One of the main appeals of Harvestella is the fact that JRPG combat elements exist alongside the mechanics of farming simulators. This means that HP and stamina are important resources when exploring the world. Players quickly spend their daily stamina on almost every activity in Harvestella and lose HP to monsters, so they'll need to keep food on them if they don't want to return home too soon.
At the end of every day, the player returns to Bird's Eye Brae and sleeps through the night. When they wake up the next morning, their HP and stamina are fully restored, similar to how Stardew Valley farmers recover energy and HP after a long day of farming or exploring the Volcano Dungeon. Still, losing too much stamina early in the day can put a damper on gameplay, so players will want to keep food items in their inventory whenever they head out.
Regaining HP & Stamina in Harvestella Through Food
As a farming simulator, Harvestella has a lot of food, from crops to dishes to ingredients found while exploring. Each edible food item has an HP number, a Hunger Gauge number, and potentially a stamina percentage number. When players eat food, it automatically restores HP equal to its HP number and fills up the Hunger Gauge by its Hunger Gauge number. The Hunger Gauge mechanic distinguishes Harvestella's beautifully illustrated dishes from the myriad of recipes in Stardew Valley and similar games. If the food has a stamina percentage number, it also restores an equivalent percentage of stamina. Over time, the Hunger Gauge will go down and as it does, the player will recover stamina.
Eating food in Harvestella triggers a small animation, making it impractical to use in the middle of a fight. If players find themselves close to death during combat, they should use a liquid rather than normal food. Liquids activate instantly as opposed to other foods and are the best option to regain health. Players should only worry about stamina once they're out of combat. The best and simplest food option to regain stamina is the Mountain Stir Fry. Composed of a Little Mushroom and a Wild Leaf (similar to the mixed greens harvested in Cozy Grove), players can cook this dish once they purchase the Kitchen Renovation from the Renovator of Lethe Village. The Mountain Stir Fry costs 20 minutes to make and restores 50% of the player's stamina upon consumption.
The Kitchen Renovation in Harvestella is important in making more dishes and regaining larger amounts of HP and stamina on the road. It is the cheapest farm renovation available at 2,000 Grillas. The kitchen is a fabulous way to make more money out of cheap crops and gathered materials. The need to unlock cooking after playing the game for some time mimics the process of cooking in Disney Dreamlight Valley, where players have to earn a stove for their house in order to cook recipes like French Fries or Arendellian Pickled Herring. Adventure-oriented players will love the kitchen and all the dishes they can create to support their stamina and HP in their Harvestella adventure.
Harvestella
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Harvestella
- Platform:
- Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
- Released:
- 2022-11-04
- Developer:
- Square Enix, Live Wire
- Publisher:
- Square Enix
- Genre:
- RPG, Life Simulation
- ESRB:
- T
- Summary:
- In Harvestella, players are thrust into a world that's seasons are guided by four gigantic crystals called Seaslight. However, the peaceful order of the world is disrupted when a new season arrives known as Quietus - the Season of Death. During this new season, crops wither and die, and human beings cannot leave their homes - and years have passed since the Quietus has begun. To do this, players assume the role of Ein and head off to find the source of the deadly affliction and stop it before the world is ruined. Joined by a missionary, a mechanic, and a girl from the future, Ein will travel through five major towns worldwide while battling fierce monsters and gathering materials to farm and rebuild their village. Part life sim and part action RPG, players can choose from one of twelve classes to face off with the obstacles that await them.
- How Long To Beat:
- 54 hours
