Among the hype of some widely popular triple-A titles coming from this year’s E3, DFTG took some time to experience what Natsume Inc. brought to the show. While the titles weren’t part of the grand stage, fans of such games as Harvest Moon and River City have a few games to look forward to. Plus, revisit some old school arcade-style shooting with a (slight) revamp of a classic game.

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

Natsume is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Harvest Moon franchise with their latest entry, Light of Hope. The new title will be arriving on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam some time near the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. As per the usual with the Harvest Moon games, gameplay is essentially a farming and building simulator. This will be the first Harvest Moon title that’s ever been available on a non-Nintendo console (excluding iOS and Android devices). The official synopsis for Harvest Moon: Light of Hope reads:

In Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, players begin the game as they set out looking for a fresh start and new surroundings. During their voyage, their ship is hit by a monsoon and goes down. As they drift into a small harbor town, now in a shambles from the storm, it will be up to the player to help rebuild the town and save the lighthouse…but it won’t be easy! Nevertheless, with some hard work growing crops, tending livestock, and gathering materials for repairs, players will be able to make new friends, start a family, revive the lighthouse, and save the town!

HM and Stardew Valley fans will feel very comfortable with this latest entry into the franchise. Our gameplay time was limited, but we did manage to build a few unique crops using the  utation system in the game. Mutations happen when you plant different types of vegetables and fruits next to one another. Creating enough of the mutated  produce and the in-game shops will start selling the seeds, making the player have a little control in the commerce of the in-game world.

Players will also be able to romance one of five male or five female options, depending on their selected gender. Besides building crops, players are tasked with falling in love and starting a family in their newly found home. Gifting to the desired romance choice will build the relationships between the two characters until the wedding bells chime. From there, players must have children with their spouse and raise their own simulated family by the lighthouse.

Wild Guns: Reloaded

For a few moments at this year’s E3, it seemed like we got the opportunity to step into a time machine. Wild Guns: Reloaded was the name, and classic arcade-style shooting was the game. This classic shooter has been slightly revamped, but is sure to bring back the memories of the good ‘ol days. Players will be able to join in with up to three friends for a four person co-op shoot ’em up set in the days of the Wild Wild West. The game is already available on the PlayStation 4, but will be arriving on Steam on July 4th of this year.

River City: Knights of Justice and River City: Rival Showdown

Natsume also brought some more obscure titles to E3. The River City franchise is much more popular in the Japanese market under its original name Nekketsu Monogatari. The games are essentially beat ’em up style RPGs that started back on the NES consoles. The two new titles will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Knights of Justice adds a medieval ambiance to the franchise that is not normally there.

Instead of whips and knuckles, players will be able to use swords, magic, and staves as means for attack. In Rival Showdown, players will attempt to find the protagonist’s (Kunio) missing girlfriend, and will challenge any who stand in the way. One of the eye catching features of Rival Showdown is a mode which allows players to have one on one battles with characters in the game that is very reminiscent of the old Double Dragon games. Knights of Justice will be available as an eShop exclusive some time this summer, while Rival Showdown will arrive in the fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySJAlrDCJaQ

All in all, the Natsume booth was a breath of fresh air among the craziness of some of the larger booths at E3. This company always brings the “feel goods” to gamers both new and old and almost has a feeling like coming home. Harvest Moon fans will finally get to play on PS4, and PC users will get to join in on some retro shooting action this year. Are there any of Natsume Inc.’s games that you’re looking forward to? Are you a fan of the Harvest Moon franchise? Let us know in the comments section below. Be sure to follow DFTG on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of the hottest news in gaming and entertainment.