Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Ending & evaluation
What the mayor looks at when your three years are up, and how the score is counted. Read this early to aim for the best ending.
Requirements
- Ship at least 11 individual farm-produced items total across the 3 years (crops, eggs, milk, wool, etc.).
- Plant at least 101 individual crops total across the 3 years (about 12 bags of 3x3 seeds).
- Accumulate at least 500 affection points with at least one town bachelorette.
- Alternative automatic pass: Being married to any bachelorette by the end of Year 3 overrides all other requirements and guarantees passing automatically (engagement alone does not count).
Scoring
| Item | Scoring |
|---|---|
| Power Berries Collected (1% per Power Berry eaten, up to 10) | 10 |
| Dog Affection (1% per heart, up to 10 hearts) | 10 |
| Horse Affection (1% per heart, up to 10 hearts) | 10 |
| Building Extensions (2% per upgrade: House 1, House 2, Hen House, Barn, Hothouse) | 10 |
| Chickens Owned (1% per healthy chicken, up to 10 chickens) | 10 |
| Cows & Sheep Owned (1% per healthy cow or sheep, up to 20 total) | 20 |
| Wife Affection (1% per heart, up to 10 hearts) | 10 |
| Child Affection (1% per heart, up to 10 hearts) | 10 |
| Recipes Cooked (1% per 8 unique recipes cooked, up to 64 recipes) | 8 |
Best-ending tips
- Passing the evaluation is very easy: shipping 11 items, planting 101 crops, and gaining 500 affection with any girl guarantees Mayor Thomas will deed the farm permanently to you.
- Getting married by Year 3 overrides all crop and shipping requirements, guaranteeing an automatic pass.
- To maximize farm completion to the 98% cap: obtain all 10 Power Berries, keep 10 chickens and 20 livestock at 10 hearts, maximize dog and horse affection, complete all 5 building expansions, and cook at least 64 unique recipes.
- Daily animal care: talk to and brush livestock daily, whistle to your dog and horse, and train your puppy with Won's Dog Ball to reach 10 hearts before Year 4.
- Prioritize the Henhouse and Barn upgrades with Gotz early so you have room to breed and purchase up to 10 chickens and 20 cows/sheep.
- Propose marriage early in Year 2 (after the 2nd House Extension) so your child is born and has sufficient time to reach 10 hearts before Spring 1 Year 4.
- Endless gameplay: Once you pass the evaluation on Spring 1 Year 4, the game enters free play mode indefinitely into Year 4, Year 5, and beyond.