Windows

Harvest

This game is not only fun to play, but also escapes the usual pitfalls that other more sophisticated games fail to avoid. There are no pretensions here to be what it is not. There are no stupid red herrings or torturous timed devices to make it seem longer that it is. There is no pixel hunting and wonder of wonders the cursor gets you where it points. After playing a game where the cursor behaved as if it was playing a game of its own, this is a refreshing experience.

Harvest turned out to be a nice diversion from some of the more dialogue- or action-intensive games that I play. The story was well-written, to the point that I desperately needed to find out what made Vance tick and do the things that he did. Neither the fact that I'm logic-challenged nor the niggly issues I had with a couple of puzzles detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game. If you're a first-person puzzle lover, then Harvest will definitely rock your world. (Get it? Rock your world? Getting water from a rock? I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing!)

Harvest is Michael B. Clark’s first game and it is highly recommended to those who like a challenge. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is entirely mouse-driven. You can not die during game-play and there is an unlimited amount of saves. While Harvest would never be considered a game to be sold at retail level, I think that if Mr. Clark had a staff and budget, he would be more than capable of producing an ‘A’ quality title.

The first work of Michael B. Clark is still far from perfection, especially regarding graphics and atmosphere. But we find here a quite psychologically thought out story with solid puzzles and simple handling. Since I, as said in earlier reviews, am no friend of labyrinths and used a walkthrough for that, I can only estimate the total play time with approx. 16 to 18 hours. "Harvest" is recommendable for 1st-person-fans, who don't attach much importance to graphics quality but particularly want to concentrate on tricky puzzles.