Even with the relatively recent release of the UMD-less PSP Go, things have still been going rather slowly for Sony’s beleaguered handheld.  However, for fans of the PlayStation Portable, it should come as some comfort to know that some beloved franchises are still churning out the titles.  Among them, Natsume today announced that Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley will arrive in North America this April.  With their small town on the verge of being bulldozed to make room for a theme park, players will take up their shovel and try to save it by doing what the Harvest Moon games do best: turning a run down piece of land into a profitable farm, growing a variety of crops and raising a veritable menagerie of animals.  Of course, you won’t always be stuck in the field, and in Hero of Leaf Valley you’ll also be building your relationships with the locals and improving your skills in a number of different mini-games.  For more information on Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley, be sure to check out the official press release below:

Burlingame, Calif., January 28, 2010 - Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley will be released for the PlayStation® Portable this April. The game will retail at an MSRP of $29.99 and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.

"Harvest Moon: Hero of Valley Leaf Valley tells a compelling story of a small town that must come together in order to save itself from destruction, " said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "How they try to save it and whether or not they're successful is all up to the player. It's the biggest PSP Harvest Moon adventure yet!"

Leaf Valley is in trouble! The heartless Funland corporation is going to bulldoze the town and replace it with an amusement park unless its citizens can find a way to stop them! Players will need to grow crops, raise animals, and mine ores and gems to help save Leaf Valley and their family farm. Along the way, they'll earn money and develop their skills in interactive part-time jobs, and build their relationships with the villagers in order to gain their trust and help. With an open-ended story with multiple endings, how players choose to save the town is up to them!