E3 '07: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Impressions

If you are worried about whether Natsume plans to replace the Harvest Moon series with this newest take on the series, don't worry. According to representatives, if Harvest Moon is Three's Company, then Rune Factory is more like The Ropers. Not that you should take that to mean that this upcoming DS title is playing second banana: We were surprised at just how deep it was, and we can't wait to spend more time with it.

You will find all of the beloved elements of Harvest Moon intact in Rune Factory. You still establish a farm and harvest crops and raise creatures. You will also want to develop relationships with other characters, so you can potentially find the love of your life if you're so inclined. But this time around, the minerals you harvest and recipes you discover have a far more action-packed purpose. You will be forging items, weapons, and armor, because--you guessed it--you will be donning a scabbard and heading into dungeons to beat up on monsters.

The monsters aren't bad guys necessarily, and actually, you can make friends with them and send them to work on the farm, or have them tag along with you in combat. But for whatever reason, you still need to bash on them with swords, though Natsume promises us that when you defeat them, they don't actually die. Combat is purely button-driven, so none of the action elements utilize the touch screen. The battles we saw in action were very lively and attractive to look at, with plenty of colorful particles and well-designed monsters.

The combat and farming elements aren't separate entities, though. You will need to harvest resources (and at those times, you will use the touch screen) in order to forge new and better weapons, as well as to earn rune points. You need those points to level up and clear out your dungeons, and since all the monsters respawn once you leave, it may take a while to improve your farm enough to handle them. You will also become more skilled in particular areas by performing certain activities. Want to increase your accessory-making skills? Make jewelry. Want to get better with spears? Crack baddies over the head with them. You will also want to increase your forging skills, because the more skilled you are, the better chance you have of making high-level weapons and armor.

We also learned that a Wii version is in the works, which is good news for series fans. Rune Factory looks like a fascinating combination of gameplay styles, and we can't wait to spend more time with it when it's released next month.