DMA Design's open-world game before GTA. Drive anything, survive alien waves, and save what you can.
Body Harvest was developed by DMA Design and released for Nintendo 64 in November 1998 — an open-world action game in which Adam Drake, a time-travelling soldier, travelled through five time periods to stop alien harvesting of humanity. Players drove any vehicle in each period's open landscape — cars, tanks, tractors, boats — to complete missions and protect civilians from alien waves. DMA Design, which would later develop Grand Theft Auto, used Body Harvest to establish open-world driving mechanics that directly influenced GTA. The game received modest but positive reviews and sold approximately 300,000 copies.
About this game
Body Harvest is the game that laid the groundwork for the open-world action genre — developed by DMA Design, the studio that would go on to create Grand Theft Auto III three years later. Set across time periods from World War II Greece to a near-future alien invasion, players control Adam Drake — a genetically enhanced super-soldier — across expansive 3D environments, hijacking civilian vehicles, military hardware, and aircraft to fight an alien race harvesting Earth's population. Originally planned as a Nintendo 64 launch title with Nintendo as publisher, Nintendo withdrew over content concerns, leaving DMA to release it through Gremlin and Midway.
Key Features
Players move through large 3D open environments that are populated with civilian NPCs, vehicles, and enemy alien forces. Any vehicle in the world can be commandeered — from motorbikes to tanks to aeroplanes. Aliens harvest civilians, reducing the population in each area, and the mission is to save enough people to proceed. The dynamic soundtrack shifts between exploration and combat themes. The game's five time-period settings each have distinct environments, vehicle types, and visual aesthetics.
Gallery
The Story Behind
DMA Design built Body Harvest as a proof of concept for a 3D open world populated with interactive vehicles, civilians, and a living simulation of destruction and survival — lessons the same team applied when making Grand Theft Auto III in 2001. Nintendo, which was originally publishing the game, withdrew due to content concerns and a desire for the game to include more puzzle elements to suit the Japanese market; DMA found alternative publishers and shipped the game anyway. Body Harvest remains an underappreciated landmark in open-world game design.
Tricks & Tales
Body Harvest was originally intended as a Nintendo 64 launch title with Nintendo as the publisher, but Nintendo withdrew citing content concerns and a desire to add puzzle elements for Japan compatibility. The game's developer, DMA Design, subsequently became Rockstar North and created Grand Theft Auto III (2001), which took the open-world vehicle-based sandbox concept from Body Harvest and refined it into the genre-defining form we know today. The game was never released in Japan.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Europe (published by Gremlin Interactive) in September 1998 and North America (published by Midway Games) in October 1998. Never released in Japan. Reasonably accessible on the secondary collector's market.
Maintenance Tips
The N64 cartridge connector is the most common failure point — clean the edge contacts with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab every 6 to 12 months, and avoid blowing into the cartridge slot as moisture accelerates pin corrosion. The original analog stick is made with a plastic-on-plastic gear mechanism that wears into a gritty, loose feel over decades of use; check for smooth snap-back to center before buying, and know that replacement sticks are widely available but none have fully matched the original feel. Store cartridges in a cool, dry place and handle them by the plastic shell, not the gold contacts.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Body Harvest copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Nintendo 64 cartridge work on a North American or European N64?
No, not without modification. The Nintendo 64 uses a regional CIC lockout chip, and Japanese N64 cartridges have a different physical shape from North American cartridges. Running Japanese software on a Western N64 requires both a cartridge adapter to bridge the shape difference and a method to bypass the CIC chip. A Japanese Nintendo 64 console is the simplest way to play Japanese N64 software.
How should I clean a Nintendo 64 cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. The N64 connector slot is deep — a longer swab or folded swab helps reach all contacts. Never blow into the cartridge. N64 cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws if the shell needs to be opened. Most N64 boot failures trace to oxidized contacts; cleaning both the cartridge edge and the console slot is usually the complete fix.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Body Harvest
A short checklist for buying a used Nintendo 64 cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese N64 cartridge. The N64 is region-locked by shape and lockout, so a Japanese cart needs a Japanese console or an adapter.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
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