Who the title Rune Factory says nothing, which is perhaps more likely to do something with Harvest Moon. What has this to do with each other? It's simple: The makers of farm-Sim have just joined and come out an action adventure with RPG elements for Dungeons and Harvest Moon Rune Factory is flat, which therefore often aptly subtitled "A Fantasy Harvest Moon".
As in the farm-Sim also gets the player so at the beginning of one or the other "random" way bequeathed a dilapidated farm and the player has to help to its former glory this farm. So there it is, plucking weeds, break stones, wooden cases, order fields and what you just makes everything so on the field.
Through successful cultivate fruits and vegetables earned you more and more money that can be spent on either the box or other things in the expansion of the yard, furniture, new tools, new seeds.
What, however, is completely new in the series is: Animals, there are not so easy to buy, but you have to in the wild monster tame then assume the purpose of cows and other farm-typical cattle. Some of them can even be taken in the fight where we are the second big difference to Harvest Moon: The Action Adventure.
Properly read, Rune Factory has always a certain story in addition to the now acting plump "Mach times the farm beautiful" comes. This is driven by the temple, caves and other facilities, which will be released gradually in the world. In the best action adventure-type one scurries here through each room and the fights are regenerated almost endless respectively through certain portals in the levels against zombies, killer bunnies and other fanciful creatures. Destroy one of these portals has one to revisiting the locality, the air from the vile vermin-free and you can this respite use to collect valuable ores, or plants within the designated place and fruits and vegetables which, unlike the on the field is protected from the weather throughout the year. It should however be noted that each dungeon has its own climate, thus symbolizing a different season. In a cooler cave thus only spring crops can be exposed, for example, while in a warm area summer vegetable grows well.
What was previously a little less to be found in Harvest Moon is the fact running through his planted fields. Hardly had something grown it amounted to a wall, so you had to tactically superior to the shape of the fields. In Rune Factory on the other hand you can kicking scurry through fruits and vegetables and create as full 3x3 fields which can be at any time fully irrigated and harvested.
For each of the defeated monsters in the dungeons the player gets the typical RPG experience points, which result in more energy and stamina after a certain amount. Especially the latter is very important because the daily work or the battle consume stamina and more one of which has the longer and more efficiently, you can take care of his daily bread or use weapons. If the display endurance exhausted collapse of lively adventure-Bauer and can be found at the local hospital the next day. A real game over you do not have expect so.
Now, however, it is the responsibility of the player's choice if he just off the monsters or trying to make friends with them and thus his life gives some relief. It works with a brush, or a special glove which is used to pet the animals. Of course, that's not very realistic times to stroke a wild animal just and thereby make fast in a faithful member doofes within the civilized civilization, but let's leave hanging in the air. However, if you want to tame monster should note that the more or less cute critters not sit still, but merrily attack while trying to stroke them. Energy loss is included here and can lead to premature "death".
However, if you remain energetic and the risk taker can facilitate the very imaginative beings both exploring each level or increase his income, because not only as a fellow in the story sections being suitable, but also as a donor of wool, milk, and even as a kind of slavery where one can order the box to pour or harvest crops. This may just be useful if you want to get involved more on the social ties in the game.
As in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory previous parts can be namely cheerfully participate in the village life, to create friends and enemies through communication and gift exchanges with residents and last but not least see life for the woman's. Especially the latter element has always been a quite large block in the gameplay of its predecessors, because women want to be ensnared course. Daily conversations and gifts are a must in order to increase the love, because only if it is high enough we must elect the lady to the altar and later lead in's marital bed - bear children, including (of course, what is presented suitable for children).
The removing of the own cottage has also been extended slightly and is quite an important aspect of living together with the villagers. In addition to a kitchen you can now including a blacksmith or a laboratory set up where weapons, spells, potions and other are created, which is performed via a small mini-game (at the right time a cursor on a bar stop). These things can turn sell about philosophize with others or use them for their own purposes. Also a nice touch: The player can decide each for three different looks of attachments for his house.
As gameplay expansion has "Frontier" even the Runeys inserted, hold four classes of Elemt-spirits the country in balance. Initially, these spirits are anything but balanced and so the players in the course of history must also try certain things by the balance between water, air, earth and Co to find out what makes the land fertile. Often this element seem a little unnecessary and so like trying to order just pull the game in the length. But the good approach can not be entirely denied.
Graphically, the title is not just moved to the technical level of what can make the Wii, but ... There are many lovely details, everything is incredibly atmospheric and everywhere you will only be slain by almost fantasy. Here truly is an incredibly beautiful, albeit small, world created at just about every corner invites simply to stand and admire the beautiful landscape. Technical standard or not so beautiful games like Rune Factory does not see so often ...
There are also quite the show up from time to time cute little anime sequences. Nothing but one has not been seen with the same quality in the TV quite quite acceptable. Especially the compression of the movies is good, so we see no to little coarser pixels.
The music is always appropriate (sometimes excluded from the intro song, the very ... "absurd" hip hop jazz-like effect), can outside the dungeon but quickly become monotonous something, because every season has its own theme which is almost everywhere to be heard in the outside world. Also sounds a little too quiet for the inclined Action fetishists, but these people will deal with in any case less Rune Factory. The sounds could have a bit more variety, because it is precisely the "YAH" or "HI" if the sword or ax be wielded repeated a bit too often and unnecessarily loud. This is the English speech, even if willed japanophil-künslich-quitschig, quite well. Whether it is the annoying girl who irascible, wild woman, or stereotypical Depri-Grufi - all voices fit and breathe the figures even more details.
Questionable or even negative, the game is only in some places. As we have for example the loading times that occur in almost every new screen. The forced break is quite manageable, but the already quiet gameplay becomes again a little quieter. At the beginning you take this load times but much more clearly true, and you get used to it, you would have this but maybe you can take out all the way through a little more development?
Then of course is the big question mark what is happening to the characters. Rune Factory Frontier seems from the figures and from more than one text a direct successor the first DS offshoot to be. If you have married there already it looks like as if you suddenly can just sit his wife and children and move to a new village. Also funny that sometimes the exact same women can be recruited again, but the hero of the old village just do not know any of the liaisons that one there had perhaps. A DS connection which would have proven to be highly desirable to be based on DS-Score, or at least new figures.
Really weird but certain other things could affect players, because the game seems more than in the "naughty zone" blunt at only one point a little. Let's start in order to that the hero and the possible brides look damn young. Of course the parents are at the present time getting younger, because the children are not to stop, but here it is sometimes really acts as if two twelve year olds make together things you maybe should not do at that age. Even something funny scenes could act in the public bath, in which the hero is sitting alone in men only and overhears the women opposite, then groans suddenly and wegtretet. Especially in scenes in which mother and daughter sitting next to each other washing and philosophize who has the softer skin could be thought that since at least in the Japanese texts little more Schweinkram occurs. And what about the male dealers that you have almost dub as pretty boys and in whose bed you can put "more or less" in order to spend the night. Red cheeks when heroes are of course included ... even in conversations with the men. Very, very japanophil ... Sometimes I had to at least smile, but I can already hear now the "Is the gay 'contributions to them. Incidentally, the sex of the hero is not reversible, so female players also need a boy playing. Harvest Moon had changed so quickly, Rune Factory depends here after.
Aside from making the game but, despite the tranquility it radiates a lot of fun, because exactly the addition of Action Adventure brings enough new spice to the Harvest Moon formula it needs after so many infusions. To put it shortly after as much (more or less good) Text: The game is worth playing consistently and should any Harvest Moon are preferred. Although it certainly has its lengths and rather quiet comes can attest entitled only fun and a thoroughly good presentation that is sorely lacking in many games. Who recoils before very Japanese elements and games ala Animal Crossing can already access almost without hesitation here.
