Harvester, a point-and-click adventure game originally released in 1996 by Merit Studios, is one of those cult classic games that not too many have heard about, but has a strong following among the people in the know.
"Harvester contains various scenes of violence and gore; implied sexual intercourse, masturbation and S&M; profanity; cannibalism; prostitution; and stereotypes of homosexuals, Native Americans, Italians, and others."
In other words, everything we at NFOHump know to appreciate.
The game was made only for MS-DOS, but luckily with DosBox the game installs and works just fine even with Vista 64. Graphics were actually pretty decent back in the day - the game uses digitized characters (think early Mortal Kombat) on pre-rendered backgrounds. There's also quite a few FMV cutscenes, although special effects are lacking at best.
On the audio side of things, there's some memorable tracks in Harvester and they fit the theme perfectly and help with setting the mood. All dialogue is spoken by the digital character actors, and most of them do a pretty decent work.
After being treated to a - by today's standards - aged CGI intro (see it ), we're greeted by an equally spartan game menu.
Luckily, since this is an adventure game and all, there's no real need to tinker with the options or go through the help section - it's all pretty intuitive and easy to grasp.
Starting a new game shows the intro video again (which really doesn't explain anything about anything) and we find ourselves in what looks like a normal bedroom.
User interface is really simple - hovering around Points of Interest changes the mouse into a relevant icon (Inspect, Use, Talk etc), and you interact with them via Left mouse click. Right mouse button is completely dedicated to combat - depending on where you click on the screen, you can do a high, middle or low attack while unarmed or using a melee weapon. With firearms you just click away, but honestly it doesn't matter since combat is always just a clickfest - this was one of the major criticisms back when Harvester was originally released, and it certainly hasn't gotten any better with age.
There really isn't that much to do in the bedroom apart from examining the various objects, but there's some stuff in one of the dresser drawers,
So let's nab some of that junk. First rule of adventure gaming after all - grab everything that isn't nailed down and place them in your Magical Pockets of Holding.
Moving into the living room, I come across a kid in cowboy outfit, watching a cowboy show (from a crappy 50's black & white tv set).
The kid, Hank, isn't very talkative, but it's becoming apparent that our valiant protagonist is suffering from complete amnesia - along with a nagging feeling that something about the whole situation is wrong. At least I found out that my name's supposed to be Steve.
Before telling me to piss off, he admitted to peeking at dear ol' mom and dad's private playtime. Naughty kiddo!
Parent's bedroom door is closed, so moving on to the kitchen.
Mom looks like straight outta some 50's housewife ad, and has the annoyingly cheery attitude to match. Speaking about cookies...
Wow, that's certainly some shining woman's logic right there, mom.
Apparently the grand PTA bake sale on Friday is organized to help the homeless people of this town, Harvest. Such is the will of the Lodge, aka 'The Hall of the Order of the Harvest Moon'. She's convinced it's a pretty dandy place and urges me to try and get an application to join the Lodge before shooing me off.
Sure enough, there's a box filled with old newspapers back in the living room, so I grab one and head out.
Rather than delivering newspaper, little Jimmy James comes each morning to pick up a newspaper from every house in Harvest... Go figure, but let's just say that this little fucker means business and you better remember the paper each morning. He also asks if I'd happen to have a pair of sneakers to trade but I have no choice but to disappoint him, for now.
The overview of Harvest is split into four sections - there's a variety of locations, all dominated by the massive Lodge in the center of the town. I start the tour clock-wise by going next door to Pottsdam house. In their dialogue, both Hank and mom briefly mentioned Stephanie, someone Steve's supposed to be marrying soon so it seems like a logical first choice.
Entering the Pottsdam household, I'm greeted by Mr. Pottsdam who seems like an okay fella at first.
The fatty won't let me see Stephanie tho, and seems a bit too obsessed about red meat. Better go ask Mrs. Pottsdam's permission to see Stephanie then.
Oookkay, that's a bit weird... At least she gives me permission to go upstairs.
At this point I could go straight into Stephanie's room, but like any good son-in-law would, I go to their bathroom instead to snoop around. Medicine cabinet turns out to be a jackpot, lots of stuff that can be grabbed!
On my way out I notice the wall painting concealing a hole behind it... Heheh, guess Mr. Pottsdam ain't such a nice fella, after all. After a little peeping it's finally time to meet Stephanie properly.
Unfortunately she managed to change her clothes by the time I got there... Stephanie seems to be suffering from amnesia as well, and is very concerned about both the town and its people. She doesn't have all that much to say at this point, though, so I promise to swing by again later and leave the house.
Next place after Pottsdam house is "Abandoned house", which turns out to be a wasp-infested dwelling of Tetsua Crumb, also known as Wasp Woman.
Err, right... I'll just show myself to the door.
Next door is the Johnson residence, where Mr. Johnson spends each day watching over his prized Tucker. Everyone in this town seems to have some sort of fixation, and Mr. Johnson's seems to be Edna Fitzpatrick.
Spefically, Edna and giving her the penis she needs.
I leave Mr. Johnson to play with his Tucker and penis, and move on.
The graveyard is completely dead, but I get to meet Mr. Moynahan while visiting the mortuary and the hotel (he runs both places, and somehow manages to be in both places at once). Seems like a nice guy.
The hotel also has a chapel; it's good to see the people of Harvest upholding the fine traditional christian values.
Clearly these fine firemen are manly men, with their lisped speech and pink fire truck. Apparently they don't get to do much fire fighting though. The newspaper building (just around the corner from the fire station, fyi) completely burned down before these brave lads reached the area.
But clearly the pursuit of the fine arts must take precedence, as Marshall Sparky is quick to point out.
So what if they only paint nude men? So what if it's the same nude man over and over, in all manner of provocative positions... Context, not content!
Yup, clearly fine art. I excuse myself before they get any ideas, and decide to check out the burnt down Newspaper building while I'm in the neighborhood.
Seems like another dead area at first, until I notice the shovel sticking from the ashes.
Using it to dig around in the piles quickly produces results. Very interesting indeed... I pocket the button and head on to the police department.
Sheriff Duane Dwayne (lol) and Deputy Loomis seem to be the only police officers in town. Subject of jail comes up and the sheriff mentions how Harvest enforces a three-strike system for criminals. And I didn't get the impression that it'd be just jail time after that last strike, either.
Seems like Loomis has a bit of a problem with his idle hands... Will have to see if I can procure some of those books for him.
The sheriff doesn't like me nosing around in the jail cell or evidence rooms, so I move on to DNA's Diner.
Seems like the sheriff beat me to it, and is stuffing his face with pie. Both Edna and her girl Karin seem real nice, tho Edna gets a bit awkward when talking about Mr. Thompson.
It's good to meet some normal people for a change, maybe I could...
Goddamnit.
As revenge from having to listen to her psychobabble, I steal Edna's screwdriver from one of the diner shelves and move on to visit the local tv station.
Not much happening here either, tho I get to meet the star of the cowboy show Hank was watching and get a chance to chat with the station owner, who just happens to have profited quite a bit from the newspaper building burning down. Interesting coincidence...
At the curiously named Gein Memorial School I meet the school principal, who unlike some other, sterner teachers, seem to employ a method of "quality time" to guide the students... Have to skip on that offer tho, chief.
Miss Whaley, on the other hand, has no problems with proper discipline.
Our discussion is cut short when suddenly the sirens start howling - apparently a certain Colonel Monroe has initiated another air raid drill. To the hallway kids, and remember - duck and cover!
Unfortunately for him, little Billy starts asking a bit too many questions about the usefulness of duck and cover against a nuclear bomb, and gets straightened out.
That's definitely my cue to vacate the premises.
Last edited by inz on Sun, 5th Apr 2009 18:04; edited 2 times in total
Moving on yet again, I make a quick stop at the meat plant... Nothing there except Pat O'Reilly, lots of cats ( ) and hanging carcasses. Pat seems like a nice guy, but when I ask where he procures the meat from since there isn't any cattle in Harvest, he just shrugs it off and say something about "being creative" and "cutting costs". Well, at least Mr. Pottsdam seems to like it.
I ask for a freebie, but can't get one without a permission slip from my dad. Shame, will have to come back again later.
The missile silo seems like a dandy place for a visit, but I'm stopped by the ever-vigilant colonel Buster Monroe. Apparently he lost his whole lower torso in WW2, and since he was left just a bit mentally unstable after dragging himself from Germany to England (stopping every three miles to gather his spread-out intestines again) the military landed him with this cushy desk job.
Cushy job in this case meaning that he has sole control of the active nuclear missiles, and he's strapped the launch button to his waist belt.
I carelessly ask a bit too many questions, and soon the colonel is convinced I'm a commie spy and dispenses some american justice (and manages to trigger the nuclear holocaust while he's at it). Shit.
This time I play it cool and manage to convince him I'm not a commie for a while. Asking too many questions always seems to arouse the colonel's suspicions again, so I decide to move on while I still have my head intact. This seems like the good time to finally check out the Lodge.
Of course, not being a member yet, I can't check out the place further than the front door. The Sergeant at Arms isn't much of a talker, but he's more than happy to chat telepathically. Guess it's off to the Post office.
Not much going on here, and at first Postmaster Boyle outright refuses to give me an application. I remember the button I have from the burnt down newspaper building, and flashing it to Boyle quickly changes his attitude.
Apparently he has a bit of an arson in him, and asks me for a trade - one application in exchange for a certain gas can from the police department evidence room.
I go to the police station right away, but Loomis stops me from checking out the evidence room. He still wants that girlie magazine, so I guess it's time to visit the general store.
Mrs. Phelps is a bit surprised at my purchase, but gives me one regardless. After all, "that kind of interest steers a young fella away from being a fireman."
Time to deliver this to Loomis!
Loomis is real glad about my gift, and suddenly remembers he has to check the jail cells for clean towels.
With him gone, nothing's stopping me from going into the evidence room... except that the door's locked. Good thing the key to open it is in the desk drawer, along with a note from Boyle and the sheriff's checkbook. It seems the good ol' sheriff is blackmailing Boyle about the newspaper building arson. That info should come in handy later.
Lots of interesting stuff in the evidence room, and along with the gas can I grab a pair of bloody sneakers and a camera.
On my way out, there's a hilarious cutscene that some awesome guy has upped to youtube, enjoy:
Now all I have to do is to deliver the gas can to Boyle, and then bring the filled application to the Lodge.
Sergeant at Arms congratulates me and explains that this was merely just the first in a series of tests required to gain access to the Lodge. He tells me to come back tomorrow for my first trial, so I head back home for some well-deserved sleep.
Last edited by inz on Sun, 5th Apr 2009 17:46; edited 1 time in total
a yes harvester, welcome to a town thats breeds people so they can eat them hahaha nice game, must find the time to finish it, stopped when he entered the monster world,
oh and you should add you can use weapons to kill all and can DIE on every step
only the op, posts spoilers, make your own thread or gtfo. ~Epsilon
Last edited by Spiderman on Sun, 5th Apr 2009 17:18; edited 1 time in total
Because this is a spoiler section. Don't read if you don't wanna spoil it
Harvester looks like a cool cult adventure to me. I might have to check it out when I have the time.
its a nice game, but it will be hard for those that don't know english grammatic, why? Well this game uses the same "Talk to People" game mechanic like in Larry 7 or in those old VGA adventures - some answers are on the screen but others must be written by hand with your keyboard.
oh and i spoiled it , don't worry about it, this game has 2 endings, this one is ending 2 but you still doesn't know the meaning of it...pic was in some walkthough that describes it like this
Code:
Kill him.
Then kill the guard too with your nail gun. Enter the door. Welcome to the temple
of motherly love. Look at the children. They're eating their mom. Uuugh, sick
scene. Kill them all. Next things to do are just kill all the people you meet.
really must find time to re-play it again if i find my saves
Because this is a spoiler section. Don't read if you don't wanna spoil it
Harvester looks like a cool cult adventure to me. I might have to check it out when I have the time.
Well there's spoiling and then there's spoiling. I always figured Let's Play! is more a way to advertise the game for others who haven't played it yet, rather than just a simple walkthrough. Sure, there's bound to be spoilers, but the ones about the ending should be at the end of walkthrough, not in the middle of it.
Spidey:
Can't force ya of course, but maybe change that ending pic into url form or remove it for time being - no idea if I'll bother with a full walkthrough so it'd be nice to spare the people who might want to play Harvester for the first time.
Inz this game has two endings you can post the second ending... the best part was i read some review that had the same picture on the front with "This game ends and starts like this, want to know why play the game"
i didn't play the game and i was enjoying finding out about the story through inz's pics. so why in the fuck do people need to post spoilers about the ending, before the let's play is finished?
i was thinking about a let's play for an older adventure too, but now it seems like a stupid idea, considering that i'm gonna play it for the first time and i DON'T wanna know the ending before finishing it.
also, inz, one of the pics has been removed, i assume because of its content, so please reupload
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) and hanging carcasses. Pat seems like a nice guy, but when I ask where he procures the meat from since there isn't any cattle in Harvest, he just shrugs it off and say something about "being creative" and "cutting costs". Well, at least Mr. Pottsdam seems to like it.
