Harvest Moon (known in Japan as Bokujō Monogatari) is a farming simulator and role-playing game. Its first North American release was for the SNES in 1997. The
franchise's most recent release was in 2023. That's over 25 years!

In 2013, HM's North American localizer Natsume Inc. split from the original
titles' publisher Marvelous and started making their own "Harvest Moon" games - similar in trademarked title alone. Now, Marvelous works with XSeed to localize their
games as Story of Seasons. To makes things easier, I'll only refer to the series as "Harvest Moon," simply disregarding the non-SoS titles after 2014.

In total, there are around 30 mainline games, including a few remakes. There are
also a couple spin-offs (including River King, Innocent Life, and Rune Factory). Some of my personal favorites include HM: Friends of Mineral Town, HM: Magical Melody, HM: Animal Parade, SoS: Trio of Towns, Rune Factory Frontier, and Rune Factory 4. My
all-time favorite, however, is Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life was released in the US for the Nintendo
Gamecube in 2004. A special edition was added to PS2 a year later. Then its female counterpart, Another Wonderful Life, was released. And as of just now(!) in 2023 we have its remake, Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life!

So, I figured it's the perfect time to introduce people to this wonderful game ♡

In HM:AWL, you play as Mark. In HM:ANWL, you play as Pony.
You can always edit their name - and in the remake, you can also customize their appearance and pronouns. Originally, who you could marry was locked to the
version. Now, gender doesn't play a role. Woohoo!

(Note: some location names have changed,
but I'm going to default to the originals)

Celia / Cecilia
Kind and affectionate. Default bachelorette in Harvest Moon: AWL.
Location: Vesta's farm
Best gift: wildflowers
Child: well-rounded, most
likely to be a farmer

Muffy / Molly
Sweet and romantic. Gains bonus
affection when you change your look.
Location: Blue Bar
Best gift: flowers, coins
Child: energetic, most
likely to be an athlete

Nami
Aloof and tomboyish. In HM:AWL,
leaves town if you don't marry her. Location: Inner Inn
Best gift: Trickblue
Child: sensitive, most
likely to be an artist

Lumina
Shy and proper. Only romanceable in
HM:AWL special edition and SoS:AWL.
Location: Romana's villa
Best gift: eggs, Trickblue
Child: rebellious, most
likely to be a musician

Rock
Carefree and confident. Default
bachelor in Harvest Moon: ANWL.
Location: Inner Inn
Best gift: Toyflower
Child: outgoing, most
likely to be an athlete

Gustafa
Easygoing and free-spirited.
Often seen playing his guitar.
Location: Yurt
Best gift: wildflowers
Child: emotional, most
likely to be a musician

Cody / Gordy
Sentimental and thoughtful. Only
romanceable in Story of Seasons.
Location: Mobile home
Best gift: wildflowers
Child: calm, most
likely to be an artist

Marlin / Matthew
Reserved and hardworking. Initially
unfriendly because his health is poor.
Location: Vesta's farm
Best gift: Herbal soup
Child: withdrawn, most
likely to be a farmer

(Note: in SoS:AWL, your child's skintone can
change depending on the player character's, and
you can only have a girl in AWL:SE or SoS)