In Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness players' plans to start a new life are drastically changed when the ship you are on is destroyed by a tropical storm. Now you find yourself stranded on an isolated island with a family of four from the ship. However, it seems that the island once was inhabited before…what happened to the people that used to live there? As you develop the island by growing crops, taking care of animals and expanding your farm, others will start to move onto the island and this mystery may be solved. The better you do, the more the island will grow. Though it was not your original dream, now is your chance to create your very own paradise.

Create your own paradise

Farming provides food and prestige. View larger.

Find happiness with the perfect mate. View larger.

Track character status and assets. View larger.

Enjoy farm-flavored mini games. View larger.

First Things First: Farming
Working with your fellow refugees, your first order of business is to create a farm. With what you grow you will soon be able to feed yourself and your fellow castaways and eventually will graduate to raising animals (some of the animals included are: cows, sheep, chickens and ducks). As you build up your farm, people who have an interest in the farming business move on over to the island and seek you out. These people open up shops and facilities, contributing to the island's development, and provide you with new areas to explore and new people to speak with.

Getting Married
What good is paradise without someone to share it with? Once players have established themselves on the island by building and maintaining a farm and successfully raising animals on their homestead they will begin to notice that there are quite a few more people on the island than they initially suspected. Like yourself, many of these new faces are looking for someone to share their lives with. In addition to success on the farm, marriage also requires a few other requirements, but once satisfied you are free to play the field, go on dates and search available profiles for that special someone. But be careful. You will not be compatible with everyone you meet. Just a few or the bachelors and bachelorettes you will run into are: Name: NatalieGender: FemaleBio: Natalie is one of the people who is shipwrecked on the island with you. She can be rather rough, a tomboy and competitive, and usually makes fun of her brother.

	Name: Vaughn Gender: Male Bio: An exotic animal dealer, Vaughn has a very serious, almost emotionless attitude. He comes to the islands on Wednesdays and Thursdays and carries a lot of money.
	Name: Sabrina Gender: Female Bio: Sabrina came to the island with her father, who is president of the mining company. She is a quiet, shy girl who helps her father with his work and is very interested in ores.
	Name: Shea Gender: Male Bio: Shea is the adopted son of the witch doctor, Wada. He helps Wada by guarding his hens, ducks and birds from the Demon Bears. Unlike other bachelors, his heart is invisible.
	Name: Witch Princess Gender: Female Bio: The Witch Princess grew tired of living in Forget-Me-Not Valley and so moved to the island in hopes of meeting new people. In addition, she heard that the Harvest Goddess is here. She keeps 21 small teddy bears and one large one in her house and has an invisible heart.
	Name: Denny Gender: Male Bio: Denny is very familiar with the sea. He heard there's a lot to be found on the island, so when his mother told him to meet new people he came to check it out. Though normally cheerful, he has quite a temper when mad.

The island is full of challenges, but with hard work and skillful farming, you will prosper and help your adventurous shipmates establish a new village with roads, bridges and exciting places to visit. There's a lot of farming to do, people to date and animals to care for. It's a new beginning and a chance to raise a farming family of your own.