Harvester manages to be the stranger of the two titles, which is saying something, because Phantasmagoriais already considerably bonkers.
Rumor has it that Harvester at one point began production as Phantasmagoria 2, and there are definitely similarities between the titles, both in terms of content and production design. However, it’s this weird mash-up of tones, sensibilities, and the game’s reception that result in it turning into such an interesting, controversial title that’s still in discussion today. The results are a clunky, dated reminder of the times that really just feels more like a joke than anything that could actually inform any change. Harvester proudly embraces the fact that it’s one of the most preachy, nihilistic games that you’ll ever come across and that it pushes an extremely heavy-handed narrative that acts as if this game has the ability to change the future of gaming and singlehandedly “solve the problem” of video game violence. Harvester is so over the top in its violence, sex, and taboo impulses that it almost initially feels like a joke. No one asks this kid to continually embellish and go further with their tall tales, but they can’t help themselves from telling more unbelievable stories for attention. It’s a game that’s a lot like that kid on the playground who constantly makes up unbelievable stories and always tries to one-up himself. Harvester remains an important relic, not only for horror video games, but for the ‘90s as a whole as well as the decade’s relationship with these kinds of games.
So while the controversy of violent, over the top games has always been a presence, a game that is often left out of the conversation is the ‘90s PC title, Harvester. Even franchises that have become normalized to some degree, like Mortal Kombat or Grand Theft Auto, still caused considerable outrages upon release. Through the decades that have followed, there have been notable titles that garner a significant amount of attention, like the Postal or Manhunt series, or even earlier titles like Splatterhouse or Doom that now seem tame by today’s standards. Practically for as long as video games have been around, there has been some title that strives to push boundaries and gets deemed controversial. Violent, controversial video games are not a new idea. Don’t you know people that watch violence become violent themselves?” “You’ll rot your mind playing games like that. We take a look at the “most violent adventure game of all time” and try to wrap our heads around the game’s bizarre, meta point of view.
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