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Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

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8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 34 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Natsume

Developer: Neverland

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game, Simulation

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: August 14, 2007

Summary

You awaken to find yourself in an unfamiliar village with no memory of who you are or how you arrived. Mist, a beautiful young woman comes to your aid and helps you start to build a life for yourself…on a farm. Till the land, grow crops, raise animals, catch fish and battle monsters! Battling against fierce beasts is very important for your survival, but making friends with them is essential for your farm life. Build skills and learn magic as you save your neighbors and uncover the secrets of your forgotten past...Befriend wandering monsters to help with your farm, each with their own special abilities. Upgrade your skills as you use and create hundreds of items and tools. Communicate and exchange items via Wi-Fi. Grow crops, make friends and fall in love. [Natsume]

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Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Cheat Code Central

Series fans will find that Rune Factory far exceeds their expectations. The inclusion of combat, magic, and other RPG elements greatly expand on an excellent game design that will feel familiar, if not significantly improved, to many players.

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GameBrink

A great game with an overwhelming amount of things to do giving you a lot of freedom to explore the little world and follow the main story at your own pace. [JPN Import]

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GameZone

This game earns a spot next to Advance Wars DS and Castlevania: DoS as an essential title in the library of anyone who enjoys top-notch single-player experiences on DS.

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GameShark

It’s unlikely that Rune Factory is going to make converts out of anyone who doesn’t already enjoy the series but it will certainly please longtime fans, especially those who felt like the series was growing stale.

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GamingTrend

The good news is Rune Factory is long on farming, exploration, and relationships and short on the sillier aspects of the franchise. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the game is long, varied, and a great deal of addictive fun to play. Pick this one up especially if you have a long trip coming up.

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AtomicGamer

In the end, this meshing of two different styles of gameplay is what makes Rune Factory a worthy pickup for previous Harvest Moon-ers.

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Deeko

Rune Factory might not be perfect, but it's the first Harvest Moon game to be released on the DS that doesn't feel old hat.

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IGN

For Harvest Moon fans, Rune Factory is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. The game balances a classic farming system (with some changes for the better) along with a full dungeon-crawling aspect, monster collection, and all the added goodies you’d expect from the franchise.

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IGN UK

It might be old, but Rune Factory is still very, very good - a welcome reinvention of the Harvest Moon series by a developer who clearly loves it almost as much as we do.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Exploring Rune Factory's rural village of Kardia is like shaking a snow globe; the town is small but nuanced, perfectly preserved yet dynamic.

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NGamer UK

Very fun indeed. [Dec 2007, p.62]

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GamingXP

A very entertaining game that was released in Japan in 2006 in Europe in 2009! Let´s hope the second part will be released sooner in the old world.

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Cynamite

Despite its complicated start, Rune Factory rewards the player with a really charming role-playing experience.

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Cubed3

Rune Factory successfully implements an engaging dungeon crawling aspect without sacrificing, or even significantly altering, the core Harvest Moon formula.

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RPG Fan

Rune Factory is a great portable action RPG/sim with a vast array of activities and a great addictive vibe.

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GamerNode

Rune Factory does a good job of changing up the Harvest Moon formula many have grown bored with. Veterans may not like the changes at first, but give them a chance and you’ll likely find yourself enjoying it.

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G4 TV

The new elements all mesh perfectly to provide a more well-rounded farming RPG experience, and, as odd as that sounds to non-fans, this is an excellent DS adventure.

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GameSpot

Despite a totally different visual style and the introduction of combat, Rune Factory still delivers a relatively straight-ahead Harvest Moon experience.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Great for fans, hard work for everyone - it's not bad, just really heavy going. [Feb 2009, p.80]

AceGamez

It's safe to say that if you've never enjoyed the sedate pace of the Harvest Moon formula then Neverland's latest simply isn't for you - but if you're a fan of the series who's looking for a unique twist on the usual procedure then you need look no further than Rune Factory.

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Level7.nu

This is a title filled with repetitive moments. If plowing your field and watering your plants doesn't sound like tons of fun, this isn't a game for you. But if you like the Harvest Moon series this title does offer a whole lot of tinkering and interesting ideas. The addition of monsters on your farm, upgrading tools and weapons, interacting with other characters and exploring dungeons does expand the experience a whole lot. If you're into the whole life on a farm concept you should definitely give this one a try.

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Pocket Gamer UK

Rune Factory is an impressive advancement for the Harvest Moon series but you have to be committed to get the most out of the experience.

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Zentendo

Those who adore the franchise will most likely find this title worthwhile due to the steps it takes to advance the series into foreign territory, but these gamers have also stuck with the Harvest Moon games for a reason: they can cope with a bevy of flawed design choices to appreciate the redundancy of farming these casual titles provide.

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Nintendo Power

The play control is responsive, but sword swinging is hesitant and Raguna is unable to fight and walk at the same time. [Sept 2007, p.88]

GameSpy

Rune Factory is a good experiment which introduces new concepts and refreshed gameplay , but it doesn't do a good job of using the DS' many capabilities.

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Game Informer

Just way more trouble than it’s worth.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 34 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ike J. gave it an8:
This is my first Harvest moon game, and I absolutely loved it. From the start to finish, it was an excellent game, in my opinion. The main gameplay is fun. The characters are decent, a huge variety of gameplay, good amount of weapons, items, good music, and stuff like that. A few of my main complaints are the top screen, which is barely used at all. Also, the person who said that the game didn't explain enough, and couldn't figure out how to remove stumps, the description of the item clearly says "cannot remove stumps". Anyway, the game's visuals look great with the 2D background. I do wish there was more content, and I found the story to be a bit lacking, so I can't give it a higher mark than an 8.

Ambi H. gave it a7:
I liked the game. It was difficult at first but (mainly because I read walkthroughs online *Thank you Freyashawk*) I got used to it. I have a couple complaints though. The Harvest Moon Part of it is shambles… It’s now a dungeon game with good anime graphics but very few Harvest Moon aspects. I agree with Trevor R. that the love part stinks. It would be nice if there were some heart events. Instead you merely talk to the bachelorettes and give them gifts. It would also be nice to be able to play a girl in the game. It’s a tad weird playing a guy marrying girls when you are female. Josh H. has not played that many Harvest Moon games, or as far as I can tell by his reply. Marriage is a small and not needed in this game. At least in other HM games it was important and fun. As my last rant I would like to say that all of the characters, if you don’t speak to them and including yourself, have nasty little sticks for legs. Overall I enjoy the game but believe that it should not have been put into the Harvest Moon Series. And, Assassin Deathclaw, I agree, you should have a gender choice. Try Harvest Moon DS Cute.

Carajie S. gave it a7:
This game is Extremly fun and I hate to say this but I do have some complaints. First of all in Harvest Moon you only had to buy the house upgrades but now not only must you save up 200,000 gold but get 2,000 peices of wood with it. I also have to add that my monsters *STILL* hate me and its almost been half a year in the game. I have, fed them, brushed them, and used the collecting basket but their friendship points are, still 0. I am happy however that there is no sprite collecting because I have never been able to collect all 60 sprites in Harvest Moon which meant that I never got married in the game. This game was great but I do not think it was the greatest game Natsume has made so far, I will be waiting for their next great game though.

Koda D. gave it a10:
This game rocks! Seriously, the characters sre gorgeous. And the storyline rocked. I can't wait to see the second game.

Slytail L. gave it a0:
I played it for about an hour, but then I couldn't put it down fast enough. I got the plant/water/sleep cycle down, but then the game just stopped making sense. You'd think you'd be able to go into the sad looking town, visit the blacksmith, and buy a tool... NOOOO, you have to hunt down the right non-related person to speak to, and in the right conditions to get any particular tool. And don't get me started on the Rune Point idea. Unless you like mindless tedium, go somewhere else to have fun.

Sprocketeer S. gave it a6:
This is my first Harvest Moon game. Although the farming and collection components in the game are really fun, there have been too many problems for me to ever enjoy the game for a period of time. Being new to the series, I did not know about many of the series conventions. For example, I was completely stuck on how to remove stumps from my farm for the first year. The game and handbook give you very little feedback on how to actually play the game. I needed to refer to internet FAQs many times to learn basic skills. Second, the battle system and cave levels are very annoying. The weapons are slow and take up energy so you have to conserve the amount of times you can use them. At times the caves are too easy, I just breeze through slightly bored and then for no reason I get stuck and will not be able to advance for long periods at a time. Right now, I cannot finish the Moonlight Cave boss. I can wipe out the entire cave without difficulty, but no matter how many strategies I come up with, I keep losing. Some parts of this game turned out to be really fun, like cooking and collecting monsters, but the constant frustrations have made me stop playing.

C S gave it a10:
I have had a hard time finding an engaging, in depth game on DS, but this is it! This is the most addictive game that I have ever played on ANY system. It is interesting, the side quests are abundant and the farming aspect is actually extremly enjoyable.

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Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

Game Info

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What The Critics Said

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