'Light oh Hope' featured new 3D graphics, but adhered to the '
Harvest Moon' tradition of developing a farm and eventually starting a family with one of the characters the player will encounter throughout the game as either a man or a woman farmer.
The growers who partnered with
Harvest Moon on the project funded the prototypes and testing, and now will be the first to use it.
We call the full moon closest to the fall equinox (which happened on September 22nd this year) the
Harvest Moon. The October
Harvest Moon isn't actually that rare, and happens anywhere between every 3 to 8 years.
Whereas the glow of the
Harvest Moon helped farmers to gather crops as the daylight hours got shorter, the Hunter's Moon gave extra light to hunting parties looking for deer, boar or other animals destined for the dinner table.
During the eclipse the
Harvest Moon - the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox - was darkened by the Earth's shadow.
The final lunar eclipse of the year coincided with the
harvest moon - when the moon's face is fully illuminated when seen from Earth.
And yes, when you venture into town, you'll meet inhabitants, just like in
Harvest Moon, and similarly try your hand at wooing some of them.
Some years the
Harvest Moon falls in October instead of September.
In a conservative New Hampshire town, Chance Cesar is voted Miss
Harvest Moon. Though the flamboyant Chance receives the title as a cruel joke by his co-workers, he uses the opportunity to "werk" the runway.
September
Harvest moon rising over the Oakland Hills on a fogless night
We've seen the
harvest moon yellow and bright pushing its glow through wispy clouds of night.
The weather and the
harvest moon are speaking to us -- are you listening?