Harvest Moon: Animal Parade

• The milk and strawberry you need to fix the bridge can be bought at Horn Ranch and Marimba Farm respectively, two shops over in Flute Fields (take the path to the right from your ranch). You might miss this the first time around, but the "Hot Milk" that you'll see at the Horn Ranch shop is just a recipe, and Bo can't drink a recipe (buy the "Decent Milk" instead).

• While you're over there, stop in the barn at Horn Ranch to be given a free Cow. You might pick up some fodder for it while you're there, too. Both will be shipped to your barn automatically.

• Seeds are sold by the square in this game, so don't buy one bag thinking you can sow a 3 x 3 plot with them.

• Water grass until it sprouts, then don't worry about it. It'll keep growing without watering. You can tell when it's ready to be cut when it bends a lot when you walk in it.

• As soon as you can, grab some fertilizer and lettuce seeds (sold at Marimba Farm in Flute Fields) and grow yourself at least ten lettuces with a quality above "Decent." Stick 'em in your toolbo - ou'll need them as part of the Yellow Bell quest later. They'll be fine in the box as nothing spoils in this game.

• Your ranch has some cherry trees on it when you arrive. You may cut them down with the axe for lumber if you wan - hey won't produce fruit until the summer, and you might find yourself wanting the extra space for crops.

• Your stamina is pretty crappy at the start, so take care to conserve your energy. After you ring the Red Bell, two important things happen: the hot spring behind your barn is activated, and you have immediate access to two Power Berries, which permanently increase your stamina. The first is in the lower portion of Garmon Mine, on floor 30. Once you arrive on the floor, just keep mashing the "A" button while walking around and you'll find it eventually. The other one is in the upper portion of Garmon Mine, on floor 45. It's an outside area, and to find the Power Berry, just mash "A" again while walking around. If you want an easy third Power Berry, go out and mash "A" with your hoe equipped until you reach skill level 5 with it.

• Animals like being outside during the day when it's not raining. Remember to bring them in at night. Calling them out and taking them in is as easy as ringing the bell near your shipping container (you can press "A" to skip the "animals walking" cutscene).

• If you have multiple items like seeds or fertilizer bags in your hands, you can hold "A" to throw all of it at once in the squares in front of you. The affected squares will be surrounded by an orange box.

• Not gameplay related, but in the original Japanese version of the game, Finn is the laughingstock of the Harvest Sprites and the rest of them tease him relentlessly. This is why he periodically needs a pep talk in the middle of the nigh - e's depressed because his peers make fun of him so much.