Harvest Moon is a farming simulation game with an underlining storyline that add depth to break up the daily monotony of watering crops. In the games, players have the option of getting married, raising livestock and poultry animals, catching fish, and attending festivals to impress the local villagers.

Harvest Moon (Bokujyou Monogatari) was first published in Japan in 1996 by Pack In Video; the company, after several mergers, is currently known as Marvelous AQL (formerly Marvelous Entertainment). In North America, the game is localized by Natsume, Inc. and first published in 1998. Natsume still handles the English localization. In the PAL region, localization is handled by Rising Star Games.