Harvest Moon fans, rejoice. The awsome Fantasy Harvest Moon is out, and it's far better than expected.

User Rating: 9 | Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon DS
I was one of the unfortunate ones who went to a store and was told that the game was sold out because of preorders. After going to a Wal-Mart and a GameStop, I was throughly ticked. So I went to a Toys R' Us, and lo and behold, they had 3 copies left. Yoink!

First Impression:
The beggining movie was really neat. It was like I was playing Final Fantasy again, although this was all anime and not 3D. As I started the game, I noticed that this was going to be quite a different trip from the other Harvest Moons. First of all, the other Harvest Moons don't really have a story. Your character in those games was just plopped on the farm, told to raise it, and get married to some random chick. This Harvest Moon, however, broke the tradition. Your character is near dead at the beggining, having no memory of who he is whatsoever. He collapses in front of a girl's house named Mist, and she gives you some food (First after giving you some farming tools...God, she's so considerate of your condition) and, in return, you have to take care of a farm that she owns. But that's just the tip of the iceburg. Anyways, I haven't beaten it yet, so I have no clue how it ends, but oh boy there is so much to do in this game that I've found myself playing it until about 3-4 in the morning just playing it non-stop

Lasting Impression:
Well, I'm still playing this to date (after having to wait a week after its realeased to get it), and I haven't put it down yet. There is so much you can do, from participating in events to (gasp) fighting monsters with an array of swords, spears, and magical spells. Yup, monster fighting is very important in this one, and is something new to the Harvest Moon series. There isn't any livestock to raise in it. Instead, you have to capture said monsters and keep them in Monster Huts. No more seperate homes for the Cows and Chickens. Now you can have them all in the same hut. Some animals will fight with you if you want them to, and others will give you the usual milk, wool, and eggs. This Harvest Moon also has the biggest line up of eligible women you can marry, which is 10, for your information. It is quite easy to get them to like you more in this own. Let's take Mist, for instance. Plow your fields, defeat cave bosses, and talking to her will make her friendship and love count go up for you. Also, no more stalking into people's houses to gind out if the girls love you by taking a peek into their diaries. Now you can check it out yourself in your Menu.

I guess I should talk about the controls. You never really need the stylus. All the buttons are mapped out onto your DS's buttons, so the only real reason for the stylus is for when you are drawing in you screenshots. Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. You can take a screenshot of anything your doing at the moment by bress L + Select at almost any point, then you can go to your house and edit it. It's quite fun to mess with the pictures, actually. This Harvest Moon also has a level up feature for almost everything you do. If you use your hoe and watering can alot, your farming skill will increase, and it will take less energy to use the how or water your crops. Same goes for fishing, swordsmanship, and even making dinner can make your skill go up. Ah, yes, (god this is the longest review I ever did, lol) you have energy too. Your HP and Rp (Rune Points) are displayed on the screen. RP let's you use your tools, your magic, and swinging your sword around makes your RP go down. Hp is your health points, obviously. If you use up all your Rune Points, you'll be relying on your HP to use tools and fight monsters. While it's not that bad if you use up all your points while working on the fields, it is especially bad if you lose all your HP and RP in a monster cave, because it's automatic game over for you if do. You can get your RP and HP back up by going to bed, taking baths, and drinking certain potions, along with a few other ways (I won't spoil anything :) )

Parting Words:

I can't make this review any longer or you'll probably hate me in the end. I can't write in a review everything you can do in this game. It is wonderful to play and is arguably the greatest harvest Moon to date. If your a Harvest Moon fan, pick it up...now. If your not, this game wouldn't be a bad choice to pick up anyways. You won't be dissapointed.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Awsome gameplay. Like what I would expect from Harvest Moon, but alot more added.

Sound: 8.5/10
The sounds are cool, and there is some talking, along with a stellar soundtrack to boot.

Controls: 8.5/10
Not bad, but I would've liked more use of the stylus.

Replayability: 9.0/10
Uhh...I haven't even gotten married, and I won't for another few weeks, I am sure. It's fun to play through again.

Fun Factor: 9.5/10
Fun as heck. There's so much to do, you'll probably have to use both your save files.

Overall: 9.0/10
Harvest Moon fans, rejoice. The awsome Fantasy Harvest Moon is out, and it's better than expected