Is the Pokemon/Harvest Moon styled combo worth your time?
Before I get into the details of Rune Factory 4, I need to let the masses know that the download file is large! If you have a lot of stuff saved on the 2 GB memory card that came with your 3DS, you probably won’t have enough space to download the game. The easiest solution is to run out to your local video game shop, like Gamestop, and grab a 4 GB memory card. The 3DS XL comes with a 4 GB memory card so those people don’t have to worry. Anyway Rune Factory 4 takes a lot, and I mean a lot, of different game play aspects and throw them into one game. We have a lot to cover so let’s get right to it.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started playing Rune Factory 4 but right from the get-go, I could tell the game was going to be an experience to say the least. The game starts off with your character on a flying ship, where you’re attacked by “pirates” I guess is a good way to describe them. Long story short, you get kicked off the ship and fall to the ground, complete with memory loss. You land on the Native Dragon, Ventuswill, who thinks you’re the Prince of Legend that has been foretold. It turns out that you’re not the guy.
The tutorial is slipped in and I felt like it didn’t go overboard with telling you how to do everything. It just went over the basic aspects of the game, like how to equip and things like that. To give the game extra charm, there were short anime cut-scenes when you meet new “important” townspeople in your new home-town. You’ll gather a large number of items and collectables, like the cut-scenes where you’ll be able to re-watch them in a room in your castle.
The writing is great in Rune Factory 4 and like most RPG games, if you don’t have a good story and writing, the game will suffer. I got the most out of the subtle things slipped into the writing, such as the first item you get is the “cheap hoe.” Now I might be the only one that found that humorous, but I don’t think that’s the case. It was also interesting that Ventuswill, the Dragon, only cared if you kept the townsfolk from finding out she wasn’t regal all the time. I also like the way the townspeople interacted with you, in particular how some made jokes at your expense and how relationships were made with your character. I was expecting full verbal dialogue but we only get to hear little snippets like introductions and short sentences. The music when you go to sleep for the night is reminiscent of the NES days and I thought that was a nice touch.
