Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos sets itself apart from Harvest Moon: One World and other previous entries by incorporating a handful of fresh and exciting new features alongside franchise staples. From its hands-on plot to expanded romance options and graphics upgrades, The Winds of Anthos is set to deliver what series fans have long been asking for. Here are the biggest differences between the upcoming entry and its most recent predecessor.
Biggest Differences Between Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos and Harvest Moon: One World
Nonlinear Storyline
At its core, The Winds of Anthos remains true to the Harvest Moon franchise by combining its new, nonlinear story with the farming and life sim qualities that put the franchise on the map. Familiar characters from One World, like the Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess, will also play a bigger role in the plot.
The Harvest Beings once protected Anthos from all manner of natural disasters. In the face of a devastating volcanic eruption, the guardians exhausted their powers in an effort to protect the region’s inhabitants. Now, you’re tasked with reconnecting and rebuilding the severed communities. This can be done in any order you please as you explore Anthos.
Same-Sex Romance Options
Regardless of your gender, you can now marry any one of 10 marriage candidates in The Winds of Anthos. This marks a turning point for the Harvest Moon franchise. Not to mention, it’s also a big step up from One World.
In addition to offering a more inclusive gameplay experience, your romance options are essentially doubled in The Winds of Anthos. Let’s hope we see this trend continued in future titles to come.
Expansive Map
Upon the release of One World, many players weren’t too thrilled about the game’s ironically closed world. This issue is largely resolved in The Winds of Anthos. Thanks to the region’s wide-open landscape, the world feels bigger than ever before.
In the same vein, the new entry boasts a huge map. Without exaggeration, you’ll spend hours unlocking each new village and town in Anthos. Fortunately, fast travel is made easy with the help of mounts.
Related: Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos Preview Impressions — Over the Moon
Major Graphics Upgrade
Perhaps the biggest complaint that players voiced following the release of One World was that the game didn’t boast the most ambitious graphics. The Winds of Anthos is sure to impress with a top-notch image across platforms.
Whether you choose to play on the Switch or PC, the world of Anthos remains beautifully textured and full of wildlife at every turn. Performance of this caliber is a huge feat for the franchise and for developer, Natsume.
Seasonal Towns
The villages and towns in The Winds of Anthos have seasonal themes. While the extent of any potential effects this may have on crops is still unclear, the aesthetic impact is one worth noting. In any case, we haven’t yet received a feature quite like this in past Harvest Moon titles.
Summer lovers may opt to pack up their farm and settle in Lilikala. On the other hand, those who value winter might prefer to live in Zimgrad. At the end of the day, it’s up to you. Continue to explore and unlock communities across Anthos to weigh your options.
Camera Mode
The camera mode in The Winds of Anthos is another step up from One World, which lacked a similar feature. To be clear, the camera mode isn’t entirely new to the Harvest Moon franchise. However, the upcoming installment makes some necessary improvements to its functionality.
In The Winds of Anthos, you can whip out your camera to photograph memorable moments throughout the game. What’s more, you can now shift to selfie mode to get in on the action.
While Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos is primed to deliver several features absent from One World, the new entry also improves upon the previous title’s best qualities. Equally equipped with long-standing farming and life sim elements, The Winds of Anthos is set to breathe new life into the Harvest Moon franchise at launch this September for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch.
