Harvester

You were always a kidder Steve.

Warning: This game contains bloodshed, violence, grotesque content, sexual themes, even child characters.
Harvester tells the story of a man's gradual descent into depravity through bloodshed and murder in the most explicit and unhinged manner imaginable. It concludes by posing a question that remains unresolved even two decades later: "Do video games incite violence?"
The game distinguishes itself with FMV sequences and voice acting, accompanied by grotesque aesthetics and psychologically unsettling visual elements reminiscent of 1980s shock art. Gore, dismemberment, voyeurism, and eroticism form the unshakable pillars of this work. Even child violence--a redline even Rockstar and Postal dared not cross--is treated with disturbing nonchalance here.
The narrative masterfully guides players through Steve's moral corrosion: from petty vandalism that initially feels cathartic, to arson and murder. This incremental escalation of cruelty becomes profoundly unsettling. While effective for Steve's characterization, this "guidance" falters for players. The absence of meaningful agency--particularly the inability to challenge Steve's reprehensible rhetoric--creates narrative dissonance, as players must comply with plot demands that may contradict their moral judgment.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this game--not due to its age, but because subjecting oneself to such a psychologically grueling experience serves no purpose for most. Even when compared to traditional Western AVGs during their golden age, this work stands out as exceptional--whether in terms of the core message the story conveys, its narrative techniques, or scene design.
To seek truth here is to embrace error.
You always were a kidder, Steve.
[hr][/hr]

Reviews: 10/10

I was expecting this to be much more disturbing than it actually was but it was still a good game and so lynchian stephanie is identical to laura palmer

You in fact were *pretty* serious, Steve.

Harvester: The 90s Game That Haunts Your Soul
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for sheer audacity)

Do you like games that make you question your sanity, your morals, and why the developers thought any of this was okay? Then Harvester is the fever dream for you.

Released in 1996, this point-and-click adventure is often referred to as "the most violent game ever made," which is kind of an understatement. It’s like someone poured the darkest corners of a horror writer’s brain into a blender, hit puree, and smeared it across your screen. The result? A surreal, unsettling journey through a small-town nightmare that’s somehow both deeply disturbing and unintentionally hilarious.

You play as Steve, a guy with amnesia who wakes up in the idyllic town of Harvest, which immediately feels off. Maybe it’s the creepy neighbors, the cult-like lodge at the center of town, or the fact that everyone speaks like they’re in a poorly directed soap opera. Honestly, Steve himself isn’t much help—his personality is as wooden as the game’s dialogue trees.

The gameplay is your classic point-and-click: wander around, talk to NPCs, solve puzzles. Except the puzzles make no sense half the time, and the solutions often involve doing something heinous. Need a solution to a problem? Just set something on fire. Or kill someone. Harvester doesn’t care—it actively dares you to make the worst moral decisions possible, all while delivering its lines with the emotional range of a cardboard cutout.

But let’s talk about the real star of the show: the tone. Imagine Twin Peaks if it was directed by someone with a head injury. The entire game oscillates between being unnervingly creepy and laugh-out-loud absurd. One moment, you’re discovering a grotesque murder scene; the next, you’re chatting with a woman whose hobby is… aggressively baking cookies. The tonal whiplash is so intense it should come with a neck brace.

And the graphics? Peak 90s FMV weirdness. The digitized actors are both horrifying and hilarious, delivering performances that make daytime soap operas look like Shakespeare. The gore effects? Let’s just say it looks like the devs discovered a red pixel bucket and went to town.

The story builds toward a twist ending that’s as shocking as it is nonsensical. I won’t spoil it, but I will say this: it involves meta commentary about violence in video games. Yes, Harvester tries to be profound after spending hours forcing you to set orphans on fire and chainsawing your way through puzzles. The audacity is honestly kind of impressive.

Verdict:
Harvester is less of a game and more of an experience—a horrifying, baffling, occasionally funny, always unsettling experience. It’s not for the faint of heart or anyone looking for coherent storytelling. But if you want to see just how weird the 90s got, or you’re in the mood for a game that makes you go, “What the actual hell am I playing?”—then Harvester is your cursed cup of tea.

6/10 for gameplay.
10/10 for scarring me for life.

this game rocks

All jokes aside, this game is unsettling AF. If you're into unsettling, gory, and twisted video games then give this one a try. It's 90's point and click horror at it's finest.

god

They don't make games like this anymore.

Edit: changing review to positive after playing Noctropolis which has shown me what a bad FMV game really is. Harvester looks like a gem now!

I recently got into 90s FMVs with Phantasmagoria 1 and 2. Both were really good games, highly recommended. I searched for more FMVs and this one came up in some of the recommendations online.
I must say that the first 'half' of the game is really good, the plot thickens with every in game day, you want to know the answers, what's going on, why, etc.
Unfortunately the second 'half' of the game delivers a massive flop, with limited answers and mostly just pointless gore.

You always were a kidder, Steve.

Good game, maybe a little bit sick

Almost 20 years ago booted this up on the family e machine only to get the biggest bar of soap shoved in my mouth from what i learned.
Authentic game I'll come back til I look Loomis

i like old point and click games

This game was F#cked up. Yeah that's it lol.

silly and fun game, despite the jank, which actually adds to the charm of the game in my opinion. A good 7-or-so hour experience. Absolutely worth the money

Despites its age, it's actually a great game with a great storyline if you like the weird, eerie aesthetics of horror movies and stuff like that. You deserve a million bucks if you made it through without a walkthrough, but I can recommend doing it with a walkthrough since the game is old and it isn't really all that intuitive what you're supposed to do.

just buy it !!! you were always such a kidder steve!

is good you can kill

I miss the 90's.

The most horrific moment in all of video game history: Steve repeatedly shirtless

Though packaged as a horror it seems more like quirky comedy with horror elements sprinkled in? A little difficult to follow if you weren't playing point and click adventure games during their more prominent time, but still an interesting entry in that style of gameplay.

*insert sheriff line here*

A very unexpected adventure that can be even more appreciated with a second playthrough

This game is a fun and whacky point and click from the 90s, and i really like it, but it wont work properly which means i cant finish the game. After a certian point of having fun and playing when i took a picture of the corpse in the casket the video played and when i tried it again it fast-forwarded. Now all cutscenes do this. Oh well, i guess i wont finish the game.

Well, you always were a kidder, Steve.

hell yah

Despite having to rely on a guide for roughly 80% of my current play through I've been enjoying this game a lot more than I anticipated even with how insane some moments would get in the later half so far lol

Fun bit of horror history here. I enjoyed my time with the game, although it's dated, it makes for a good time especially with how creative it can be at points. (and the gore if you like that sort of thing) Oh also it's pretty funny to imagine the way people reacted to this in the 90s.

"You always were a kidder Steve."

those firemen were flaming

Essential schizophrenic literature.

Road runner cartoons?

black hole sun
won't you come?

You always were a kidder, Steve!

You always were a kidder Steve

A product of its time trying to convey messages that often feel exaggerated, Harvester is a point and click adventure game with combat segments, heavy use of pre-rendered backgrounds and full motion segments initially released in 1996 and re-released on Steam in 2014.

This game is a complicated one to describe. On the mechanics side, it is very similar to most point and click adventure games, where the player interacts with the environment, characters, and items, where those interactions are then integral to solving puzzles, but it also contains an awkward combat system involving all from hand-to-hand combat to using bladed weapons. Sure, one can adapt to this unusual combination of mechanics, but it can feel as pleasant as a combination of yellow mustard and chocolate.

Harvester starts with the typical amnesiac protagonist, in a twisted 1950s small town, where you are soon labeled as Steve, that apparently always was a “kidder”. Exploring the town of Harvest you`ll find many characters that not only allow the choice of specific topics of conversation but also allow the input of terms to further learn about your new surroundings.

Many themes are reoccurring in this strange place, but none seem more urgent than the Lodge and the importance of you entering its halls as a member. The game is divided into days, where progress is directly tied to the unraveling of the story.

Filled with gory imagery and complicated topics, Harvester tries, and to some extent, manages to discuss topics like violence in media and games, desensitization, among others.

Overall, although this game may have not aged in the most graceful way, and the tone of the ideas presented in it are incredibly overblown, Harvester is an interesting experience, especially if you already enjoy point and click adventure games with an extremely different direction than LucasArts and Sierra ever offered, and for that reason I highly recommend this game.

If you enjoyed this review, I would like to invite you to visit Backlog log my curator page for more recommendations and reviews.

A trip down memory lane for all the little boys and girls. One of the most wholesome and down to earth games I have ever played. The combat is PHENOMENAL and the cutscenes are a MASTERPIECE. Not only will this game wet your appetite for a good evening indoors but a timeless test of time that showcases the timely time of the 90s game time. A 106 out of 10. Drop all your duties and forsake your responsibles and put at least 60 hours a week into this game. You will be awarded by Saint Peter at the pearly games with a custom achievement. Thumbs up emoji.

GET THIS ON GOG, MANY CUT SCENES DO NOT WORK AS STEAM VERSION USES INCORRECT VERSION OF DOS BOX

Quirky 90's game. Has some Twin Peaks vibes mixed with Hellraiser.

Roadrunner cartoons? Heheh... Roadrunner cartoons! AHAHAHA.

TLDR: Easily one of the weirdest games ever made. Point-and-click gameplay meets a bizarre story packed with social commentary and shock-value. Took less than 6 hours to complete.

Pros:
- Far from flawless, but intriguing story will keep you hooked the entire game. The writers are extremely creative and no subject matter is taboo.
- Great art-style with an impressive blend of pixel art and live-action rotoscoping. Ahead of its time.
- The shock value and humor add to the experience making Harvester an unforgettable experience.

Cons:
- Some aspects haven't aged well since 1996, as you'd expect. Wonky controls, the monitor refreshes resolutions in between cutscenes and gameplay.
- The story becomes a bit self-indulgent by the end.
- The second half of the game feels like the developers started throwing random ideas at the wall. The third fourth of the game is relatively weak; but the game gets back on track right at the finish line (pacing issues).
- Some puzzles are incredibly obscure/difficult and don't feel fair.

You always were a kidder, Steve

Please Play this game. It is a work of art It might be *cough* (the most violent video game ever) *cough* but it has a very good plot the main character Steve Mason is a very good main character (actor Kurt Kistler is not a good guy he got arrested) there are some scenes that grossed me out like the mystery of motherly love one but either then all that its a very good game.

what the hell

⢛⢏⠍⡕⡕⠐⠀⠡⠠⠁⡎⠀⠠⠒⡡⣑⡽⣽⡻⡽⡵⡹⡰⡠⠀⠑⣘⡀⠂⡁⠕⢽⣞⢢⠢⡲⡲⡖⡮⣾
⠈⡎⢎⠪⢊⠀⢁⢀⠄⠠⢁⢂⠎⡐⣴⢳⣫⣾⡾⣯⣯⣷⣳⢱⢱⢠⠀⠐⡐⢀⠪⢧⠙⠊⠁⠑⠱⢻⠕⢛
⠠⠪⡂⡘⢌⡁⣀⢠⢠⢈⠀⢐⢡⢞⡮⡿⣽⢾⡿⣟⣾⣳⡳⣝⢮⡪⡪⡀⠀⠠⢺⢰⠑⠀⠔⡄⢄⢄⠀⠠
⡄⡶⣾⢝⣿⡺⣪⣊⢺⣡⢁⢠⣗⣯⢿⢽⡯⣿⢻⢯⢳⢫⢯⡺⣕⣗⢵⡑⠀⠀⠡⠣⠐⠀⠀⠈⡢⡑⡕⡄
⠪⢪⠙⠙⠘⢏⠊⠀⠡⣹⡹⣼⣺⡾⣟⣽⡹⣼⢿⡿⡿⡷⡧⣍⢺⣞⡷⣝⠄⠀⠀⠐⠀⠀⠀⠄⠐⠸⣪⡞
⠐⠀⡀⠐⠀⠄⠀⠄⢂⠠⢱⣳⣗⣿⣯⢾⣻⣽⣟⣟⣟⡯⣻⡺⣵⣳⡯⣗⢽⡀⠀⠀⠈⠀⠈⠀⠈⡀⠀⠄
⠀⠁⡀⠄⠡⠈⠄⠠⢠⢤⣳⣳⣟⣿⣾⡿⣵⢿⣞⣾⢿⣻⣪⣞⣗⡽⣽⢯⣳⢱⢢⡁⠀⠀⠀⠂⡁⢄⠂⠐
⡀⠁⡀⠐⡈⠠⠈⡀⡯⣳⢕⣗⡯⡯⣟⣟⣟⣯⣷⣻⣽⣺⣺⡺⣮⢻⣪⢯⢮⢣⢳⠁⢀⠠⡁⢕⢜⠴⢕⠅
⡂⠀⠄⢀⠐⡈⠄⠂⣏⠊⢧⡳⡯⣋⠳⢙⠪⡚⡮⣷⡿⣮⡺⡚⡊⡋⢎⡪⣳⢹⠀⡃⠠⠐⠈⠄⠁⡁⠄⠂
⠪⠢⡐⠀⢀⠠⠈⠄⠃⠈⢘⢮⡏⡓⡋⡣⡫⡩⡯⣷⢿⢷⣯⢭⡩⡊⡍⡩⣪⡪⠀⠀⢀⠐⠀⠐⠀⠠⠀⢀
⢀⠁⠄⢁⠀⠄⠠⠀⠀⠀⠠⢙⢞⣽⡽⣽⣟⣿⣿⣿⣽⢿⣻⣟⣿⣽⢽⣝⠮⢈⠀⠀⠀⠄⠈⡀⠁⡀⠂⢀
⢀⠠⠀⠄⠠⠀⠄⠀⠀⠀⠌⢄⢳⡳⡿⣽⣻⣿⣿⣷⣿⣿⢿⣻⣿⣞⣟⡾⡕⡐⢀⠠⠀⠀⢂⠀⠄⠠⠐⠀
⡀⠄⠠⠐⠀⠄⠀⠀⠀⠂⡀⠅⡣⡿⣽⣫⢿⢾⣟⣿⣯⣿⡿⣿⢿⡽⣞⡝⠆⠠⠀⡀⠀⠀⠐⡀⠄⠐⠀⡈
⡀⠅⢕⢔⠄⠄⠀⠀⠈⠀⡀⠀⠊⢏⢞⠺⢝⠯⣟⡯⡿⣞⠿⠽⢝⠝⢘⠈⠈⠄⡁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢢⡀⡂⠁⠀
⡀⠅⢕⢔⠄⠄⠀⠀⠈⠀⡀⠀. wow... that was neat... ⠈⠈⠄⡁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢢⡀⡂⠁⠀

Masterpiece of a game ngl... top 15 of mine fs

I was kind of enjoying the first 3/4 of this game, it wasn't perfect, but a fun throwback to my teenage days of point n click gaming. Sadly, once you enter the Lodge and begin what I assume to be the final act of the game, it all goes to sh*t.

The combat system is unbelievably janky, to the point where killing an enemy is sheer luck. After 2 hours of attempting to muddle through it, and reloading my saved game countless times, I finally gave up out of frustration.

Guess I'll watch a Youtube playthrough to see how it ends.

Fortunately, I paid less than £1 for this in a sale, but it's still annoyed me as I wanted to see how the story played out.

The Serbian Film of video games. Vile, repulsive, disgusting, offensive. You kill everyone, including children, old people, and hookers. Metal as fuck. SATAN LIVES.