• Publisher: Natsume
  • Release Date: Oct 7, 2011
  • Also On: Wii
Metascore
55 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. Oct 28, 2011
    65
    Tides of Destiny makes several good changes to the Rune Factory formula, making for a fun adventure in fantasy farming.
  2. Oct 17, 2011
    74
    Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny has some great gameplay innovations and refinements, and can be quite fun and addictive to play. Unfortunately, the step backwards in terms of localization and character development combined with some issues with production value keep the game from being great.
  3. Oct 19, 2011
    40
    It's when you get into the tedium of every activity that you realize a game that only does a few things well holds more value than a game that does a dozen things poorly. Variety is supposed to be the spice of life, but let's be honest, everything has its limits.
  4. Best left on the bargain bin's seabed. [Aug 2012, p.113]
  5. May 20, 2012
    40
    A disappointing misstep for Harvest Moon's sister series, where neither monster fighting nor crop planting offers any real entertainment or variety.
  6. Jul 10, 2012
    51
    Showing its age both mechanically and visually, there's still fun to be had here if you've got the patience and the right mindset. It'll send everyone else to sleep, however. [Issue#220, p.79]
  7. As it stands, this one needed more time before harvesting. [Holiday 2011, p.75]
  8. Jul 6, 2012
    76
    The story is not noteworthy and visually the Wii heritage shines through. But nonetheless the mix of conquering uncharted territory, collecting rare materials, finding treasure, recruiting monster comrades and taking care of your property is motivating.
  9. After thirty hours you're still discovering new islands in the enormous ocean surrounding Fenith Island. You're still trying to manage your plantations more efficiently or be a better cook. There are no tutorials, which means that you'll spend a lot of time wondering what you're supposed to do. [July 2012, p.88]
  10. Dec 19, 2011
    60
    While the motion and camera controls leave much to be desired, there is a huge amount of gameplay in this title for anyone looking to discover all areas and level up all their skills.
  11. Nov 11, 2011
    40
    Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny took me over eighty hours to complete and only twenty of those hours actually felt fun and exciting. The game has way too many unpolished elements that keep it from being a fantastic successor to Rune Factory 3, and in the end falters from its problems described above.
  12. May 30, 2012
    65
    Rune Factory surely has some qualities with its long game experience and its colorful and aquatic universe that players will enjoy crossing thanks to the introduction of the Golem. However, the ones that usely play the IP to satisfy their farmer spirit, will be disappointed to see that all the hard work has been given to the mobs, the players' role consisting in checking if they have enough cookies to eat. Hopefully, fight sequences remain entertaining, yet repetitive.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. After playing Dark Souls and Skyrim, this game was a nice change of pace. The critics mostly had beefs with the changes that have been made to this series. I have never played the series before and think the game is great. The characters are awesome! A homosexual priest with two adopted kids, a tough old sailor that sports a floaty and snorkel at all times, an overweight baroness that is spending her family fortune on an obsession with treasure hunting while her daughter works three jobs. All lovable and comical character that are very intricately woven together. Combat is good, golem combat is fun and strategic while character combat is a little repetitive and involves some button mashing. Crafting, fishing, and farming all have a fun mini-game element. The game loads up and plays without a glitch or patch, load times going through doors are a mere 1-3 seconds. The game is smooth, functional, fun, and addicting and for that I give it a 10. Don't overlook this game it's very different and has no genre. Full Review »
  2. 8
    This is a very fun RPG-lite.. I bought it for my daughter and wife to play with and I seem to be spending the most time on it of the 3 of us! Its a farming, crafting, relationship building RPG with pretty solid button mashing combat and tons to explore and do.. has plenty of dungeons to explore. Its super cute and really not insultingly simple, I would highly recommend it to RPG lovers, anime fans, or anyone who likes to sit back and play fun games without tons of gore and violence. Full Review »
  3. Tides of Destiny or Rune Factory Oceans. Is pretty standard Jrpg gameplay but scratch the surface and after a few hours off play there are some fun interesting characters and ideas at play in the games system. a continuously running clock and a voice that tells you the time at different points announcing its mid day or its afternoon add to the overall atmosphere you must be back in youre room to rest before 5am each day to rest or drop dead from exhaustion. food maintains your health. capture and train monsters. mix and alchemise gems and metal ores to create new or upgraded armor and weapons. a decent cast of characters and real time hack n slash battle play make this game as fun or as complex as you want. if you like Jrpgs this is one of the few available on ps3 and worth looking out for. Full Review »