Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon

Overview

Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon is a science-fiction spin-off of Natsume's Harvest Moon series that was released exclusively for the PSP on May 15, 2007. In this game, the player takes on the role of a robot named Life. Life was created by Dr. Hope on Heartflame Island, where the residents fear that one day the looming volcano will destroy their town. It is up to Life to investigate the ancient ruins and discover what, if anything, can be done.

Gameplay

Like previous Harvest Moon installments, Innocent Life tasks the player with the act of farming, although the focus on it is reduced quite a bit. Life spends more of his time in the ruins and the town than with the crops. A second robot eventually shows up to assist the player, making the farming almost entirely automatic. In addition, being a robot, Life cannot get married, and there are no romantic relationships to pursue as in previous titles. By extension, the game also does not feature the Harvest Moon mechanics of marriage or raising a family.

Sci-Fi versus Fantasy

Innocent Life was released the same year as another Harvest Moon spin-off; the DS title Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. As the name would imply, Rune Factory is a game set in a fantasy world as opposed to Innocent Life's science fiction setting. It also proved to be the more popular of Natsume's attempts to experiment with the Harvest Moon formula. While Rune Factory spawned several DS sequels before branching out into consoles, Innocent Life has yet to see a sequel of its own.