XSEED Games’ popular Harvenst Moon spinoff series Rune Factory 4 is a wonderful blend of action RPG, dungeon adventuring and farming elements that is very immersive and is a blast to play.
For the first time in the series, the player can select to play as a male or female hero, and potential suitors of either gender are also available in order to pursue love, marriage, and possibly a child. As the newly-appointed prince or princess, you can fulfill your royal duties of protecting the town from invaders, or take a more rural approach to governing by raising your own fruits and vegetables and helping townsfolk. Should some dungeon adventuring be on the day’s itinerary, you can select from the castle’s vast armament of swords, spears, and staffs along with magic for battle against dangerous foes, or even bring along a companion or friendly monster to aid you during your travels.
Fair skies above the clouds come crashing down on a dragon in the form of a resilient hero, whose origins and intentions are unknown due to the unfortunate consequence of having lost all memories on impact. Noticing a unique ability to bring soil to life and connect with monsters, Ventuswill, the Divine Wind Dragon, issues you a proclamation: stay in this castle as royalty, and bring prosperity to the town of Selphia!
When out hunting and in battle you can use swords, spears, staves and other weapons and magic to personalize your battle tactics as formidable monsters await in trap-laden dungeons. You are also able to invite the townsfolk along, develop friendships with certain monsters.
Now called an ‘Earthmate’ for your talents, you must take on the responsibilities and wishes of the citizens.
The castle rules state that “If you don’t work, you don’t eat,” and royalty is no exception. Till the fields and use a Fertilizer Bin to keep them healthy, which will ensure a more bountiful harvest; the more crops there are to ship, the more options that will become available in stores. You can take advantage of finding items that can only be grown on the farm, such as various fruits, vegetables, trees, and even dungeons, weapons and shields!
You can also befriend monsters found in dungeons and keep them as pets on the farm. Take good care of them by giving them fodder, home-cooked meals and a good brushing, and they’ll return the favor by helping to water crops, harvest, or plant seeds. There are even pets who will drop exclusive goods which can be sold or used in crafting, cooking, mixing and forging.
Attracting tourists and bringing prestige to Selphia’s name is one of the many goals of a prince or princess. Spend time with the citizens by fighting at their side, ship crops, hold festivals, take on requests at the Request Box and much more to earn Prince/Princess Points, which can be spent on opening new shops, holding brand-new festivals, and expanding your farm and living quarters. The more tourists there are, the more Points you can earn, meaning more ways for the town to grow.
There are multiple bachelors and bachelorettes in Selphia, each with their own personality, history, likes and dislikes. Getting to know them means earning their trust, learning their story, and capturing their heart. Dating is a good way to get to know someone that could be a potential mate. There are a variety of dating spots to spend some quality time with someone special, and certain festivals can become memorable events if there is a loved one to share it with.
Along with swords, spears, staves, gloves, dual blades, axes and hammers as weapons, there are also Rune Abilities. Rune Abilities can enhance the value of weapons used by creating new attacks, or they can come in a variety of healing and elemental spells. Weapons, armor, accessories, medicine and dishes can be bought through shops in town, but earning the various licenses to own a forge, crafting table, chemistry set and cooking tools will ultimately create the best of each. Drop items and crops grown on the farm are the key to taking advantage of each of these implements, and an endless combination of recipes will create hours of growth.
Tucked away behind the scenery or the walls of a cave may be hidden areas, some of which can only be accessed during certain days. You can look for secret passages and check on blocked paths throughout the seasons as there may be rare goods that can’t be found anywhere else waiting to be discovered!
There is SO much to do in the game, and you can end up spending countless hours (and in game days) whiling away collecting items to buy items, build things and cook the various foods in the game. Running out into the forest and defeating monsters to collect their wares and picking plants to be used healing or refilling your RP stat. The side tasks are just as much fun and deep as the story in the game.
I must say one of the things I love is that while you’re in town the map shows you where key characters are as they wander around the town. Depending on the time of day they may be at home, at work or maybe even taking a relaxing spa break. And most of them will greet you with a friendly hello as you pass by in the street.
The music in the game is top notch and never gets old no matter how many time it loops. One of the things that I definitely appreciate is the full motion anime opening sequence, as well as the short video clips that introduces many of the characters. These can also be watched later on in the vaults below your room in the castle.
If you enjoy the Harvest Moon series you’ll love Rune Factory 4. If you enjoy dungeon explorers you will also love this game. And if you’re a fan of both genres then you deserve it to yourself to take a look. The game can also be conveniently downloaded from the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Pick this one up. You’ll thoroughly enjoy it.