advertisement

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

By Kevin VanOrd, GameSpotPosted Jul 13, 2007 3:19 pm PT

What's better than raising chickens? Why, raising monsters, of course! We take a look at this intriguing mix of gaming styles for the Nintendo DS.

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.

Click to enlarge!

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.

39 Comments

  • Will47

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 5:17 pm PT

    I want a review please.

  • Djinnator

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 2:57 pm PT

    Why hasn't gamespot Reviewed this yet?! It's been a week and i've been patiently waiting for it while Bioshock was reviewed in less than a day.

  • KittyKatLaura12

    Posted Aug 20, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    This game is really good. There is kind of a steep difficulty curve in the beginning. You can't just charge to the end of the first cave, it takes leveling even to successfully fight more than a few monsters at once at first. Sam thing with getting your farm going. It's quite rewarding once you've made it over that first wave of difficulty though. I'm really glad they are making a Wii version.

  • Djinnator

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 11:22 am PT

    I wasn't interested until i read the premise, the idea sounds cool and i'm looking forward to getting it, it should be good enough that i won't put it down until i'm finished, or better.

  • FlamingFury

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    It'll be interesting to see if Natsume can pull this off.

    lol I made a game like this in GameMaker once.

    Lets wait for the review before we get too hyped.

  • Slayervorge3000

    Posted Aug 10, 2007 10:48 am PT

    Sweet! Sounds really addictive already. Good thing I already pre-ordered it.

  • singsorrow

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:18 am PT

    Do you think that they will replace the blue feather with a monster heart?

    I can see it now,
    "Will you marry me?"
    "Where's my mutant pig heart?!"

  • Myriam_D

    Posted Aug 3, 2007 9:10 pm PT

    I heard someone say Nintendo power gave it seven, but my buddy told me of two separate reviews that gave it an eight and a NINE. Yeah, she's pre-ordered it now.

  • austindarkness

    Posted Aug 1, 2007 11:01 am PT

    i want this game so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • white143papi

    Posted Jul 29, 2007 6:05 pm PT

    this is the game I was waiting for all year

  • dekasuperlink

    Posted Jul 29, 2007 1:19 pm PT

    Wow, Nintendo Power just reviewed it, and gave it a 7.0. They are some times overly generous with their reviews, but they had real issues with the games mechanics.

  • Rambo1990

    Posted Jul 27, 2007 4:22 am PT

    Looks good, and finally i can be able to fight something better than a chicken, beetle or mayor in a HM game!!!

  • Rizer

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 6:45 pm PT

    Sounds fun. But it's seems so different I'm not sure why they even bothered calling it "Harvest Moon", you'd think they'd just make a seperate serise from it as it seems more like "Legend of Mana" than "Harvest Moon".

  • JiminycricketX

    Posted Jul 18, 2007 5:16 pm PT

    Sounds like just the thing that Natsume needs to spice up the aging series. I think combat would work better touch screen controlled than button controlled (as a DS owner, and an ex-GBA owner, I believe I'm qualified to compare the two forms of control) but I'm not about to complain too much about that. I do wonder wether the emphasis will be more on farming or dungeon diving. It's possible that the farming will just be a means to further your dungeon diving activities, but it could be just the opposite. I guess the game will give you that choice, since HM games have never been linear in nature. If Dark Cloud mixed with harvest moon is anywhere near as good an idea as this makes it sound, I will definitely add this to my wishlist.

  • Platyphyllum

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 8:19 pm PT

    I am getting this game.

  • chuckleechuck

    Posted Jul 16, 2007 1:20 pm PT

    When is the release date?

  • gmrndlze

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 11:04 pm PT

    I can't wait for this game to come out. I was hoping to play it in July when it was originally slated for release. Now I have to wait till August. I love the Harvest Moon series and I know this game will improve it.

  • happyhead1

    Posted Jul 15, 2007 7:47 pm PT

    Man, I am SO going to get this. I'm not a huge harvest moon fan, but I love RPGs where you can get better with different skills and level up. And I also love the whole "Collect monsters to help you in combat" thing. //or just the collecting in general. That is usually the best aspect of games like this. Plus the graphics look good too. When I saw the title I thought they were going to suck like HMDS's did. But this is one of those "Reserve-and-then-on-release-date-rush-to-the-store-all-exited-and-than-play-for-hours" game. I bet this will be the best DS game in a while, with the exeption of Pokemon Diamond. And that most definitely did NOT disappoint me. I'm really hoping this won't either. I'll probably get it for the Wii too, if I like the DS version. And I probably will love it. I hope they're compatable with each other!

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $15.77 – 22.48

Amazon.com $22.48 SHOP ›
Deep Discount.com $15.77 SHOP ›
advertisement

Related Unions

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    2,189 of 77,426
    (down by 275)
    DS Rank:
    145 of 3,144
    Tracking:
    1,104 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    681 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    69
    Player Ratings:
    962
    Users Now Playing:
    307
  • Number of Players:

    1-2

  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. rune factory
    2. ds
    3. harvest moon
    4. natsume
    5. neverland
  • Everyone Rating Description

    Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement
Click Here