Hello!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsmbmrn8TRg

Thoughts? I feel like these games are getting worse with each iteration. The world looks empty and the models look like up-res'd Wii shovel-ware models. Looks like I'll be sticking with Story of Seaons and Stardew Valley.

It makes sense really. Games released as Harvest Moon have essentially been knockoffs for a while. Story of Seasons IS Harvest Moon and in Japan has the same name it's always had. Ah, I'm sure if you're a fan you already know this.
I've been ignoring the fake Harvest Moon games since the split.

is Harvest Moon: Light of Hope good?

I heard HM mainline has been shite, since Story of Season is somehow real HM, but licences got involved.

SylvanFae is correct.

- So there's a Japanese series of games called Bokujō Monogatari ("Farm Story").

- When they first released it in the west, the publisher Natsume named it Harvest Moon. This continued until 2015, with every Bokujō Monogatari game being released as Harvest Moon in the west.

- In 2015 Bokujō Monogatari started being published in the west by Xseed instead of Natsume. The only thing is that because Natsume came up with the name Harvest Moon, they own that trademark.

- From that point onwards Bokujō Monogatari games were released as Story of Seasons. It's not a spiritual successor, it's literally the same series with the same name in Japan.

- Natsume, acting like copyright trolls started making their own games using the Harvest Moon name. They are generally lazy and pretty awful, coasting on brand recognition. Unwitting Harvest Moon fans are buying these games not realising that they're essentially knockoffs.

The moral of the story is never buy a new Harvest Moon game. Do not reward Natsume's behaviour.