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Rune Factory 4

SCORE: 69

In an interesting twist this year, Rune Factory has gone over to XSeed Games. Past Rune Factory games were the realm of Natsume. Rune Factory 4 is in the XSeed camp. Not going to delve into the reasons why. Mainly because this reviewer does not know.

If you are familiar with the Rune Factory franchise then please ignore this paragraph. Rune Factory 4 is part role playing game, and part farming simulator. Players clear the land, till the land, sow seeds, water them, and finally harvest them. Players also go out on quests and fight monsters, boss characters and more. There are different weapons, levels, and items to find.

The music in Rune Factory 4 is fantastic. There are little character sound bytes used here and there in conversations. The down side to Rune Factory 4 is there is bad language. It winds up hurting the game, and bringing it down. Especially when it could have been so fantastic in this grading section.

The 3D in Rune Factory 4 is okay. Since gamers will spend so many hours on quests, it makes little sense to drain the battery thanks to the 3D. It makes more sense to play with the 3D off. More game play time between charges. The characters are on the small side. There is hack and slash style violence without blood and gore. Rune Factory 4 also includes some enticement to lust in certain female characters. I could not find an option to have them dress modestly and respectfully.

The amnesia story has been used in role playing games for decades. Rune Factory 4 goes to that dead horse and gives it a good kick. The various difficulty settings is nice for a role playing game farm simulator. As well as being able to pick between male and female heroes. Courtship and marriage are a part of Rune Factory 4. Men have certain female characters they can marry, and women have certain male characters they can marry. As far as I could tell Rune Factory 4 does not try to redefine marriage.

One of the weirdest things in Rune Factory 4 is the dragons. They refer to themselves as gods. There is one for earth, wind, fire, and water. Definitely part of the religious belief set being exported from Japan into America. This religious belief in Rune Factory 4 can be highly divisive and controversial.

Rune Factory 4 is a solid role playing game with some Harvest Moon like elements. If you want a different kind of a role playing game then you may want to check out Rune Factory 4. If you are a fan of the franchise then you are probably already playing this 3DS game.
- RPG Master

Graphics: 60%
Sound: 73%
Replay/Extras: 85%
Gameplay: 70%
Family Friendly Factor: 58%

System: Nintendo 3DS
Publisher: XSeed Games
Rating: ‘E10+’ - Everyone 10+
{Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol}
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