Harvestella shows off over 20 minutes of gameplay footage in this month’s Nintendo Treehouse: Live event.
Harvestella Deep Dive Shown at Nintendo Treehouse: Live August 2022
Square Enix’s littleslice-of-life game, Harvestella, was one of the main attractions in August’s Nintendo Treehouse: Live event. It’s good to see that Squenix is investing in smaller mid-budget games that look to be less grandiose in scope yet still offer many simpler activities to relax with. This is especially nice since the game’s primary release will be on the Switch and Steam (and I reckon that a lot of people will be playing this title on their Steamdecks).
The Cycle of Seasons and Gameplay
Harvestellais part Stardew Valley, partFinal Fantasy, part pet simulator. Our adventure begins as our character wakes up in a field, mysteriously (and conveniently) affected by amnesia. A lone doctor named Cres from the nearby town of Lethe saves you. Apparently, it’s quite dangerous to be rolling around in the dirt during what’s called a “Quietus”, an unnaturally dangerous weather phenomenon.
These devastating weather patterns are seemingly caused by a meteorite that has recently crashed into the earth, just a bit north of Cres’ village. With it, the comet brought about Omens with them - creatures of metal with unknown origins.
Lucky enough that the town of Lethe seems to like you so much that they give you a free home and a plot of land. Time to farm, then!
Careful Planning
Harvestella, just like Stardew Valley, will have two very important resources that players must manage: time and energy. Everything else is just secondary to these crucial attributes. All actions that the player performs in-game will eat up a bit of energy, just like in real life. Things like sprinting, adventuring, watering the crops, fighting monsters, making friends, or cooking meals will drain the bar ever so slightly. Just like in real life, time also moves (though at a much quicker pace). Stay out too late and you might pass out, regardless of how much energy you have left.
Players can do things to restore energy, such as resting beside a peaceful waterfall. However, this trades energy for time. It’s a careful balance between these two stats.
There’s also a hunger system in-game that will remind you to eat. You can’t go adventuring on an empty stomach! So what do you do with your energy?
A Hard Day’s Work in Harvestella
Of course, we have our beautiful farmland to cultivate, which is one of the many options to spend your day. You can tend to the fields, growing fruits, and vegetables such as Lantern Pumpkins, Rainbow Beans, Royal Eggplants, and Princess Chestnuts. If you’re done and have harvested your bounties, players can whip up some mouth-watering dishes like the Tomato and Eggplant Cheese Bake.
Players can also tend to various exotic livestock by constructing animal pens. The main animals you can raise will be the avian cluffowls and the alpaca-inspired woolums. These will provide your farm with a steady supply of eggs and milk (and probably meat).
For a closer bond with an animal, players can adopt their very own Totokaku, a beast that’s a mix between a goat and a reindeer. These beats can be cute pets, efficient mounts, or reliable treasure-seekers!
The Fighting Farmer
New to this update is the announcement of the Assault Savant. This class blends martial arts and scientific gadgets into one lovely package. Think of a martial artist that makes use of cybernetically-enhanced punching gloves. They can also blast enemies with bursts of energy.
Harvestella also detailed Break Gauges and Special attacks. Powerful bosses and other notable enemies will have up to four Break Gauges which signify their elemental weaknesses. Hitting them with their weakness will gradually fill up a Break Gauge. Once full, the player and their party will get bonus multipliers for the damage that they deal. Based on the screenshots, it looks as if each broken gauge will let the party do an additional 25% damage, up to +100% when all four of a target’s meters are shattered.
Special attacks can also be executed whenever two or more adjacent break gauges have been broken. These skills will gradually unlock as you improve your relationship with your party members.
The Omen Companion
The Nintendo Treehouse: Live event also showed off one of the game’s more unique party members, the Omen Dianthus. This armored figure has her own objectives in mind but requires the player’s assistance.
It isn’t quite clear yet if she will be a long-term companion or if she has some more sinister motives hiding behind the armor.
Harvestella Moon
For now, though, we still have a couple of months to wait till we get into the land of Harvestella. you may check out the gameplay from the live stream at the one hour mark roughly:
Harvestellareleases on July 29, 2025 on Nintendo Switch and PC. The game retails at $59.99.
For more news, check outMonster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Free Title Update 2 Teases Flaming Espinas,Rooted Gameplay Trailer Feels and Looks Like The Last of Us, andStray Blade Trailer Unveils Crafting and Character Progression.
