If you've never played a Harvest Moon or Rune Factory title, the premise is really basic. You move into a town, you start a farm, you interact with townsfolk, go fishing, raise monsters, cook foods, go mining, craft items, do some adventuring, and try to start a family. It has a very open ended design allowing you to play in whatever style you prefer. In fact, the game allows you to do so much it is almost overwhelming. If you like farming you can stick to farming. If you like dungeon crawling, go for it. As the seasons change and the years go by, more and more the game gradually opens itself up to you.
THE GOOD:
+++ Addictive gameplay. Several times, long after I should have gone to bed I've said "I'll just play through one more day..."
+++ The graphics are simple yet beautiful. Lush colors are used throughout the game to good effect.
+++ Huge amount of variety. Sometimes there is too much choice it seems, but there is nothing in place that really keeps you from going back and doing other stuff in the game as long as you've unlocked a feature.
+++ Deep RPG experience that allows you to steer your character's life the way you want to. There is a lot of strategy for those of you who want to look for that depth, or you can just plow through it headlong. Either way the game will let you succeed in your own way.
THE OK BUT COULD BE BETTER:
=== The relaxed gameplay flow can get repetitive. You only have so much time each day to accomplish tasks and so much energy before you collapse. Because of this it isn't uncommon to take days of time in the game to accomplish a goal.
=== The game map is made up of independent sections or districts, such as Church District, Homestead, Business District, etc. This isn't bad or good in of itself, but learning the layout of the entrances and exits to each section honestly takes far longer than it should have when it should have been absurdly easy.
=== Music is sometimes excellent and other times annoyingly repetitive.
=== The "Runey System"... I'm really on the fence as to whether I hate the Runeys or think they are a good idea. Basically you use the Runey System to help keep the environment in the different areas of the town in balance. On the surface, the Runey system works, but... see later in the review for some harsh criticism of the Runey system.
=== What voice acting exists in the game was done by some good voice actors, but with some really awkward scripts that didn't make it through the translation from Japanese to English so well.
=== Controls are functional and tight, but questionable design decisions keep them from being great. For example, it is too easy to accidentally pick items up instead of performing special actions because pick-up is mapped to the trigger (B) and special actions are mapped to A+B. This also causes extra strain on your hand while farming. The good news is that the Classic Controller is supported on this game, which is very nice and reduces hand fatigue. The bad news about the Classic Controller is that you can't knock on doors because that action is mapped to shaking the nunchuck.
THE BAD:
--Fixed camera angles. The player has absolutely no control of the camera which results in spending a lot of time running towards the camera.
--Load times... lots and lots of brief four and five second load times. Every time you go though a door or move to a different section of the map you will be greeted with a load screen.
--Lack of logical direction regarding some of your tool locations and plot devices, such as the Axe. Why does the nun have the axe? I have no idea. Why do you not get the axe until after you've used the hoe 40 times? I have no idea. Why is the Pet Brush tool acquired randomly from a conversation with the carpenter? Absolutely no idea. What's worse is that the game doesn't give you any decent hints to speak of. Luckily the internet is the perfect solution and some folks have already written excellent tutorials on how to quickly get all of the tools in the game.
--The Runey system is good idea gone bad because of a few really bad game design decisions. While not completely broken, the Runeys are dealt with very clumsily almost every step of the way. 1) The game explains the Runey system very poorly. I still don't understand it, but I have found out the hard way that neglecting the Runeys and allowing them to go extinct will cause your crops to stop growing. 2) Collecting Runeys is slow, time consuming, and kind of random. 3) Distributing Runeys is also slow and time consuming, but at least it isn't random. 4) Checking on the status of Runeys in each district requires you visit a specific part of town instead of just going to a simple menu option. Status checking is probably the worst design flaw of the Runey system. Luckily, if you focus on the runeys about one day out of every two weeks or so you should be able to keep a lid on it.
The good definitely outweighs the bad in this game. While it may look like I don't like the game based on the number of criticisms I have, I would like to emphasize that this game is VERY fun and most of all, addicting. I can easily see the most obsessed gamers getting well over 100 hours out of this game and more casual gamers could easily break the 40 hour mark. If you enjoy Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, or The Sims and you haven't burnt yourself out on life simulation games yet, pick this game up.
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Ever wondered what would happen if you combined Harvest Moon series with Final Fantasy? Well you'll get something like this: Rune Factory: Frontier. While fans of Harvest Moon series will find this game very, (I stress the very), similar to it don't be afraid to buy it thinking it's a bad rip off. Trust me it's not.While the gameplay is basically the same as Harvest Moon: raise crops, interact with the villagers to build friendship, and of course woo your mate and get married, there's a couple unique aspects in this game that Harvest Moon does not have. The Final Fantasy aspect. There are dungeons to explore in the world of Rune Factory and these dungeons have... MONSTERS! But don't be afraid. You have your weapons... and if you can't afford them yet, you can use your farming tool (isn't this great!? Now you can vent your anger on these poor creatures!). There are also boss battles as well so if you get bored of whacking gnomes and wild squirrels, just go deeper into the dungeon.
You can customize your character's armor, use magic, forge weapons, tools, and accessory, cook, fish, and level up your character and skills. What's even better is you can become friends with those monsters and eventually they will live in your barn and help you do your farming chores. There are so many secrets and things to do in Rune Factory, as well as progress the plot (yes there is actually a plot in this game besides making a family), that'll leave you with hours of fun.
So in summary:
Pros
+ Unique game play (many interesting aspects
+ Good Graphics
+ Music is good
+ There's actually VOICE ACTING (something Harvest Moon did not have!... but whether it's actually good...)
+ A wide range of things to do that'll have you gaming for months!
+ Quick loading time (unlike Havest Moon: Tree of Tranquility)
+ A huge number of potential spouses (12!)
Cons
You can only be one sex (male)
Some of your potential mates... looks quite young... TOO YOUNG
Too similar to Harvest Moon in gaming aspects (I would like a little more uniqueness... I mean even the crops are the same!)
Extremely awkward dialogue at places... (At least I wouldn't find myself saying those things...)
Your protagonist... looks totally androgynous
So overall it's a great game. It offers a lot more than Harvest Moon has with its dungeon and fighting concept.
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This game isn't for everyone, and I'm not sure who it is intended for, but it's definitely for me.It takes some basic Zelda action/rpg dungeon adventuring, and then mixes in a dating sim and a crop-growing simulation. Whenever I say that I know some people cheer at parts of the sentence and grown at others, which is perhaps why the game isn't for everyone.
However, I found myself unsuspectingly hooked to the game and have played it far more, in a shorter period of time, than any game in recent memory (though I'm 35 and don't play now like I did when I was 20!).
The game is one of the most peaceful and enjoyable I've played, and there is just so much to do, that I find I am running all day every day in the game to get the most out of the time available (I quickly found that taming a Wolf and taking him with me everywhere I went greatly increased the speed of my travel, in addition to giving me a great companion for battling in the dungeons!).
I play A LOT of games, but there are few games that I can count on to leave me smiling when I turn them off, and this is one of them. Honestly, one of the best things I can say about it is that I always enjoy my time in Rune Factory. It is challenging, and I've gone online more than once to look at game guides, but it isn't frustrating or heavy stress inducing (in fact is quite the opposite!).
...and the time I've spent playing it just keeps going up. I'm at 25 hours in the game so far (The Nintendo Channel to date shows an average of 35 hours played per person for the game), and I never turn it off without thinking about just how many things I want to do, but haven't been able to do yet.
Item forging, creating potions, capturing & caring for your monsters, and cooking food are just the tip of the iceberg in a game that provides players with an absolutely ENORMOUS number of things that players can do. However, everything is introduced at a very reasonable pace so that you are never overwhelmed with what is absolutely an overwhelming amount of stuff in the game.
The only knock on the game is that first hour. You essentially just need to walk around and talk to everyone over and over and over. The game doesn't give you much direction at first, and instead you learn by just trying things, and initially the only thing you can do is talk. For some people that's great, and it really does get you into the groove of peaceful pace that the game has, but you feel a little lost at first.
Once you get past that first piece and find your way into the caves at Whale Island, or the monster-infested Green Ruins, everything settles into the fantastic fun that the game offers. The storyline is engaging, and though the voice acting is inconsistent, the game provides some of the most memorable characters I've interacted with in any game ever.
It's not a perfect game, but it's just so engaging and interesting that I can't fault it. It's one of the most fun experiences I've had on the Wii (or any console for that matter) and it's a shame that there aren't more people playing it.
Honest reviews on Rune Factory: Frontier - Nintendo Wii
Ever since Rune Factory was released into the Harvest Moon line, it has been a welcome addition. This, the newest fruition of the series, is absolutely outstanding. The game has a great story line, and is filled with a number of amusing and quirky tidbits that keep you laughing and involved. There is a lot more humor in this game then in many other Harvest Moon games; humor which is enjoyable to all gamers of any age.The graphics of Rune Factory Frontier are outstanding. A gorgeous scenery, as well as fun anime cut scenes during important events, really add to the unique experience of this game. The character caricatures during conversations show a number of believable emotions, and are simply beautiful.
This game takes what the old Rune Factory games had to offer, polishes them, fixes the problems, and adds new unique qualities that really make this an absolute must have.
Whether you are an old time Harvest Moon fan, or a newcomer, you will enjoy this game. It is absolutely one of the best Harvest Moon games ever released.
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Rune Factory Frontier is a very fun game! I find it better than Harvest Moon for many reasons. If you are going to buy this or Tree of Tranquility, I would definitely go with this. There are just way more options.RFFrontier starts with you ending up in a new town in search of a girl who helped you. You find her and settle in to the town, which has many more villagers. You are neighbors with the girl who you searched for and you make money by farming. The other villagers provide with you many amenities, such as food, potions, and seeds. There are so many things to do; you can farm, explore the dungeons, mingle with the villagers, and just roam around having fun.
The great thing about this game is the amazing graphics. Comparing it with with Tree of Tranquility, they are 100x better in RFFrontier. It just makes it an extra special experience playing a game with beautiful graphics.
Another difference bw this and TofT is that this has a fantasy aspect to it, which makes it more versatile and fun. You can go to different dungeons and battle animals. These animals can be raised once you get a barn. There are no real animals like cows and chickens like in HM, so if you want animals you have to raise monsters. But the crops are the same.
It is also nice in this game that there are beautiful cut scenes. They are short, but can be reviewed at any time and they really are beautifully done. This is a real adventure game, but more open-ended.
It is very fun to play and just explore your town (called Trampoli). I think of it as a kind of mix between HM rpg and adventure games, bc there is the HM farming and courting, but also you have the option to explore dungeons.
The range of characters is very wide; there is everyone! The bummer is (if you are a girl, like me) that you cannot play as a girl and court guys. Nonetheless, it is still very, very fun. It is slightly addicting, but if you have self-control, this is not a problem! It is not very addicting, only mildly. Just so much fun to play!
Of course, like in HM there is the chance to buy things and marry girls, too, so if you are a HM fan you will love this. I mean, this is just so much more fun, and I am saying this as a HM fan, myself.
Well, there is not much more I can say about this game without spoiling it for you. All I can say is that I am very happy with it; it was well worth the money. Better than Tree of Tranquility and very, very fun. It is endlessly fun because of all you can do and discover in the game! Have fun with it! I give it A+!
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