Steam Community :: Harvester
01 person found this review helpful
Recommended
5.7 hrs on record
This game is certainly an experience to put it mildly, but I really enjoyed myself and had a good time for about the first 70% of the game. Coincidently this is the part of the game that acts as your typical point-and click adventure game. Like most games of this genre there is some pixel hunting to be found, but it’s not nearly as bad as some other point and click games. Another welcome difference between this and many other point and click adventure games of the era is the game is set up so you can’t lock yourself out of being able to complete the game by not picking up an item you need because time won’t advance until you pick up all the required items and talk to the required people. As far as I can tell the only way to lock yourself out of completing the game is if you kill an NPC you need to progress the game before they’re needed. Yes you can kill any NPC in this game due to the inclusion of a combat mechanic, although you’ll be arrested and executed for killing most of them. More on this in a moment.
The big thing that separates this game from others in the genre is the addition of a combat mechanic. This is not a good thing as the combat in this game is complete ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and one of the worst things I’ve ever experienced. It’s why the last 30% of this game is completely awful as once you enter the lodge the game largely stops being the typical adventure and instead turns into a gauntlet of combat encounters. I don’t know if there’s some secret to it that I haven’t figured out but it mostly boils down to spastically right-clicking and hoping you get lucky enough to stun lock your enemy as well as constanly saving because health items are few and far in between. It got to the point where I just gave up an looked up the cheat code for invincibility rather than deal with the combat anymore.
But that said, the gameplay is not why anyone plays Harvester. Harvester is very much about the bizarre experience and the cast of eccentric characters you encounter along the way. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything quite like it before and it’s not a game I could see being made today. I don’t think I can recommend that you play it, mostly because of the terrible lodge section, but it’s certainly worth experiencing. If anything I’d say watching a longplay of the game would get you as much of the experience as you need and if you do feel the need to play it for yourself, do yourself a favor and turn on the invincibility cheat when you get to the lodge. It’s “BRUCE” you can thank me later.
PS: The guy who plays the main character Steve was arrested for child porn. Something about that is just very funny to me.
