Ah, yes! Harvest moon is ❤ and one part of it that captivated me was the sense of wonder when you go up the mountain, and if you notice with the camera movement, it was inspired by that change of perspective in HM, so I implemented it on my game as well. So creating a mountain of my own is like a homage to that game and felt very important.
As for the bears, they're actually pugs with different colors (fawn, silver, black + brown, and albino.) Also the banana motor boats play an essential role for the gameplay, as they will be the initial transport method for visitors/customers going to the island. At least that's what I planned at first. Decided to add them in quickly before submitting because they were easy and less of a hassle. 😁
Well, thanks for playing the game, means a lot! 😄