And it actually has a print on the inside cover! So few localized games take advantage of that despite it being common in Japan and even Europe, it's frustrating how increasingly heap it's gotten in the US.
Rune Factory 4 |OT|
- Thread starter RuneFactoryFanboy
- Start date
I don't think any of us have complaints when it comes to the actual performance of the game. Everything is well animated and smooth, and the backgrounds look nice. My only running complaint is that as a result of the new camera placement, the actual character models don't look as well as they could despite technically having the most well-proportioned/detailed models in all the mainline games.
I will say that plot-wise, Ventuswill is the only interesting thing about it for me. I'm not too in love with the actual residents, and the Prince/Princess angle isn't being used in any particularly interesting way besides a means to have Orders. Turning into a Wooly in 3 was a much better twist.
...You know, that "Old-time fans may like it less than newcomers" thing may have some validity to it.
whiterabbit
Member
OG 3DS. I'm unsure if the XL would make it better or worse, though seeing how the game was originally released before the XL was even out, it's probably not made with a bigger screen in mind.
Don't get me wrong though, you should still play the game. My own graphical gripes haven't stopped me from sinking 13 hours into the game so far.
Don't get me wrong though, you should still play the game. My own graphical gripes haven't stopped me from sinking 13 hours into the game so far.
After missing the last three games I finally found the time to rent this one and play it for a few hours (just enough to do three or four harvests), and I have to admit it's pretty addictive.
So basically, this is a game about picking up items and moving them around. I mean, that's the main central mechanic through which all other elements work, and I like that they were able to base such a deep, engaging game on such a simple system. I'd already played a tiny bit of other Harvest Moon games but I think this is the first one I've played with that system at its core. It gives really good tactile feedback to everything you do in the game.
And those elements: the farming plus the dungeon-crawling basically turn this into "Resource Management: The Game." I see this game takes the already complex economy of farming and throws dungeon loot into the mix.
I played a little bit of Animal Crossing a few weeks ago too and honestly, this game could end up feeling more addictive to me just because it feels like there's more to do, but that's just me.
The reason I ultimately didn't get either of those games though is because I'm still backed up with Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei, and now Monster Hunter. I'm trying not to just pile games onto my 3DS backlog. Then again, if I went with that mentality I"d probably never buy new games for the next three years or something. I guess it depends on whether I end up liking one of these games more than FE or something.
So basically, this is a game about picking up items and moving them around. I mean, that's the main central mechanic through which all other elements work, and I like that they were able to base such a deep, engaging game on such a simple system. I'd already played a tiny bit of other Harvest Moon games but I think this is the first one I've played with that system at its core. It gives really good tactile feedback to everything you do in the game.
And those elements: the farming plus the dungeon-crawling basically turn this into "Resource Management: The Game." I see this game takes the already complex economy of farming and throws dungeon loot into the mix.
I played a little bit of Animal Crossing a few weeks ago too and honestly, this game could end up feeling more addictive to me just because it feels like there's more to do, but that's just me.
The reason I ultimately didn't get either of those games though is because I'm still backed up with Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei, and now Monster Hunter. I'm trying not to just pile games onto my 3DS backlog. Then again, if I went with that mentality I"d probably never buy new games for the next three years or something. I guess it depends on whether I end up liking one of these games more than FE or something.
afreaknamedpete
Member
I just picked up this game, despite being burned by Frontier (You know why). The town feels alot smaller than it did in Frontier, but it's much more convenient for running around and talking to people. I love how easy everything is now, crafting is fast, I can move around boxes and tables at my own convenience. Only thing so far that's annoying is that I can't move stuff from the container straight to the shipping box.
BuckRobotron
Member
For all the fun focus on which "waifu" to go for the battle gameplay has my attention now. I reached point where I could start up the dating but reset for now to just enjoy all the other things to do while deciding which girl to start with.
Of note is how the graphics and battle system can be really entertainingly bonkers at times, and under-rated. It was Guardian Heroes-crazy when first going through the
area with danger zones exploding everywhere, attacking several hard-hitting enemies at once with wide-spread attacks and two friends in tow (Clorica and a giant chicken named Spicy...). The whole screen exploding at once in dozens of damage numbers, tripled level-up announcements, and literal explosions throughout.
Of note is how the graphics and battle system can be really entertainingly bonkers at times, and under-rated. It was Guardian Heroes-crazy when first going through the
Volcano
Dang, everybody else seems to be way farther in the game than me (thankfully it's the weekend so I can do some catching up). You know what, I'm going to hold off on criticism until I play through the whole game. You don't critique a painting by looking at the bottom left corner, and judges don't give a singer a score without listening to her whole song (unless they're one of those jerks on American Idol who just starts laughing and won't let the singer finish, then says "no"). If I chime in, it'll be about the things that I've done in the game.
chickdigger802
Banned
A bit confused about chemistry. Is it all luck trying to mic and match?
You can buy bread to get new chemistry recipe just like cooking.
weemadarthur
Member
I keep seeing references to video games, it seems like someone in localization was having fun. You monster!
Level up weapons, I guess.
You're not alone. I'm taking a break from dungeons to power up everything else myself.
Just gotta say that it just took some time to settle down with the game, but once settled down with it, I'm having as much fun as with the other games! I suppose what happened was "impatience" (like, gimme my farming tools NOW, gimme my weapons NOW, let me forge and craft NOW!) So maybe that's what happened, since I'm used to Rune Factory perhaps I was impatient with that initial easing in period (just as the Gameinformer review warned).
So some observations, they actually did let some of ToD influence this game, notice the fighting has more "action" to it. And I'm liking that the enemies also attack quicker/more frequently to even the playing field due to the more dynamic nature of attacking now. And I'm finding that I even like the 3D effects too, it's so satisfying to see petals falling, fireflies flying around, the delineation between foreground and background like when on a cliff looking out to the distance. And of course, the dialogue has me laughing/smiling, I always get a kick out of Volkannon's blushing when trying to sleep in his bed, and I was cracking up at how those trees were cleared to get to the Water Ruins! I can't wait to delve further into this game.
So some observations, they actually did let some of ToD influence this game, notice the fighting has more "action" to it. And I'm liking that the enemies also attack quicker/more frequently to even the playing field due to the more dynamic nature of attacking now. And I'm finding that I even like the 3D effects too, it's so satisfying to see petals falling, fireflies flying around, the delineation between foreground and background like when on a cliff looking out to the distance. And of course, the dialogue has me laughing/smiling, I always get a kick out of Volkannon's blushing when trying to sleep in his bed, and I was cracking up at how those trees were cleared to get to the Water Ruins! I can't wait to delve further into this game.
chickdigger802
Banned
how do you rank up your monsters to make them your farm slaves?
Ok,
Can someone give me a run down on monster taming in this game?
All it says is "give them food"
Ok. What kinds of food?
How much? I gave a wooly like 5 turnips and I got nothing.
Also is there a list of what jobs these monsters do?
Like will one harvest and one water? Or are they only produce/fighter types?
Can someone give me a run down on monster taming in this game?
All it says is "give them food"
Ok. What kinds of food?
How much? I gave a wooly like 5 turnips and I got nothing.
Also is there a list of what jobs these monsters do?
Like will one harvest and one water? Or are they only produce/fighter types?
I'm gonna "level" with you, you treat your crops right, show them some care and sooner or later, you'll receive better crops.
weemadarthur
Member
They will accept farm chores at 2-3 friend level.
You can bring them with you to battle at 0 friend level.
Each monster has its own level which determines its stats and the difficulty of recruiting it.
All monsters do all farm chores - watering, chopping wood for the bin, bashing rocks for the bin, harvesting fodder, putting grasses in the compost bin. But the lower levels seem to get tired faster. I was told by some npc to hand feed them if they're tired, but it didn't fix the black mood so far. I took to cycling which animals worked instead.
chickdigger802
Banned
so just keep feeding them.
But how do you get them?
weemadarthur
Member
I just picked up random grasses from the area and fed them. Multiple times but fairly quickly. And I can't get a 2nd buffamoo for anything.
Plus they seem to like presents of whatever item they produce. They also like hand cooked food.
I've recruited a couple of woolies, chickens, a Chippy, some level of orc or goblin, and 1 buffamoo.
Plus they seem to like presents of whatever item they produce. They also like hand cooked food.
I've recruited a couple of woolies, chickens, a Chippy, some level of orc or goblin, and 1 buffamoo.
chickdigger802
Banned
get a monster barn. throw food at monsters.
I was cracking up after I accidentally threw a rock at an orc, and then the name dialogue popped up (apparently I now had an orc). But then I returned it to the Forest of Beginnings since it was accidental. So now I'm trying to throw random crap that I find in the field and hopefully that gets me monsters.
Ah, so you too have become fond of Xiao Pai and Amber (same here, plus I wish the dragon were a marriage candidate. If the dragon were a marriage candidate, the others would have no chance).
chickdigger802
Banned
xiao pai seems toooo 'useless but cute' for 'wife' fine for 'waifu' :3
The beauty of Rune Factory is that the character you play does it all, cooking, work, adventuring, if anything, everybody else should be clamoring to marry him.
edit: Oh yeah, I forgot you can play as a girl. I think I'd make Dylas or Arthur my hasubando if I played as Frey. Too bad Barrett isn't available.
Oh yeah, did you notice how Shara is now Schala (or something weird like that) what would that make Sharance, would Sharance now be called Schalala, and the Sharance Tree now called the Schalala Tree?
edit: Oh yeah, I forgot you can play as a girl. I think I'd make Dylas or Arthur my hasubando if I played as Frey. Too bad Barrett isn't available.
Oh yeah, did you notice how Shara is now Schala (or something weird like that) what would that make Sharance, would Sharance now be called Schalala, and the Sharance Tree now called the Schalala Tree?
Yeah, I think it's safe to say I'm addicted to this game. I started playing Friday night and am already at 20 hours. What's crazy is that I only JUST entered summer. How long does this game last? I mean, I'm assuming it can go on forever right?
I forgot how fun it is to just fucking sit down and play a single game all day, especially after a long and shitty week. Makes me remember why I love games in the first place. I'm so glad I bought this.
I forgot how fun it is to just fucking sit down and play a single game all day, especially after a long and shitty week. Makes me remember why I love games in the first place. I'm so glad I bought this.
Odd, I guess if there's a back and forth of localization between Natsume and XSEED in the future then I'll just have to get used to renamings (and I think Violet was changed to Iris and Iris to Ellis). But there was a humorous blurb in the manual about Zzyzyx changing back to Sechs, so some things go the other direction.
edit: Here's George Loftus' review for GamingTrend. The score is 91/100 and here's the summary blurb, which captures how I feel about the series and how satisfying it is to see things progress over time, whether skills, armor, the story, the relationships, progression is satisfying:
Oh, and the value/replay score?
Oh yes, one thing that Loftus was weary about was the initial portrayal of Frey being somewhat sexist. I haven't played as Frey so has anybody noticed anything with Frey that's questionable?
afreaknamedpete
Member
I think it gets more complicated later in the game, but for most monsters you can tame them pretty easily by just giving them their common drop. So clip off some fur off a wooly and give it another wooly. Kill a bunch of cows until one drops milk, then use it to recruit another cow, etc.
I think weakening the monster helps. One cow didn't like what I gave, so I hit it with a hammer and gave the same item. Then it became my friend!
weemadarthur
Member
That's from the opening cutscene. You get a choice of 2 responses to flying on an airship.
The first is excited ('woo, we're so high up, awesome! ') and the 2nd sounds a bit scared ('gosh, it's so high!' ) . The response determines character gender. (My paraphrase from my impression when starting, I also found it slightly sexist).
It's a bit like Animal Crossing. ...the question for gender there is Cool/Cute. I don't love this method, I always choose the boy answer when I wish to play as a girl.
Oh, so it was from that scene. Is it forgivable though, I mean, based on Frey's personality as conveyed later on in the game, does she have a "girly" personality, would it seem believable that she would say that (as opposed to, say, Xiao Pai saying "Oh gosh it's so high!")? I was thinking that Frey and Lest have the same personalities though, but as I said I'm playing as Lest so I haven't seen the tone of Frey's portrayal.
In any case, Kimberley Wallace of Gameinformer didn't mention it, I didn't notice it either, but I do think that the main character is a "hero" first and the gender comes after that. If there's any doubt about Frey's courageousness in the beginning of the game, though, by the end and after lots of battles and adventuring, that doubt should go away! So looks like the reviewers' consensus is that this game is a good one for newcomers to the series! Chock full of content, lovely characters, always something to do, excellent value, charming graphics, addictive, just as I have found out myself after playing the games this year.
weemadarthur
Member
I have not found any further difficulties in Frey, no. it was just a first impression thing which I found poorly worded.
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