Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos is set to release in Summer 2023

Developer Natsume has been teasing us since December last year with hints of their next game. Last year, a simple logo and name reveal was enough to cause a ruckus. However, they also recently confirmed that the sequel will be released sometime in the summer of this year.

Build your mansion

Better yet, confirmation that the slice of life game will appear on all major platforms. PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series and both PlayStations will be able to participate in this life simulation.

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will take place in the titular country of Anthos. It is a beautifully rich land that is home to what are known as “Harvest Sprites”. These spirits are silent guardians of the land and people. They are even known to be stewards of the harvest goddess.

It’s time to relax!

A sudden volcanic eruption caused the goddess and all of her spirits to expend most of their magic in order to protect the land. Humanity was saved, but at great cost. While they survived, most of the lands were cut off from each other, never to interact again. That is, until now.

A recent press release was held by Natsume’s CEO and President, Hiro Maekawa. We were able to confirm many of the expected features that make a Harvest Moon game.

Take care of your crops in Harvest Moon

We will mainly manage our own farm, as well as all the crops and animals that come with it. Unlike, say, Harvestella, we’re going to be growing real-life produce and not those fancy fancy versions of popular foods. We will grow corn, squash and pineapples. Players will also need to collect various seeds from different lands in order to fully diversify their farms.

Doc Jr. makes a comeback

Caring for animals has always been a big part of Harvest Moon, and The Winds of Anthos won’t change that. The usual options like chickens, cows, and sheep are sure to be the most common. However, farmers will also be able to play with more exotic animals. These will include things such as parakeets, rabbits, wolves or even Bengal tigers. Mounts will also be included, but will not be limited to horses alone.

Natsume’s official Twitter account occasionally feeds eager fans with random game screenshots. In fact, the developers have been so secretive that there isn’t even a full trailer online for the game. Instead, they’ve given us beautifully artistic looks at various elements of the title.

This is Westley, the local town chief

Some of these images include the game’s neighboring town, Providence Village. You’ll meet new people, like the town chief Westley and his younger sister Vivi. Recurring characters will also make an appearance, such as Doc Jr. We’ve also confirmed that there will also be some potential love interests mixed into the game, for good measure. There are a total of 10 different characters that can be romanced, 5 Singles and 5 Singles.

Meet Judy, a potential romance

Another confirmation is that there will also be five different downs, each with different seasons. It looks a bit like the different regions of Harvestella. We also don’t currently know what will make The Winds of Anthos more “unique” or if it will attempt anything out of the ordinary like Harvestella did.

Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos will arrive “sometime” this summer 2023. No prices, physical editions or collectors editions have yet been announced. The title is also the 6th game created solely by the Natsume developers, as they were originally only the game’s distributors outside of Japan.

Take care of your cows

The Harvest Moon series has traditionally been known for being a fairly successful life simulation RPG. Players had open objectives and could choose to complete challenges in any order they wanted.

If you’re interested in life simulations, be sure to check out our coverage for Harvestella. It was a lovely mix of RPG and Life Sim that doled out both styles in equal amounts.