LIke all Harvest Moon games, Harvest Moon: Magical Melody lets you "leave home" without ever leaving. You can choose where you live (In town, by the river, or down by the sea). As you go through the game, you can buy new property and even build new houses, barns, and chicken coops, and unlike Animal Crossing, you live with real people, not animals.

You can give gifts to your neighbors to become friends with them. It's really easy to find out the favorite gifts of each person on HM:MM. Once you have acquired eight to ten stars with someone, you must get a level three house (upgrade), and a large bed. Then the mayor will show up to your house one day, and tell you what you must do to marry that person.

There are several ways to earn money on Harvest Moon: Magical Melody. You can fish, mine, plant crops and harvest them, raise animals, cook food and sell it, or even just scour the town and mountains for herbs and other food nature provides.

The way to beat the game is to gather all 100 musical notes, like the one you receive in the very beginning. You earn musical notes by doing different things like getting five hearts with someone or acquiring so much property.

This game is really fun, and it feels like you're actually living your own life. Out of five stars, I'd give it four.