The Rune Factory series meets the Wii with an impressive result.
Start a new life in a crappy, run down farm
Grow crops in a wasteland that you called your field
Pet, feed, and make a profit from the animals in your barn
Woo an eligible girl within your village and create a family
And always something dealing with sprites and a goddess.
I'm not saying they were horrid, I'm just saying that the concept was getting old. But with Rune Factory, your had those aspects combined with monsters, magic, dungeon crawling, crafting, forging, and others. Eventually, a second was released, however it didn't thrill me because it wasn't that different from the first. Now it has come to the Wii with a third installment, and thankfully, new game play elements.
(If you haven't played it yet and want to find out everything on your own, stop reading!)
Alright, what makes this game great is the fact this game has lots of new things. New and improved graphics, new weapons, new dungeons, etc.
However, the little things make it fun too. One example being the sound. In RF2, the music was good, but the character voices were TERRIBLE. In RFF, voice overs are done well. The voices match up with the character and they don't talk in a monotone- they give enthusiasm and energy, like the characters are actually interacting instead of reading a script. The item menu has been redesigned. Items are no longer in sets of nine, they can finally go up to 99! That is incredibly useful in this game. Accessories are actually visible upon equipping them. So if you put on a hat, it'll actually be seen on the character. If you give an accessory to an eligible bride, she will wear it. It could be a headband, a ring, a mask, or a swimsuit. Yes, swimsuits are present. In the previous games, characters talk about swimming in the ocean or the embarrassment of their bikini on the first day of summer, but no one ever actually swims. In RFF, the first day of summer is a actual festival, complete with a game. Plus, the characters will hang out at the beach at certain times during summer. Aside from the little details, major elements have been expanded upon, such as combat. Spell books are gone, but magic staffs take their place. Battles are are still similar, but have been improved. Improvements such as reaction time and accuracy, and monsters being used in boss battles. The overall plot is pretty much a standard RF plot- minus the dragon god. However, it is a new plot that makes sense and keeps you interested. A really new aspect is Runeys, the spirits that affect nature. Normally, growing crops produces a Rune Point, whether on your homestead, or in a cave. In RFF, Rune Points are found in caves only. Growing crops on your farm produces Runeys. This little spirits come in four types- Grass, Tree, Rock, and Water. They exist in a food chain. Water eats Rock, Rock eats Tree, Tree eats Grass, Grass eats nothing. Every area has it's own Runey population, a max of 60 for each type per area. Runeys can make or break your game playing experience. These guys affect crop growth, both in dungeons and on your field. If they are in high numbers and are balanced out within an area, you may see your crops grow faster. It is important to monitor Runeys, if one area goes "dead" (no Runeys at all) then all your crops suffer, whether they're in a dungeon or your field, the will grow slower and some may even die. Grass Runeys decline on their own after the first week of any season in every area except your farm. If the Grass Runeys die out, every other Runey in the same area will eventually die out. Sounds hard, right? Well, you can avoid Runey related catastrophe as long as you create a stock of Runeys. At a certain point in the game, you get a tool that allows you to harvest Runeys from an area and redistribute them. A good idea is to harvest Runeys during the first 7 days of a season, since all types increase during the first seven days.You should also plant crops on your field and let them ripen, but don't harvest them, at least not until the end of the season (If you need the money, harvest a few, but make sure they can regrow). Every day you'll get a Runey bonus per nine crops grown. You then harvest those extra Runeys, put some in your storage area, and release the rest in any needy area. Be mindful this storage of Runeys is best used in winter, when no crops grow. You could though release them in an area to max out all Runey types. When there is about 40 and above of each Runey type in an area, you reach "Prosperity" for that area. This gives you a boost on all crop growth. If you try to achieve balance this way, the homestead should be a breeze to bring to Prosperity. The Runey thing can be tricky at times. It also could have been done a bit better, too. But, most games do have stuff to be improved on. RFF is no exception. Despite its pleasant additions, I still feel that it could of gone for more. Don't get me wrong, it's an astounding game, well worth the money. I'm just adding on that it could have achieved more.