Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
by Natsume, Inc.
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Product Summary
Brand: NatsumeAudio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Manual)
Published: 2010-11
Release Date: 2010-11-09
Platform: Nintendo DS
Model: 719593100300
Publisher: Natsume, Inc.
Product features:
- It's your task to make a new name for yourself after losing all memory
- Prepare the land, grow your crops, raise animals, catch fish, and battle monsters to build a new life for yourself a new life
- Build relationships, make friends and even fall in love
- Team up wirelessly with other adventures via multiplayer in this RPG adventure
Video Game Reviews of Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
Customer Review: Pros & Cons of "Rune Factory 3"
Summary: 5 Stars
Rune Factory 3 is the 3'rd of its kind for the DS and the 4'th installment overall in the Rune Factory series. So far, I'd have to say it is the best one yet despite not being on a console.
PROS:
*Beautiful graphics. You are no longer a 3D character running over 2D backgrounds like in the previous two for the DS.
*The most beautiful and most interesting set of bachelorettes ever known to the Rune Factory series. This includes a beautiful yet ditsy mermaid, a gorgeous and mysterious half-human/half-monster girl of few words, the strange little witch whose plans never go right, the adorable girl who tends to always be the victim of the witch's "experiments", the Japanese girl in traditional attire whose mother was once a warrior, an elegant girl who tends to speak in opposites, the Mayor's daughter whom is quite beautiful and helps you as the story goes, the general store owner's daughter whom is always sleeping on the job when she's not complaining about work, a tomboyish girl with an overprotective brother whom both cannot get enough of fishing, and the horned Univer girl whom bares an intense hatred for humans while serving as her tribe's elder. There's so much variety and each girl is not without her own unique charm! Your character is interesting too seeing as he is a half-monster/half-human!
*You can only take 3 requests a day. One from the bulletin board, one from your mail box, and one from the owl in the settlement. While some see this as a con, I see it as a pro! You're able to do enough where you still feel busy, but not too much so that you fly pass it too quickly. I often did that in Rune Factory 2 and ended up fulfilling most all the requests before I was even halfway through the first year.
*There's a HUGE IMPROVEMENT in the English dub. Unlike in Rune Factory 2 for the DS, I didn't have to mute my game to withstand it. Everyone has pretty nice voices except Karina, the general store owner's daughter. I really couldn't get used to her "Sup?" and "Ving." just because she's too lazy to speak properly. Maybe if her voice were cuter as her appearance, it would've been more acceptable. Instead, she sounds like a bored "goth" teenager. Despite that, everyone else's voices are easily withstandable and some are even enjoyable.
*Any character (bachelorettes included) with 3 hearts or more can be invited to take walks with you or go into battle alongside your character!
*Rune Factory 3 has a realistic "affection" system. Unlike Natsume's "Harvest Moon" franchise in which gift-giving plays a big factor in winning your dreamguy or girl's heart, it doesn't really matter here. Whether someone likes you or not depends on how much you talk to them and how many requests of theirs you respond to. While giving gifts does help their affection rise more quickly, it isn't a "have to". Another thing about the affection system in Rune Factory 3 is that is does not rise too quickly. In its predecessor, "Rune Factory 2", I was married to Yue by Summer/Year 1. It was nice, but it felt like it happened too suddenly. In Rune Factory 3, characters' personalities also change the more you get to know them: Sofia starts becoming more understandable, Raven begins to open up to you, Monica stops biting you, Shino lets you know more about her mysterious past, etc.! Bachelorettes also get "hearts" that appear above their head whenever you pass by them depending on how much affection you've gotten with them. They even begin to greet you differently and sometimes even blush when you speak to them once you've gotten their 7 hearts or so. Once you've shown your monster-side to a bachelorette after earning 8 hearts or more, they will stay out on a walk with you pass their curfew and will even still be there the next day after you've gone to bed if you have not dismissed them. The realistic qualities are quite an impressive feature that surprised me upon my playthrough.
*Dailogue is never repetitive as everyone says something different every day!
*The storyline is much more captivating than all other Rune Factory titles. I find myself actually interested in it and curious to find out more.
*The dungeons are more interesting as are the monsters you face within them. Each dungeon is largely expanded and there are so many different types of monsters you can befriend. "Harvest Moon" fans won't be disappointed as you can still adopt certain monsters that resemble livestock/poultry and still produce the same kind of products such as milk, eggs, and wool. It's alot more interesting as well because you could have pet elephants, wolves, penguins, and so much more. You also no longer have to use a "harvester" of any sort to recieve produce from the animals; it's lying on the floor every morning when you enter the barn - all ready for you to simply pick up! This means you have extra space in your rucksack and less hassle to get your animal products!
*The weather system can be considered both a pro and a con. I despise the typhoons that come mid-day because they completely destroy ALL your crops - even if you grow them in a dungeon. However, I do love how realistic the weather changes are because life itself is like that. It's a feature that I find bittersweet.
*Picking up items is even more simple - especially if its a multiple of the same type of item. You can just pile them ontop of eachother without having to individually tuck every single one into your rucksack.
*I love how you can learn recipes for your kitchen, pharmacy, forge, and crafts by simply eating recipe bread. OK OK...it's not realistic, but it makes things ALOT more easier and stress-free.
*The bathhouse is open very early in the morning to late at night! There is also a multitude of shops & stores in town. Every building in the game has one store or more attached to it. Sofia's home is the setting for Evelyn's clothing store in which you can buy your much-needed swimsuit for the Summer, the bathhouse holds a variety of things - especially if Yue & Mei are opened up on the top floor, Raven's place sells a wide range of weaponry and farming tools that change everytime you beat a new dungeon with new "Special Deals" changing daily, etc.!
-Truthfully, I cannot say everything I love about this game because it'd take ALL DAY-
CONS:
*Not enough festivals nor dates. This could be major to minor depending on who you are.
*Not enough game files. This game has such high replay value and so many lovable bachelorettes that I wish we'd have four files instead of only two.
*No option to play as a girl. I constantly find myself liking Zaid and wishing I could marry him as a girl character! Haha!
*Some requests ask too much of you.
*When taking a character out for a walk or alongside in battle, they will often say the same things over & over very frequently which can get annoying. My advice - when you're looking to marry a certain someone, don't take them out on walks too often. I've had just about ENOUGH of Collette's "I'm sooo hungry" or Pia's "I wanna eat squid!". Ugh.
*Your children will always look the same regardless of who you married. They are also slightly boring with repetitive dialogue. I wish I could've had children that looked more like Raven.. *sigh*
Overall, this game was the best 30$ ever spent. It's my favorite DS game and the best "Rune Factory" to me. I spent hours playing it and really couldn't get enough! For my first file, I married Raven. For my second, I'm either going for Pia or Sofia. Once again, I wish you could only have more files! Haha!
This is truly a great game that can appeal to just about anyone of any age! Not too easy for adults, not too difficult for children! :) If you find it too easy, set the difficulty on "Hard" once you've gained access to the lower portion of the right side to your house. :) Enjoy & Happy Gaming!
Description of Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
You awake to find yourself in a new town with no memory of who you are. It's your job to till the land, grow your crops, raise animals, catch fish, and battle monsters in an effort to build a new life for yourself. Build skills and learn magic as you save your neighbors from monstrous threats and uncover the secrets of your forgotten past. You can befriend monsters to help on your farm and even transform into a monster if needed. Upgrade your skills as you travel through this RPG adventure. You can master swords, spears and other weapons to defeat your enemies and you can also team up wirelessly with other adventures via multiplayer.Role-Playing Games
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