Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands is the seventeenth installment in the Harvest Moon series, and the fourth to appear on the DS, following Island of Happiness. In Sunshine Islands players will take on the role of a rancher who has just moved to an island. Players have the option of being a boy (Mark) or a girl (Chelsea) to explore the mystery of the Sunshine Islands, while still maintaining the role as a farmer seeking fortune and marriage. Sunshine Islands' straightforward plot finds that long ago a powerful earthquake struck, causing many of the islands to submerge deep into the ocean. It is up to the farmer to restore the islands to their former state by collecting all one hundred Sunstones. Plot in a Harvest Moon game is not plentiful, and this one is no exception.
Josh from Controller Crusade writes "Anyone who has followed the Harvest Moon franchise since it burst on the scene in 1997 (1996 in Japan) knows the many ups and downs it has endured. The odd thing about Harvest Moon games is that even when they’re not that great they are still incredibly addicting. Depending on what aspect of the games you like to focus on, you’ll enjoy certain titles more than others. Personally I like to mix it up and do a little bit of everything, not pigeon hole myself into one type of task or chore. Here are my personal highs and lows for the Harvest Moon series."
NintendoLife - Harvest Moon’s power to enthral and entrap gamers is often underestimated by those who have yet to experience the unbridled thrill of growing a crop of healthy tomatoes, but nearly 15 years after the original Super NES Harvest Moon the series continues to sell well to experienced farmers and newcomers alike. Now Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands has reached Europe, and it brings with it a few tweaks and changes that freshen the formula slightly while keeping it familiar for veterans.
Namco Bandai Partners S.A.S. has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Rising Star Games to distribute Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for Wii and Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands for Nintendo DS. Namco Bandai Partners will bring the two games to EMEA regions in November 2010.
