Introduction

---The Game---
Harvest Moon: Animal Parade is a 2008 installment in the Bokujou Monogatari franchise, and the second on the Wii after Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility. It's essentially ToT but better.
But is it good, though? There's the rub.
Animal Parade should easily be one of the better games in the franchise. It has many good ideas, fun things to do, and smart story progression, but it's hampered by numerous questionable design and programming decisions, slow loading and framerate, and... stupid story progression.

But like most games in its family, AP maintains a charm that makes sticking through its faults ultimately rewarding. So join me, Skippy Granola, and YamiNoSenshi as we cut out all of those stupid loading/title screens, mod in a walking speed boost, and dissect what does and doesn't work in this mixed gaming blessing.

The story is such:
Young farming hopeful Best has been summoned by the Harvest Goddess to travel to the island of Castanet, where the Divine Tree has weakened and the five bells of nature have lost their power. With the help of Harvest Sprite Finn and a large cast of cute-but-flat characters, Best must farm her face off so she can find and ring the five bells, whereupon the Harvest King will return to the island and fix everything, the lazy git.

---The LP---
Along with completing the main story and unlocking New Game+, I will complete all of the lists (Crops, Cooking, Mining, Fishing, Animals, Animal Products, and Flowers). Most of the character events and cutscenes will be shown as well, excluding rival children events. I will be dating and marrying The Wizard, which will also allow us to see every other couple's cutscenes, as the Wizard has no marriage rival.
And, of course, I will rescue the circus animals so we can see a proper animal parade.

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