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Rune Factory 4 |OT|

RuneFactoryFanboy

RuneFactoryFanboy

Member
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Nintendo 3DS

MSRP: $40 (Amazon.com link)
Release Date: October 1st, 2013
Developer: Neverland Co.
Publisher: XSEED Games
http://www.runefactory4.com (has a lot of info and things like character voices!)

Box Art
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If you’re new to the series or have never played a Rune Factory game before now is a great time to start. Rune Factory is a cross between the Harvest Moon games (farming/dating/life simulation) and action RPGs.

The simulation aspects should be familiar to anyone who has played a Harvest Moon title. Various crops can be planted, watered and then harvested and sold profit. Monsters can be befriended and then domesticated to live on your farm, each performing a different task depending on its type (produce items, help tend the farm). Outside of your farm there are villagers to interact and form relationships with, some of which can be wed to start a family.

The Action RPG elements are what separates Rune Factory from Harvest Moon. Throughout the game there are several dungeons full of monsters and bosses. In order to tackle these challenges you can earn experience to level up as well as buy/forge new equipment. Each Rune Factory game has a light story that progresses as you clear these dungeons and progress through the year.

Between raising your farm, all the social events, and fighting through dungeons there is plenty to do in Rune Factory. Because of this the series is known for having a very addicting "just one more thing" nature to it.​


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  • First game in the series to allow the player to chose to play as a boy or girl! Each with an equal number of marriage candidates.
  • The love element has been improved, including embarrassing situations for Lest and Frey. Character AI has also been upgraded. They won't just sit around the house anymore and will go to different places.
  • It is possible to date marriage candidates before jumping straight into marriage. It is also possible to become lovers with multiple characters at the same time. You can also give each other nicknames.
  • The event system has been changed from having friendship/love events at each new level per character, to various sub-events involving multiple characters across several days.
  • The partner system that allows you to take other characters into battle with you returns, and now allows two partners (monster and/or character) at one time.
  • Talking to villagers, shipping crops, and killing enemies earns Prince/Princess points which can be used to improve the town. Open new shops, hold brand new festivals, and expand your own farm and home.
  • Farming is very similar to RF3 but has been improved with small changes for ease of use. It is possible to now ignore the square grid when planting crops and lay them how you wish. Special items will allow you to grow even large crops, which can turn into dungeons!
  • Longest story in a Rune Factory game to date
  • The marriage candidates will now wear pajamas.

Story
Fair skies above the clouds come crashing down on a dragon in the form of a resilient hero, whose origins and intentions are unknown due to the unfortunate consequence of having lost all memories on impact. Noticing a unique ability to bring soil to life and connect with monsters, Ventuswill, the Divine Wind Dragon, issues you a proclamation: stay in this castle as royalty, and bring prosperity to the town of Selphia!

Now called an 'Earthmate' for your talents, you must take on the responsibilities and wishes of the citizens, and it won't be easy. Befriending the townspeople, arranging festivities, expanding the town and reviving the fields must now become second nature to you. There is also the matter of protecting the town from a great monster in the forest, only to see it transform into a young girl right before your eyes...

What reasons are there to be placed as royalty under the watchful eye of the Divine Wind? What force could transform a monster into a human being? While adventuring and building new friendships within Selphia, you – the newly-designated ruler – will draw ever closer to the secrets buried in your own lost memories.
Click to expand...


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Special Thanks
I'd like to give a special thank you to Ken and H.Protagonist at XSEED, NeoGAF member Zenaku, and the people responsible for contributing to therunefactory.wikia.com.

I will try and update the OP with reviews and impressions as they come in. Feel free to point out any mistakes so I may correct them. Sorry to clever thread subtitle, if someone can think of a good one then mods can edit in later I suppose. Thank you everyone and have fun!
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Oh wow, this is finally coming out. Guess I'll have to get it, always wanted to play a Rune Factory game and I've been waiting for this one. Great OT!
 
Z

zigg

Member
Crap, I keep forgetting this is coming. My order is in, though. Guess this'll finally tear me away from Animal Crossing.

Also:

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THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF CROP STACKING

Zukuu said:
Why no Wii version D:. Recently finished Tides of Destiny and had plenty of fun.
Click to expand...
The handheld and console iterations of RF have always been separate efforts.
 
C

chickdigger802

Banned
It is also possible to become lovers with multiple characters at the same time.
Click to expand...
bisonyes.gif

The marriage candidates will now wear pajamas.
Click to expand...

lewd...


whats the file size for download?


so if the last one i've played was 1, what are the key changes outside of the ones listed?

I recall combat being fun,but your weapons broke down crazy fast early on D:
 
Z

Zihark

Member
Nice, getting my copy on Thursday from Amazon. Glad to finally get a chance to play as a girl through the whole game.
 
V

Verelios

Member
Yes! I've been playing Rune Factory 3 in anticipation of this and it's been great. Stepping up to 4 is like dream pudding, except without the dream, and kinda just like pudding.

I'm also going to marry the shit out of Clorica. Great OT btw.
 
Z

Zihark

Member
zigg said:
The handheld and console iterations of RF have always been separate efforts.
Click to expand...
Yes, essentially the handhelds have the mainline numbered series, while the consoles have the spinoffs which can be of questionable quality like Tides only RF I never wanted to beat.
 
L

Lumyst

Member
Zukuu said:
Recently finished Tides of Destiny and had plenty of fun.
Click to expand...

I'm still playing through it (at the Wind Shrine) and I dare to say that I too had fun with it so far...despite the consensus that ToD isn't the highpoint of the series. It's fun like a cartoon can be fun.

I've still got to beat 2, 3, and ToD's main stories, so I'll take it slow and even if I get the game this week, I've got tons of catching up to do before I feel ready to get to RF4.

That will give me plenty of time to prepare myself for the decision to either go for a Waifu or Hasubando.
 
M

Matt Attack

Member
I kind of want to get this. If Gamestop actually has any copies when I go to pick up Etrian Odyssey, I'm probably going to pick one up. I've never actually played Rune Factory before, so it would be cool to get into it.
 
D

Damaniel

Banned
Didn't realize that the Rune Factory series had an ARPG element to it. I don't really like the whole 'marriage sim' type of game, but this might be fun...

EDIT: Is it worth going back to the previous games in the series, or is it probably better for a new player to just jump straight into 4?
 
P

Paskil

Member
Now I'm bummed because this isn't release day shipping on Amazon. Mine is currently set for 10/3 delivery. Wish I had canceled and done an in-store reservation. I loved three so super excited for more.

Fantastic OT, OP. :D
 
L

Lumyst

Member
JWong said:
The only thing that matters: Who is the tsundere?
Click to expand...

:-D Come to think of it, does this game even have a "default"? I also wonder if it's got nature dungeons or dungeon dungeons.

edit: Oh, looks like you can play spot the difference with the boxart compared to the Japanese version (Characters moved down so that the title doesn't cover them up).
 
M

MissDeviling

Member
Man, RF and HM bachelors always look like shit. And the one guy that DIDN'T look like a kid/woman/rabbit wasn't even romanceable:

Rune_Factory_3_19mid.jpg


:'(
 
F

fek

Member
Great OT. After how good 3 was, I have high expectations for this game. I'm considering getting a digital copy while I wait for the physical one, since it will take a while to arrive.
 
S

Sammy Samusu

Member
This game looks embarrassingly bad, lol. What kinda DS late port.

Thankfully it seems to be one of the best in the series.

I hope RF5 looks better.
 
V

Volcynika

Member
Paskil said:
Now I'm bummed because this isn't release day shipping on Amazon. Mine is currently set for 10/3 delivery. Wish I had canceled and done an in-store reservation. I loved three so super excited for more.

Fantastic OT, OP. :D
Click to expand...

XSEED usually ships their stuff to stores and such on the actual release date. Them and Aksys act the same about that. Get used to it for 'em :p
 
J

jackal27

Banned
I can't wait to pick this up tomorrow!! SO PUMPED!

I just played RF3 last year and it was my first in time playing the series. I absolutely fell in love with it.
 
K

Kazerei

Banned
Hmm, I wanna play as a girl, but none of the bachelors are appealing to me. But who knows, maybe I'll grow to like one of them :>
 
RuneFactoryFanboy

RuneFactoryFanboy

Member
Lumyst said:
I'm still playing through it (at the Wind Shrine) and I dare to say that I too had fun with it so far...despite the consensus that ToD isn't the highpoint of the series. It's fun like a cartoon can be fun.
Click to expand...
I loved ToD. I can understand why it was not as loved because different people enjoy different things about this series. I actually really enjoyed it's take on farming as it took out a lot of the busy work that annoys me. I thought the way different monsters determined what crops grew acted as an incentive to tame a variety of them. Every time I saw a new monster I was eager to see what it could grow.

The characters and social elements were fantastic and I really liked how conversations used animated 3D models instead of art. The voice work helped attach me to the characters more than normal, even now I can still hear them when I think about the game.

Frontier is still my favorite one, but ToD was almost just as fun for me. I'd rank it over RF1 for sure.
I never played RF2 or RF3 so I can't comment on them... :(
 
L

Lumyst

Member
Sammy Samusu said:
This game looks embarrassingly bad, lol. What kinda DS late port.

Thankfully it seems to be one of the best in the series.

I hope RF5 looks better.
Click to expand...

There will be a day when what you see as "prerendered" is finally the actual 3D models. There will be a day. (please)

Damaniel said:
Didn't realize that the Rune Factory series had an ARPG element to it. I don't really like the whole 'marriage sim' type of game, but this might be fun...
Click to expand...

I've actually only had the character marry if the story required it to move on, even then I just chose the default choice. But the way I've played so far is to go through the main story, crafting weapons, dabbling in farming, taking part in festivals when those days come around (some of them are fun competitions). I view the characters interacting the same way as I enjoyed cartoons when I was younger, I love the idea of trying to go through daily life despite it being spiced up with fantasy and craziness happening in the world.
 
J

jackal27

Banned
Sammy Samusu said:
This game looks embarrassingly bad, lol. What kinda DS late port.

Thankfully it seems to be one of the best in the series.

I hope RF5 looks better.
Click to expand...

Really? I actually love the visuals. I'll always have such a soft spot for pre-renders. Do you not like Bravely Default's visual style either?

randomhugs said:
This doesn't have dual audio, right?
Click to expand...

Not as far as I know, but from what I've heard the voice acting sounds pretty nice.
 
Cornbread78

Cornbread78

Member
Awwe bummer this one is 3DS only... another game I'll have to try out one my daughter gets her 3DS this holiday season, lol.
 
B

BuckRobotron

Member
Looking forward to this. Played RF1 and the excellent RF3. Was initially annoyed that the sheer variety of bachelorettes this time was knocked down to six, but then it did seem that half of the available ones in RF3 weren't as appealing as others. I also really liked the not-infrequent voice acting in RF3 and it looks like RF4 has gotten an even more solid dub going by site samples (not interested in jp dubs). Will be avoiding any more info on the new girls so as to see how things go naturally from playing the game.

The series in general is fun, with simple but entertaining combat and nifty weapon/magic upgrades to go along with all the personality and farming business. A nice change of pace to play in between explosive third-person shooter sessions or intense Monster Hunter quests.
 
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