Game: Storm’s Harvest
Genre: Action, Arcade
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Goofy Gourd Studios
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $6.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 6,99
Release Date: October 20th, 2023
Review code provided with many thanks to Goofy Gourd Studios.
Halloween at the Arcade
Spooky season is upon us, and Storm’s Harvest is a nice fresh pumpkin in the recent releases on Steam with addictive pick-up-and-play gameplay and an appropriate Halloween feel. If you love retro-inspired games, this is one worth checking out.
You play as Storm, a ghost who wants to spend his moments in purgatory picking pumpkins. He has until sunrise to pick as many pumpkins as possible, racking up a high score. Although Storm is a ghost, he is still vulnerable to the beasts of the night. Spiders, pumpkins gone bad, and a particularly nasty crocodile called Riptide lurk in the waters nearby with a keen taste for the afterlife.
Arcade Cabinet,
Storm’s Harvest is an arcade game, so don’t expect the deepest of plots except for the imaginative one you come up with in your mind as you insert a credit and play through the game. The game is presented just like an arcade cabinet, complete with a banner and a small brief description of the game instructions in the bottom right corner. Graphics present with the retro pixel look, but the game really nails the Halloween themes with its dark environment, including an eerie forest and pumpkin patch.
The soundtrack also puts you in the mood with its gritty chip tunes and cackling laugh when you start the game up. I guess the only thing that doesn’t appear to fit is Riptide, the crocodile. Although, when you play the game, you will soon learn that he’s probably one of the scariest things about it, but we’ll get back to that in a moment. Storm’s Harvest totally nails its 80s arcade design.
Pumpkin Picking
Storm’s Harvest‘s goal is to pick as many pumpkins as possible before the night ends. To get an indication of the timer, you can observe the moon travelling across the top of the screen from left to right. As Storm, you must move around the pumpkin patches, picking fresh pumpkins and depositing them in your wheelbarrow. Storm can only carry three pumpkins at once. It won’t take long till you’ll encounter various baddies to contend with. A spider regularly spins a web to block your shortest path to the wheelbarrow but you can defeat it, which will temporarily clear the way. You also need to watch out for the pumpkins themselves. Leave them alone, and they will go bad, as devilish eyes indicate. When this happens, you need to just attack them in order for fresh pumpkins to re-grow.
Watch Out for Wendy the Bird
The biggest threat to your score is a bird called Wendy. She will fly down to your wheelbarrow to steal your pumpkins and wipe your score to zero, which felt a bit harsh. She can’t be attacked. The only way to deter her is by placing a spare pumpkin on the scarecrow to keep her away. This was something that took me a few runs to figure out, as the game doesn’t make it that clear. Of course, this solution doesn’t last forever. The crocodile Riptide will come out from the nearby water to eat the pumpkin and then start stalking you. Your choices are to attempt to flee, or the better option is to attack him, and once defeated, he’ll drop a candy, which upgrades Storm, turning him green. For me, these moments were the tensest and most exciting when playing Storm’s Harvest.
To mix things up further, Wendy will periodically change the level layout, altering the pumpkin patches, your wheelbarrow and scarecrow placement. With all these mechanics juggled together, it does make for a frantic experience that keeps you on your toes. A single hit and you lose a life. Loose all three hearts and it’s game over, and you’ll observe an amusing animation of Wendy and Riptide making off with your pumpkins and laughing at you. But you do get to enter your high score. Survive the night, and you’re rewarded with starting the whole experience again, except now more hazards are added, like extra spiders.
Choose Your Weapon
Controls are nice and easy, with simple movement, a button to pick pumpkins up and an attack button. Storm’s Harvest works great with just a keyboard or a controller. In the options, you are able to map the buttons however you like should you want to tweak things. When you start, you can pick between two weapons: a hammer or a wand.
The wand seems more desirable as it fires a jolt of lightning at range, but it does less damage, whereas the hammer hits harder but has much less range, requiring a little more skill to use. If you change your mind, you can switch between the weapons at any time. The game feels accessible to all gaming audiences.
Steam Deck
As of writing this review, Storm’s Harvest is yet to be Steam Deck verified, but after testing it on the handheld, I didn’t encounter any obvious issues. I actually spent much more time playing this on the Steam Deck than on the computer.
Conclusion: Happy Halloween
Storm’s Harvest is a fun arcade game that is worthy of its own cabinet. For a very reasonable price, you can play an additive arcade title which is suited to short gaming sessions. It is great alone, but it is also worth swapping rounds with a friend or loved one if you want to share the arcade joy.
My biggest praise for this title is it feels like a unique original concept that does its own thing. Many arcade titles released to modern systems tend to take inspiration from something else, but Storm’s Harvest feels fresh and new despite its retro look. Whether playing for Halloween or any time of the year, Storm’s Harvest is well worth inserting a credit to play without giving you nightmares. It’s definitely a retro treat.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
