I am not the only player who experienced a little thrill the first time I walked into my new kitchen. First of all, whenever you obtain a Kitchen in Harvest Moon, you feel that you finally have ARRIVED. Your life becomes so much easier and cooking IS fun. All those raw ingredients that you toted about in your Rucksack for weeks now can be stored in the fridge or USED to create new dishes.

It may be possible to obtain the House expansion in Spring but most players do it immediately after the Summer Races. A House Expansion, after all, is desirable, but there are other expenses in Spring that need to take priority. Furthermore, you have to order one of the existing projects on Woody's Menu before the House Expansion in the form of Kitchen, Bath and Toilet will be unlocked.

The Kitchen, Bath and Toilet are situated in a separate chamber. You will awaken to find that your bed has been moved but if you expect to find a small kitchen counter in the same room, you will search in vain. Walk through the opening in the centre of the eastern wall and...

From the Journal of a good friend who is a Harvest Moon comrade as well:

'OMG… the kitchen is beautiful! When I woke up I’m like hey why is my bed moved? Oh yeh, the kitchen! Walk around looking….where is it? Slight sucking in of breath upon seeing it! Very pleasantly surprised. I had expected a starter kitchen like Joe and Kurt's.'

Players of A Wonderful Life/Another Wonderful Life may recall similar experiences with respect to the Kitchen in those games.

If you consider the premise of hero of leaf valley, which is story-driven, it makes sense to allow a player to obtain a Kitchen, Bath and Toilet as a single building project. After all, the business of saving the homeland must take precedence over everything else. Other Harvest Moon games that divide the House Expansion, Kitchen, Bath and Toilet expansions into four and sometimes even five different upgrades do not have the same urgency or time limit where the plot of the game is concerned. You have only two years to save Leaf Valley in hero of leaf valley. The harvest moon gods mercifully decreed that, with the weight of this responsibility resting upon your shoulders, you should be allowed the benefit of cooking, bathing and changing your clothes with a single home upgrade.

For my part, it was the additional storage space that thrilled me most when my new house expansion was unveiled to me. Even with the Large Rucksack, I never had sufficient space, and it saddened me whenever I was forced to give away, sell or consume a seasonal item simply in order to free a slot in my Rucksack.

I, of course, had hoped to make every Cooked Dish as early as possible, but I finally had to dispose of my Apples and Oranges in the interest of space. No longer, though! All edible items can go into the Fridge, to await future use...

Your initial Kitchen provides you with a small Frying Pan and a small Pot. These allow you to cook any Dish that requires only one ingredient.

Remember that Cooked Dishes often are 'Wanted Items' by local merchants. In Summer, Corn is on the Wanted Items list at Clove Villa but Ronald's Wanted Items List includes Fried Corn. Martha will pay 60G for raw Corn, but Ronald will pay 100G for the same ear of Corn when it has been cooked in a Frying Pan. the Wanted Items Lists for every Season are included both in my HoLV Walkthrough/General Guide and my HoLV Shops and Businesses Guide.

The items that are the subject of Delivery Requests often are out-of-season. Once you have a Kitchen, it is easier to store Crops, Fish and items from the Wilds in anticipation of a future Delivery Request.

At the end of the first Summer, it is worthwhile to consider a potentially profitable Wanted Item that will go into effect on 1 Autumn. Scrap Metal usually sells for 10G, but during the Autumn Season, Louis will pay 30G for each piece of Scrap Metal. Unfortunately, you can store only a total of 99 items of any variety in your Toolbox. A single slot will take 99 items, but if you attempt to fill a second slot with the overflow, the Toolbox will not accept the items. You therefore must keep any excess Scrap Metal in your Rucksack if you wish to profit from Louis' need for the item in Autumn.

In the screenshots of the Kitchen, you will note that Freyr is dressed in an outfit that is different from the one worn throughout the pre-Kitchen period. A change of clothing is a benefit of taking a Bath in hero of leaf valley.

Incidentally, there is one very frustrating aspect in hero of leaf valley where the Bath is concerned. There is no prompt whatsoever at the door of the Bath or Toilet. If you stray too close to the door, your Character will slide right in, have a bath as quick as lightning and be out again, clearing the water from his ears... having WASTED his daily Bath while his energy still was at the full! I have done this twice early in the morning after cooking up some quick dishes at the counter... Very annoying! It wouldn't matter if you could have multiple baths, but only the first one counts, so it is very exasperating when your Character decides to have a quick bath without permission!

Special Fishing Bait in hero of leaf valley

Special Fishing Bait is an interesting little item in hero of leaf valley that, when scattered in the water, helps you catch more fish by preventing you from catching any Rubbish items.

Your first encounter with Special Fishing Bait may be as a Gift from one of the Harvest Sprites after you have given the Most Favourite Gift of Mushrooms to one of them a couple of times.

You can find Mushrooms in the Forest or you can place a piece of Lumber on the plank behind your Storage Shed and water it each day until a Mushroom appears. Unfortunately, one piece of Lumber produces only a single harvest of a single Mushroom.

You will find Special Fishing Bait on the Menu at the Races. It costs 2 Medals there.

What I did not realise was that there is another connection between Lumber and Special Fishing Bait apart from the transaction performed by the Harvest Sprites when you give them Mushrooms.

The Transformer 2 Machine transforms Lumber into Special Fishing Bait. When I entered my Horse in the Long Distance Race in the first Summer, I won the race and made a handsome profit by having bet on him at 6 to 1 odds. What I did not expect was the Prize of the Tranformer 2 Machine, nor did I realise what its action would be.

After all, in previous Events with Louis, although he spoke of his Tranformer Machine experiments, they appeared to involve Crops rather than the creation of Fishing Bait. Another little surprise from a game that has many wonderful treats in store for its players.

Incidentally, whenever you enter your own Horse in a Race, the odds will be generated randomly. The first time I entered my Shadowfax in a Race in the first Summer, he was billed as the favourite at 2 to 1 odds! Incredible for a horse who was running his maiden race...

I reloaded and replayed the Event, only to find that this time, the odds were listed at 6 to 1 for him. I bet on him generously and won a handsome profit... as well as the Transformer 2 Machine.

Family Life in Hero of leaf valley

This information, including the Rival Events, will be included in my Guides but as a player posted a comment to ask about one aspect of Family Life, I thought a post might be helpful.

First of all, 'Hero of Leaf Valley' is based on 'Save the Homeland', not 'Back to Nature'. It is 'Harvest Moon Boy & Girl', another PSP title, that was based on the old 'Back to Nature' and includes both the male and female versions of THAT game.

In the original 'Save the Homeland', you had two years to save the Village. At the end of that period, or when you succeeded in 'clearing' one of the possible Quests to achieve this, the game ended then and there. You then could start the game again, carrying over most of your items and assets and play through a different Story Quest, continuing to do this until you had experienced all possible Story Quests. In 'Save the Homeland', there was no option to marry, although romantic Events would occur with the protagonist of the Story Quest you chose to complete.

'Harvest Moon Boy & Girl', for players not familiar with 'Back to Nature' is rather similar to 'Friends of Mineral Town' and 'More Friends of Mineral Town' in that it takes place in the same village, has most of the same set of characters and many of the same goals. There is a big difference, however, between the 'Boy' version and the 'Girl' version of HM B&G. If you play as a Boy, you can marry and have a child. If you play as a Girl, however, the game will end when you marry. Rather unfair to those of us who ARE Girls, perhaps, but that was the way the original Japanese game worked and, on the positive side, at least you CAN choose whether to play as a Girl or a Boy. Furthermore, as it is a PSP title, you can play BOTH as a Girl and a Boy in different save files! Like many Harvest Moon games, it gives incredible value for the cost.

Now, to answer some questions about 'Hero of Leaf Valley'. It is a very expanded version of 'Save the Homeland' as it will not end after you save the Valley AND, you actually can marry in HoLV. The game is divided into two main parts. You have to 'save the homeland' before you will have the option to marry, although courtship can occur during the first part of the game while you are busy saving the Valley.

The first part of the game, therefore, is most similar to the original 'Save the Homeland', although it is not identical by any means. The game does NOT end if you manage to succeed in one of the three main Quests. If, however, you fail to save the Valley from the threat of development by the end of the 2nd year, the game WILL end and you will be forced to begin again. You will not be forced to start with nothing again, however. You will be able to 'inherit' many of your assets from your first failed game.

In the second phase, once the land is safe from threats of development, HoLV begins to resemble a traditional Harvest Moon game. You can propose to an Eligible Girl and marry her, provided all Heart Level requirements have been met. There are Rival Events that can occur between Eligible Girls and the bachelors who are interested in them, but they will not lead to Rival Marriages. Your own marriage does not result in any children.

There are other Events that cannot be experienced before the third year of the game and a new Character in the form of Zann, who somewhat resembles Ivan or Lute from Rune Factory games and who can create wonderful Accessories for you.

Some players have expressed a wish that one could have a Child in HoLV, but after all, every Harvest Moon game, although it is founded on the same general philosophy, is unique. Players who are familiar with 'Save the Homeland' will be thrilled by the amazing expansions of the game that can be found in Hero of Leaf Valley. If having a Child is your primary goal in Harvest Moon, there are many games that will satisfy your ambition. In the recent Animal Parade for the Wii, you actually can have more than one child. If you consider Rune Factory as part of the 'Harvest Moon' series, as I do, there is Rune Factory 2, where you actually can PLAY the game in the 2nd Generation as your Child!

One final point about Events in 'Hero of Leaf Valley'. Many players are using the terms from the Official Guide to describe the many Events that can be experienced in this game. I initially did the same in my Guides, but now intend to use my own terms because I am beginning to see that some events, quite clearly, are Heart Events and have very little to do with the Story Quests to which they are linked. The only link in many cases is the fact that they involve the same Eligible Girl who is the protagonist in the Story Quest. Instead of describing the Events as 'Mecha', or 'Farm Aid' or whatever, whenever an Event is a Friendship Event or Heart Event, I am going to designate it as such, although I will make certain that each Event either is described as 'Mandatory' or 'Optional'.

I have a couple of reasons for making this change. One is the fact that many of the Story Quests are linked and indeed, 'Optional' Events often are connected to more than one Story Quest. I still need to confirm whether or not experiencing a specific Event that involves more than one Eligible Girl or Character increases FP for all the Characters in the Event. Evidence that lends itself to the belief that it DOES increase FP if only slightly, is the fact that Heart Levels have changed immediately after I experienced an Event. On the other hand, simply 'meeting and greeting' any Character on a given day increases FP by +1 point. Experiencing an Event with a Character could be assigned the 'Meeting and Greeting' point for that day. In some specific cases, an Event will raise a Character's FP significantly and that is confirmed officially. Whether or not ALL Events result in some FP increase, however, beyond +1 FP for each Character involved, still needs to be confirmed.

Two Events that clearly are 'Heart Events' in HoLV are Dia's first two Events. They both are concerned primarily with her relationship with your Character. In the first, your Character 'rescues' her from a large spider. In the second, she confesses that your gifts to her have widened her appreciation of the knowledge she has gained from books. In fact, as her Heart Level increases, her general dialogue as well as her responses to specific gifts, often deals with the same topic.

Blueberries traditionally are Dia's favourite in more than one Harvest Moon game. In HoLV, however, her responses to the gift of a Blueberry as well as responses to other Berries would be bizarre if one did not comprehend their basis.

In fact, most of her Responses to Gifts of items 'found in the wilds' reflect a comparison of descriptions of itmems found in books with the reality of the item. Here are some of her early Responses to items. Note that these ALL are Gifts that are acceptable to her:

At Black Heart:

For Very Berry: ...Th-Thank you.

For Fish (S?) or Common Seashell: Oh, no, it smells so foul.

At Purple Heart:

For Blueberry: ...This is a little different from what I saw in the encyclopedia. ...Is it real?

For Orange, Strawberry, Very Berry: Can you...Eat this? It won't make you sick?

For Moondrop Herb or Fairy Dress Herb: ...It's a fairly common flower.

For Tomato: It's ...So dirty, covered in mud...

At Blue Heart:

For Very Berry: This is fairly sweet.

For Blueberry: I'm not sure how good these taste, but...I think I like the taste.

As you can see, if you look at the Responses knowing that Dia has been extremely 'sheltered' and therefore may be experiencing her first real contact with these items, dialogue that otherwise would appear ungrateful or discourteous becomes less so.

'It's ... So dirty, covered in mud...' for a Tomato for example, is the response of a girl who never saw a Tomato until it had been prepared in a Salad or Sandwich. The Response to a Seashell, 'Oh no, it smells so foul.' again displays the astonishment of a girl who saw pictures of shells in books but was unprepared for the reality of an item fresh from the sea.

Her responses to Blueberries and other Fruits are extremely interesting, as they show the incredible attention to detail that has been given to the dialogues in this game.

At Purple Heart:
For Blueberry: ...This is a little different from what I saw in the encyclopedia. ...Is it real?

This is the response of a girl who prior to this only saw pictures of Blueberries in an Encyclopedia. At this point in time, she has little personal knowledge of raw, unprepared Fruits, even those that are cultivated. Proof of this is given in her response to ANY other Fruit:

For Orange, Very Berry, Strawberry: Can you...Eat this? It won't make you sick?

As you continue to visit her, raising her Heart Level, her responses to these items change:

At Blue Heart:

For Very Berry: This is fairly sweet.

For Blueberry: I'm not sure how good these taste, but...I think I like the taste.

Here, you see how she has 'grown' emotionally to become more in touch with the universe and with her real feelings and senses. She is sharing HER actual responses to the taste of these Fruits.

The Event where she confides the effects of your visits and gifts puts all of this into proper perspective:

Dia stood in the Library facing me.

Dia: Oh, Freyr. ... I was just reading, thinking about things. I've realised that the things written in my books don't take place in a distant land, they happen much closer to home. ... What, well... About this gift you've given me. Lately, when I read, I find myself saying, 'Oh, I know this. I've seen that before...' Knowledge isn't only something to know. It's important that they are experienced. With everything you've done... I think I'm getting more interested in the outside world. I feel like I'll go for a long walk one of these days. ...Although by that I mean, I'll go as far as your farm, perhaps.'

This is one of the reasons I love Harvest Moon so much. It is not about 'clearing a goal' as much as it is about your ability to change lives, to bring prosperity AND happiness to others. If you take an interest in spoiled, shy Dia, she will become a better person, more courageous and more involved in the feelings and lives of others. Even at Green Heart Level, however, she has not changed fully...

If you follow Gina's Quest to make the Harvest Goddess Dress, you will see how Dia remains quite imperfect and selfish at the point where your Character asks about the 'Silk Thread' needed by the Harvest Goddess. Both Martha and Louis will tell you about the trader who delivers Miss Dia's clothes to the Villa and who undoubtedly has Silk Thread.

In fact, Martha will tell you that Dia purchased some recently:

Want Silk Thread

Martha: What? 'Silk Thread'...? I'm sorry, I don't have any. I think that the trader who comes to deliver Miss Dia's clothes may sell you some, but it's quite expensive. Now that I think about it, Miss Dia had just purchased some from him... I wonder what she'll use it for?

When you speak to Dia, however, to ask about it:

Want Silk Thread

Dia: 'Silk Thread'? ... Um... ...Could you ask some one else? Oh... Wait one moment. ...You wouldn't be planning on raising the worms that would make the silk thread, would you? P-Please, never bring those things to the villa! Understood?

When Katie and Gina are discussing the gown outside the gates of the Villa, Dia interrupts by calling for Gina to fetch her shawl for her. This may demonstrate her spoiled and selfish nature, but at the same time, Gina is at fault somewhat for not confiding her plans to make a gown for the contest. Gina is too self-effacing and both she and Martha are somewhat responsible for being over-protective of Dia and keeping her in her 'ivory tower'.

As the Story Quests develop, all of this changes gradually, and every Character in Hero of Leaf Valley changes. Even Alice and the other employees of Funland can be influenced by your Character...

Adopting and caring for your Dog in Hero of leaf Valley

Player emailed me today as follows:

Hi Emmanuel

First I just wanted to say thank you for all your guides, I have used many of them over the years as I am an avid Harvest Moon (and Rune Factory) fan! I've recently been playing Hero of Leaf Valley and just had a question that I'm wondering if you know anything about. For some reason, I can't get my dog's affection to go up! And actually, I've lost the heart I had when I first was able to adopt him. I feed and pick him up once a day, and have started feeding milk or fish but still haven't gotten my heart back (on Summer day 2). Could this be because I don't have a dog house for him yet? I got him just before rainy season so unfortunately he was outside all day in the rain for quite a few days in a row.

END OF EMAIL

Actually, the answer as well as all details required for care of your Dog and other Animals is included in my HoLV Walkthrough/General Guide now, but for those players who have not read recent versions of the guide, a post on the topic may be helpful.

The player who wrote to me is correct in surmising that the loss of the heart is due to her failure to protect her dog from the elements. You do not need to purchase the Dog House in order to keep your Dog healthy, however. You can carry him into the house when the weather is inclement.

Bear in mind the fact that you can lose affection with him if you do not carry him outside again when the weather improves!

The point values of every action that can be undertaken towards your Dog are as follows:


Animal Friendship Levels


As with the Characters you meet in Leaf Valley, Animals have Friendship Levels of their own, and raising these Levels can be critical to your success in life.

The system that awards Friendship Points to Animals is a little different from that which applies to other Characters. In fact, you can lose Hearts with Animals as well as gain them.

Animal Friendship Levels are as follows:

0-29 FP = 0 Hearts
30-79 FP = 1 Heart
80-129 FP = 2 Hearts
130-179 FP = 3 Hearts
180 - 219 FP = 4 Hearts
220 - 255 FP = 5 Hearts

These values apply to all Animals, whether they are Pets, Poultry or Livestock. The difference between each Animal type in terms of Friendship is that you interact with each differently and earn FP through different actions.


Friendship with your Dog


Even when you do not own a Dog, your actions with respect to the two stray dogs in the Valley will determine your future ability to adopt one.

You will find a food dish next to your Farmhouse even at the start of the game. Although you do not own a pet Dog, you should leave food in the dish daily in order to be able to court the stray dogs of the Valley. When your Friendship Level with the Dogs reaches 31 FP, you will have the option to pick up either Dog. The first time you pick up either one of the two Dogs, you will be given the option to adopt.

At that point, you will be able to choose which of the two dogs you wish to adopt, irrespective of the Dog with whom you currently are interacting. To adopt the Dog you are NOT holding, choose 'No' when you are asked if you wish to adopt it.*

After adoption, your duties and responsibilities with respect to the Dog you have chosen will increase.

If you wish to delay the adoption of a Dog by ignoring the invitation to pick him up when his FP reaches the required level, you can do so and his FP will not decrease. You will be able to continue to raise his Friendship Level slowly by filling the Food Dish daily but until you have adopted him, you will be unable to gain any FP from other actions.

Various actions will raise his Friendship on a daily basis, but other actions will cause his FP to decrease.

To increase FP each day:

+2 FP: Pick up your Dog
+2 FP: Whistle for your Dog (use the L Button, then Choose the 'Dog')
+2 FP: Play the Ocarina to train the Dog
+1 FP: Place any food item other than Milk or Fish in the Food Dish
+2 FP: Place any ordinary Milk or Fish in the Food Dish
+6 FP: Place Gold Milk in the Food Dish

To decrease FP:

-20 FP: Forget to feed your Dog
-20 FP: Hit the Dog with a sharp Farm Tool
-20 FP: If your Dog is Sick for an entire Day without Treatment
-5 FP: Awaken your Dog when it is sleeping

Other actions result in an FP decrease by the hour:

-2 FP per hour: Taking or keeping the Dog outside in bad Weather if you do not have a Dog House
-1 FP: Leaving your Dog in any area other than the Homestead
-1 FP: Keeping your Dog inside the House when the Weather is good

As you can see, the act of adopting a Dog in Hero of Leaf Valley forces you to assume a fairly serious amount of responsibility each day. The rewards, however, can be very great. It is your Dog who will find the Power Berries that are hidden in the Valley and these can increase your total Energy capacity.

The Dog can find other useful items as well.

The items your Dog can find, with the probability of finding them is as follows:

80% chance of finding a Power Berry until he has found all four of them.

There is a 5% chance of finding Pontata Root, Black Truffle, White Truffle, Star Truffle or Baby Truffle while the Power Berries remain undiscovered.

Until your Dog has found all 4 Power Berries for you, the chance of finding any other item remains at 5%. Once you have obtained all the Power Berries, the chances of finding the other items changes to:

50% chance of finding Pontata Root.
20% chance of finding a Star Truffle.
10% chance of finding Black Truffle, White Truffle or Baby Truffle.

Note that you will not be able to direct your Dog to search for items until you have gained 2 Hearts with him. The 'Search' Command is one of seven commands you can teach him by playing your Ocarina.


Ocarina Commands


To play the Ocarina, you first must equip it. Even when you own one, you will not be able to play it until you have adopted one of the two stray dogs in the Valley.

Playing a Melody on the Ocarina is effected by the use of the Directional Buttons.

The commands with the FP Levels and melodies that are linked to each are:

Sit Command: Requires +31 FP
Press Up, Left, Up

Stay Command: Requires +31 FP
Press Up, Down, Down

Come Command: Requires +51 FP
Press Left, Right, Right

Search Command: Requires +71 FP
Press Down, Left, Up

Pursue Command: Requires +71 FP
Press Right, Left, Right

Jump Command: Requires +96 FP
Press Left, Up, Right

Beg Command: Requires +126 FP
Press Down, Up, Up


A Dog's Special Abilities


Unlike the Poultry and Livestock you can own in HoLV, your Dog has special abilities that will increase when you perform specific actions on a daily basis. These special abilities or traits are Intelligence, Speed, Perseverance and Wildness. Your Horse has his own Special Abilities, but these will be discussed in another section.

To increase these abilities, perform the following actions:

When you call your Dog by whistling to him, it will increase his Intelligence. His Intelligence Level will determine his success in obeying your Commands.

When you train your Dog using the Ocarina, his Speed will increase.

When you Feed your Dog each day, it increases his Perseverance, the trait that will strengthen his immunity to Sickness.

Barking is the sign of Wildness and picking up your Dog on a daily basis will decrease his tendency to bark.

*It appears from a player's comment that if you do not wish to adopt the Dog who first gives you the option, you either need to hunt down the one you like better or wait until he appears, then pick HIM up and choose the option to adopt...

Wanted Items in Hero of Leaf Valley

A player made a comment about the 'Wanted Items' in Hero of Leaf Valley. There are so many details to include in the guides that I have not done much in terms of the 'Wanted' Lists that every Merchant has, but hope to have a detailed list for each Season in the next few days.

When you take items to sell to any Shop or Merchant, there are two possibilities. One simply is to choose to 'Sell' the item. The other is to access the 'Wanted Items' List. Often the items on the Wanted Items List will be listed at a higher value than the regular value of the item. Every shop is different and the list changes each season, so it is a good idea to be aware of the items that are 'Wanted' at a specific location in any Season.

The 'Wanted Items' for all the Shops in Spring of the 1st Year are in my Walkthrough but I will include some examples here as well.

Wanted Items in Spring of the First Year include:

Ronald's Grocery Shop:

Boiled Egg: 100G
Milk M: 270G
Fried Clam: 50G

Louis' Item Shop:

Iron Ore: 80G
Copper Ore: 60G
Mineral Crystal: 30G

Lyla's Florist Shop:

Fairy Dress Herb: 50G
Pink Cat Mint: 20G
Moondrop Herb: 20G
Coal: 40G

Sunny Garden Cafe/Moonlight Pub

Cheese: 550G
Black Truffle: 80G
Green Herb: 20G

Bob's Animal Supplies:

Alfalfa Sprouts: 50G
Mineral Crystals: 40G

Woody's Carpentry Shop:

Blue Rock: 110G
Silver: 90G
Copper Ore: 50G

Clove Villa Kitchen:

Rainbow Trout: 60G
Milk M: 270G
Carrot: 100G

Note how the prices of the same Item when it is on different 'Wanted Items' Lists can vary. For example, both Woody and Louis include Copper Ore on their Wanted Lists in Spring but Woody is willing to pay 10G more for this Item than Louis.

Although Mineral Crystals appear on Louis' Wanted Items List, he pays no more than the regular price for them, where Bob will give you 10G more for the same Item. Medium Milk is 'Wanted' both by Martha and by Ronald. It is Ronald, however, who will give you an extra 10G for the item.

Where Coal is concerned, the best price is offered by Lyla, who will pay 40G for Coal as a 'Wanted Item', as opposed to the regular price of 20G.

Raising Friendship Levels in Hero of Leaf Village

'Hero of Leaf Village' follows basic Harvest Moon rules where Friendship is concerned. Your Friendship Levels with specific Characters will determine your success or failure in any specific quest to save the Land. Beyond that, marriage is a possibility once you have saved the Land from destruction and therefore, your Friendship Levels with the Eligible Girl of your choice will determine your prospects for marriage.

In 'Hero of Leaf Valley', 'meeting and greeting' any Character on a given day will raise Friendship by +1 FP. A gift of a 'Most Favourite Item' is worth +3 FP. A simple Favourite is worth +2 FP and an acceptable Gift is worth +1 FP. Unlike many other Harvest Moon games, unacceptable or disliked items simply will be refused. You therefore cannot 'waste' an item by giving it to some one who will not appreciate it.

You are allowed to give one Gift per day to any Character. There is one added twist to this in that an item that has been refused counts as the gift for the day even though it was not accepted. You therefore can waste your opportunity to give a desired Gift, although you cannot waste an actual item.

Gift-giving is fairly easy in Hero. There are a number of inexpensive items that can be found in the Wilds that are acceptable to almost every Character in the game. These include Fruits and Berries, Red Herb, Flowers and any size of Fish. Crops and Eggs are acceptable as well to most Characters. There are only a few exceptions. Chester does not care for Crops, while Joe does not like Red Herb. Ponta likes ONLY Fish.

Although most Characters will not appreciate the Gift of Fodder, there are a number who do. Bob, Chester, Joe, Parsley, Ronald and Rudolph all will accept Fodder happily. As the Meadow on your Homestead is filled with fully ripened Grass that needs only the use of a Sickle to be transformed into Fodder, this item makes a perfect gift for the individuals who appreciate it.

Another item of little general value but which is appreciated by a few is a Failed Dish. Aurelia, Chester, Rudolph and Zann all will accept Failed Dishes with pleasure.

Insects, on the other hand, will be acceptable solely to Tim, who collects them and actually will pay for them. Scrap Metal can be given to Zann in a sequence of transactions that ultimately can allow you to obtain Accessories.

Guides for Hero of Leaf Valley

I did play 'Save the Homeland' a few years ago and in some respects, 'Hero of Leaf Valley' is rather similar to that wonderful Playstation title. Without wishing to cast any shadow on the older game, I have to confess that 'Hero of Leaf Valley' far surpasses its predecessor. There are more Events and more Endings, BUT beyond that, there is the ability to marry and continue to play your EXISTING game AFTER you save the Land. In 'Save the Homeland', the game actually ENDED when you saved the land. You could carry over some of your assets to a new game, but you still had to start anew after any Ending had occurred. Moreover, although you could 'court' some of the Girls in a limited fashion, it would not lead to any life that you could experience firsthand.

In 'Hero of Leaf Valley', much like 'An Innocent Life', your successful completion of the primary quest does not bring the game to an end. You can rest on your laurels, as it were, and continue your life in Leaf Valley once the threat of destruction has been negated. You do have only two years to complete one of the Stories that will 'save the land', but if you fail for any reason, you will be able to keep some of your assets when you start again.

As some of the 'Happy Endings' are very easy to complete, there is no reason why your Character should fail in his Quest. As a matter of fact, if a player is at all uncertain of his potential at the start, he can choose one of the easier Storylines first, in order to familiarise himself with the game and to be able to devote more energy to his own private life while still moving forward towards the vital quest of saving the land.

The fundamental basis of 'Hero of Leaf Valley' is quintessentially founded on the philosophy of Harvest Moon. The last game I played was Sunshine Islands and in the dialogues both of Mark and Chelsea at different Heart Levels, it is interesting to find the underlying principles that created 'Hero of Leaf Valley'.

Mark's Dialogues in his guest room at the Inn:

At Black Heart:
My dream is to become a rancher. Living together with nature is wonderful!
At Purple Heart:
I don’t like big cities because I feel too removed from nature.
At Blue Heart:
It feels nice when the crops you care for grow really well.
At Green Heart:
I keep in touch with my family through letters. Every one seems to be doing well.
At Yellow Heart:
Mark: People need to learn how to respect nature and live with it.
At Orange Heart, a rather heartrending fact:
Mark: The hill that I played on when I was small got flattened for city development.
At Red Heart:
Mark: Freya, your Asgard Ranch is awesome! You have my respect.

As you can see, the dramatic confession at Orange Heart Level mirrors the possible destruction of Leaf Valley, an idyllic place filled with natural beauty that could be 'flattened for city development' by the Funpark Corporation.

You will find links to the two preliminary Guides on the right side of the page. They are not 'live' yet unfortunately, but I have been assured that they will be later today.

For those readers who have not seen or played 'Hero of Leaf Valley', I recommend it highly. The game is complex and rich in detail. The graphics are incredible and the music is varied and sophisticated. With 16 different storylines, you actually have 16 different games for the price of one. The fact that the PSP allows multiple save slots on a memory card makes it possible for players to begin a single game and then branch out along different paths to experience more than one ending and ultimately, more than one marriage.

Friendship always is the most important aspect of any Harvest Moon game. 'Meet and greet' every Character regularly and give them items they love as often as possible. A 'favourite' or 'preferred' gift on a Character's Birthday in 'Hero of Leaf Valley' as in most Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games is worth far more in terms of Friendship Points than it would be if given on any other day. A Calendar that includes all Birthdays therefore provides key information.

Until the links for the Guides are 'live', the following may be useful:


Calendar of Festivals and Birthdays


Spring

1 Spring: Renton’s Birthday
5 Spring: Alice’s Birthday
11 Spring: Harvest Goddess Festival
Ronald’s Birthday
16 Spring: Parsley’s Birthday
27 Spring: Lyla’s Birthday

Summer

1 Summer: Earth Day
Bob’s Birthday
8 Summer: Gwen’s Birthday
10 Summer: Joe’s Birthday
14 Summer: Rudolph’s Birthday
15 Summer: Zann’s Birthday
20 Summer: Fireworks Day
21 Summer: Wallace’s Birthday
24 Summer: Chester’s Birthday
27 Summer: Race Day

Autumn

2 Autumn: Louis’ Birthday
5 Autumn: Aurelia’s Birthday
12 Autumn: Tim’s Birthday
20 Autumn: Gina’s Birthday
25 Autumn: Race Day
29 Autumn: Katie’s Birthday

Winter

2 Winter: Woody’s Birthday
9 Winter: Dia’s Birthday
10 Winter: Kurt’s Birthday
23 Winter: Liar’s Day
Charles’ Birthday
25 Winter: Martha’s Birthday
30 Winter: New Year’s Day Festival

As usual, I will be adding other details to my Calendar Guide, including favoured gifts for each Character and any Seasonal Crops and other items.

For 'Hero of Leaf Island', I will be creating separate Guides for 'First Year Events' and 'Second Year Events', much like my Events Guides for FoMT/MFoMT and HM DS/Cute DS. THese will include all of the specific Events that must be experienced in order to obtain each of the 'Happy Endings' required to save the land.

Using your Hammer to Forage in Hero of Leaf Valley

In Rune Factory Frontier, one of the early delightful surprises for me was my ability to knock ripe fruit from the Trees using my Hammer. In my first day of explorinng the landscape in Leaf Valley, I discovered that my Hammer could serve the same function in this new game. Using it, I was able to collect both ripe fruits and insects from various Trees.

It is not ALL Trees that can be assaulted in this fashion but only those that display the Hammer icon.

Tip for Players who tend to be confused by camera angles: The landscapes in Hero of Leaf Valley are breathtaking but the camera angle will shift on you quite suddenly sometimes. This is very artistic and enjoyable as an observer, but if your Character is trying to find his way about town initially, he may become hopelessly lost, entering and exiting the same building or area countless times in utter confusion.

The trick is to learn to use your Controls to change the camera angle again. You can centre the camera angle with the Triangle button or use the Directional buttons to move the camera until you find an angle that suits you.

The most foolish thing I did today in Harvest Moon was to keep my DS stylus in my hand thorugh the first few hours of playing Hero of Leaf Valley. It has become so much a habit in the past fortnight or so while I was furiously going through Sunshine Islands to bag as many events as I could that I forgot that the PSP did not have a Touchscreen.