’s concept is wholesome and inviting; you return to Alba Village to help bring it back to life, starting by building your own farm from the ground up. Daily tasks include growing and harvesting seasonal crops and raising animals. Although the controls for tending crops are quite janky and imprecise, especially when watering and tilting.

Farming isn’t your only responsibility, but you must also fulfill requests from the townsfolk. Other activities include fishing in rivers and mining ores in hidden caves. This is where the Doc. Jr.'s Hoverbike 5000 comes in handy, as it allows you to get around the village fast when completing errands and daily chores, or if you just want to take a stroll and appreciate the scenery of Alba Village.

The community of Alba Village also thrives on local tradition, such as hosting seasonal festivities to strengthen the relationships between villagers. There are mini-games with special prizes that you can participate in, like horse racing, fishing tournaments, and many more. Once you’ve settled in the village, you can start a family by romancing one of the bachelors and bachelorettes — including Ella and Nikolai from Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos.

A solid title that follows a familiar formula

Overall, Harvest Moon®: Home Sweet Home Special Edition is a competent and cozy farming simulator, suited for those who want a relaxed game with beautiful visuals and soothing music. However, it’s not an innovative entry in the Harvest Moon franchise, and it’s pretty much the same as its predecessors. It’s also a disappointment that the PC version does not support keyboard and mouse and requires a controller to play.