Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos — Everything We Know

To celebrate twenty-five glorious years of Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons, developer Natsume has announced a new entry to the series, The Winds of Anthos. A life and farming sim by nature, players will once again delve into a mythical realm in an attempt to breathe life into the soil, using all the tricks of the trade to give the people of Anthos a new opportunity to learn and flourish. So, best get your straw and shovel — it’s time to enjoy the vast fruits of the harvest.

“The 25th anniversary of Harvest Moon would not be complete without Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume Inc. in a press release. “This new installment is the culmination of over 30 games! Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos includes beloved characters, like the Harvest Sprites and Harvest Goddess, and familiar goals like farming and caring for animals but also takes the player in new directions as they explore a new world.”

So, how will The Winds of Anthos compare to the likes of its predecessors? Well, here’s what we’ve been able to gather on the subject since first catching wind of it a year or so back. Let’s talk, farmers.

What Is Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos?

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos is a farming simulation game, and the thirtieth overall entry in the Story of Seasons timeline. In a similar vein to its previous chapters, the game itself will revolve around the restoration of a certain location — a mythical island known as Anthos, to be precise.

Once again, players will be invited to live out their fruitiest fantasies as an all-round farmhand on a brightly painted plot of land. This time, however, the eye will be cast on a new set of objectives, all of which will pertain to the barren highlands of a world split in two. With the villages disconnected and the Harvest Goddess no longer around to protect them, you will begin your journey to revive and rebuild the roots of Anthos. No pressure there, then.

Story

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, The Winds of Anthos will be set around the world of *checks palm* Anthos, a once-idyllic realm that originally stood under the protection of the great Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites. However, due to a volcanic eruption causing a rift between the villages and the people of Anthos, both the Harvest Goddess and the Goddess Sprites looked to send out a message—a request stowed away in a bottle, beckoning for its unknown recipient to leave their homes and travel to Anthos to help reconnect what was torn apart. That’s where you come in, an able-bodied jack-of-all-trades with a heart for restoration, and a motive to flourish.

Gameplay

It’s a farming simulator, so you’d best believe that the bulk of the gameplay will revolve around planting crops, tending to animals, and mopping up leftovers. On top of that, there’ll also be plenty of social networking—tasks in which you will need to befriend the locals and assist their efforts to put each of the scattered villages back on the map. Oh, and not to mention the monumental challenge of having to reawaken the Harvest Goddess and the ever-loyal Goddess Sprites. That’s another thing you’ll have to take into account.

“With the help of your wacky inventor friend Doc Jr. and many others, it’ll be up to you to revive the Harvest Goddess and the Harvest Sprites, as well as reconnect all of the villages of Anthos with each other!” the blurb adds. “Farm all around Anthos using Doc’s new and improved Expando-Farm! Easily move from place to place and farm everywhere from snowy mountains to beautiful beaches!”

It’s a life simulation game, too, so there’ll also be numerous love interests to pursue, mounts to tame, and friendships to build. Add the core elements of any traditional farming sim, and you’ve got yourself a neatly compressed Harvest Moon sequel, clear as day.

Development

Developer Natsume has been leaving quite the paper trail since lifting the veil on The Winds of Anthos, that’s for sure. In fact, the studio has been teasing fans of the series with a whole bunch of cryptic tweets that date back to 2022. It was only in May 2023, however, that The Winds of Anthos finally received its title and initial screenshots. And as it turned out, it was to be the culmination of thirty Story of Seasons games—a product to celebrate twenty-five long and fruitful years of the IP.

Trailer

The good news is, there is a slew of in-game screenshots to tide us over while we wait for the final product. The bad news is, Natsume has yet to actually reveal any footage of The Winds of Anthos. Quite surprising, given the fact that it’s due out in a few months. But if there is something of the sort in the works, then it’s sure to come to light over the next several weeks. Failing that, then a launch trailer in September. Speaking of which…

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will be making its debut on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on September 26, 2023.

As far as launch editions go, The Winds of Anthos will have the two: Standard Edition, and Limited Edition. The latter copy, which will be available to pre-order on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Switch, will include a selection of physical items on top of the base game. You can go ahead and add that to your basket from either of the respective store handles today.

Limited Edition — $84.99

• Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos 
• Original Soundtrack Disc
• 6 Animal Lapel Pins
• Harvest Moon 25th Anniversary Sleepcow Plush
• Special Collector’s Box

“We are excited to announce the September launch for Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos and to reveal the pre-order and Limited Edition details for the game,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. “Fans are sure to enjoy all of the fun items that are included in the new Harvest Moon game when they get their hands on it this September!”

Interested in what you’ve seen so far? If so, then be sure to check in with the team via the official social feed here. If anything changes ahead of its September launch, we’ll be sure to let you know all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos when it releases? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.