Rune Factory 2
Okay, I am in Spring 21 in Rune Factory 2,
and these are my comments on the game:
Gameplay:
The game features two different ways to play Rune Factory 2. The
classical way where you use the D-pad for movement, and the A,B,X,Y,L,R
Buttons to interact. You can also play the same exact way as Island of
Happiness where you use the stylus and the touch screen to play the
entire game.
The gameplay runs almost smoothly, but programming for using the stylus
for using the tools is a bit sloppy. I would use the classic controls
to play the game over the stylus.
Graphics:
Slightly better than Rune Factory. There is less pixilation, and more
sprites.
Voice Acting:
Trust me, it blows. Just about everyone sound so out of character. The
Japanese voices are much better, but if you cannot understand the
Japanese language, then you’ll have to make do with this. I mean
seriously, Cammy is supposed to be a child, why give her a grown
woman’s voice?
Story:
So far, I have not been able to identify a solid storyline. However, I
have encountered an earthquake, and I hear that the main story has to
do something with them.
The main character Kyle seems to suffer a similar condition as Raguna
from Rune Factory. You have amnesia, and Mana convinces you to run a
farm owned by her family.
Farming:
Farming is Okay. Very similar to classic Harvest Moons. But I notice
that plants are quick to die if neglected. It’s fine, just don’t forget
to water them.
Just like Rune Factory, You can grow crops in the dungeons. This serves
as a “Greenhouse” that Harvest Moon has left out in many of their later
games.
Funny thing that I learned is that Rune Factory 2 features MORE crops
to grow. You can also grow a large variety of crops in Winter as well.
Although the seeds are rather VERY expensive, especially the crops that
regrow after harvest like Corn and Tomatoes.
Tools:
The same tools are present in Rune Factory 2. But what’s different is
that none of the tools upgrade. You level your tool skill up, and you
charge them for their extra effects. In a way, this is good, because
it’s just like Harvest Moon: 64. But in the back of the game case, they
promised that we would be crafting tools and weapons like in Rune
factory.
Animals:
Animals work the same way as Rune Factory. You collect monsters, and
they serve many purposes. Other than collecting goods like milk, eggs,
wool, and honey, they battle with you. I am not sure if you can mount
any, I have not befriended a wolf yet.
A new addition is a strange item that you collect early in the game.
The items plays a song that allows the mos=nster to use their special
skill. This makes the monster use a heavy damaging attack, cast a
spell, or even heal you. This is a very useful item, and makes having
companions even more worth while than before.
Mining:
Same as Rune factory. You smash rocks, and collect ores and gems.
However, there are very few rocks you can destroy every day, so making
money on mining is slightly limited.
Fishing:
Same as Rune Factory, But I have noticed that you catch more trash than
the previous game.
Cooking:
I have not figured out how to do this yet.
Upgrading your farm:
So far, all I can see as far as upgrades are concerned is the barn. The
house doesn’t look like it needs upgrades, it already has 2 floors by
default, a double bed, and a child’s bed. Upgrades to the barn are very
affordable too.
Festivals:
I have not seen many yet. The only festival I’ve seen is the Flower
Festival. Not a very interesting festival, but an easy way to increase
love points.
Mariage:
Marriage in this game takes time, but looks fairly easy. I get by with
daily conversations, and a gift every now and then. These are my
impressions of the candidates:
Mana: Mana is cute, but she is more interested in
making money than in you. She loses her charm rather quickly.
Alicia: Alicia is pretty hot in my opinion, but she
can be rather mean and deceiving.
Dorothy: I find her cuter than I thought I would.
She is horribly timid, but at least she’s cute under that hair that
covers her face. I’m wondering if there is a good reason why she is
always at the Clinic. And what’s the deal with her blood red eyes.
She’s a very curious type, and you just want to befriend her to learn
more.
Cecilia: Some people thought she was always
depressed, but I don’t find this to be true at all. She is very kind,
warm, loving, sweet, and gentle. She’s incredibly attractive as well.
Yue: She’s like a female version of Won, but much
more attractive. She’s a traveling merchant, and has money in her mind
24 hours a day.
Rosalind De Saint-Coquille: I thought she would be a
lot like Bianca. Spoiled, mean, and hard to get along with. I was very
surprised that Rosalind is actually very kind and gentle. She is a big
eater, just like Jasper from Rune factory. Actually, just about
everyone from the Saint-Coquille family are big eaters, Bianca being
the only exception.
Julia: I thought she would be goofy and airheaded.
But Julia is just a plain normal person (Probably the only normal
person in this game). She’s cute and friendly, but not very exciting or
intersting. She does find Kyle attractive early in the game.
Combat:
Not nearly as good as Rune Factory so far. This game focuses more on
getting along with the other villagers that fighting monsters. So far,
I have not encountered any bosses.
There are four fields that you can encounter monsters. Each field has
it’s own season, and has at least 2 crop plots. Unlike Rune Factory,
there are no conditions to enter any field. However, much of the maps
are blocked off by fences or statues. As far as how to remove them, I
have no clue.
Magic has greatly improved. In Rune Factory, magic was more or less
useless. The only exception is the healing spells which recovered HP.
Now the spells do more damage, and there is a weapon that raises magic
attack. This makes the magic system much more useful, and you can
decide to become a magic user over a swordsman.
In conclusion:
Rune factory 2 is a fun game so far, but it’s not what I expected, so
it’s a bit of a let down. You do get to do a lot of sub quests, but I
was expecting to do a bit more monster bashing, and less socializing.
Story:
The only thing you can really do in the first Generation story is to
get married, and have a kid. It’s untrue what they said about what
happens after the first story. After you start the RF2 second
generation, your wife from the first generation is still the same.
According to what i read in many sites, Yue becomes the mother of your
son/daughter regardless on who you married before. But Cecilia is still
Aaron’s mother in my game.
Farming:
I was mistaken about farming. The plants do not die if you neglect
them, I just planted the wrong seeds in the wrong season.
Tools:
I was also mistaken about tools. You can charge the tools up to level 3
from the begining of the game. The levels only lower the stamina
consumed when using tools.
Crafting:
It is not possible to do this in the first generation. This includes
cooking, and forging.
Upgrading the Farm:
The only thing you can use the wood for in the first generation is to
build a barn for animals, and build the school after your child is
born. No other upgrades are possible in the first generation.
Festivals:
Pretty boring festivals. All contests are easy to win, dating festivals
are not that reat, and the only other festivals are completely
pointless. The good thing is that you can abuse the festivals to gain
some LP towards the girl you like at an incredible pace.
Marriage:
Each girl needs a specific item to marry them. Usually, you can get
this item during the 8,9 or, 10 heart reuest in the bulletin boards.
Some of them are extremely easy to get, some of them require some
fighting. Julia’s momento ring was probably the most risky to complete
because you need to defeat a monster that can kill you in only a few
hits.
After learning each individual’s favorite gift, and combned with the
festivals, you can get everyone’s heart level to 10 as soon as Fall 18.
You can get married as early as Late Spring to Early Summer.
After marriage, the girl will then live with you, and will give birth
to your son or daughter in only 2 weeks after marriage. You require no
gift giving or anything like that.
Combat:
You rarely need to do this at all. Some events require you to fight
monstwers, but everything goes down in only a couple of hits,
especially if you have magic.
In the first generation, you cannot learn any other spell or carry any
other equipment other than the first ones you get.
tory:
Kyle regains his memory, and he goes off to do what he is supposed to
do. He then leaves you to care for your mother. You get worried, andyou
set on an adventure to find him.
Characters:
As you may already know, you can play as either the boy or girl now.
The boy’s name is Aaron, I have not learned the name of the girl
character yet. You can change the default name if you wish.
You meet a total of five new characters in the second Generation.
Orland, Leonel, Leann, Sera, and Selena. Along with Roy and Cammy, they
are your new bachelors and bachelorettes.
Farming:
You no longer have the benefits that Kyle had in farming. You cannot
charge to level 3 without upgrading your tools.
Animals:
I am not 100% sure if the grass in your farm dies when you play the new
generation. But since the new generation happened during winter, the
grass died anyway. Because I no longer have the watering can charge,
growing grass is much more difficult, and keeping the monsters fed
becomes an exhausting chore.
You still keep all the animals from the past generation, and all of
it’s affection. But if you have too many animals, prepare to grind.
Crafting:
You are now able to cook/forge/alchemy once you have a workshop, and a
kitchen/furnace/chemistry set. I have not figured out how to get the
kitchen/furnace/chemistry set, but I should be ableto figure it out
sooner or later.
Upgrades:
You can add a workshop, dojo, and a library to the school. You may now
upgrade your barn to hold more monsters.
Combat:
Even with improved equipment, you are much weaker than your father. The
first thing you may want to do before completing the dungeons is to
level up QUICKLY!!! I have already encountered the first boss, and he
PWNS!!!
Taking a monster with you can help you clear certain areas so that you
don’t waste RP while you grow crops. However, monsters killed by your
monsters do not grant you exp. You will have to train on your own.
Dungeons:
I have figured out how to get past the fences and statues. Since you
are a kid, you can pass through the fences with no problem. Kyle cannot
pass through because he was too big. The statues need to be fed some
vegetable in order to move them. They will give you clues on what they
want, but never the name of the crop.
Magic:
You cannot use magic like Kyle can. When you start the game, the magic
books you have and collect are all damaged. You must collect pages, and
ask Mana to repair them before you can use them. The magic books and
pages are scattered around the village. Some of the villagers will give
them to you after you befriend them.
Difficulty:
This game turns from rediculously easy, to insanely HARD! The second
generation of Rune Factory 2 will surely test your skills. If you get
frustrated easily, I don’t recommend playing this part of the game
unless you are in a really good mood.
But even with it’s difficulty, I still like it. The challenge makes the
game’s ending well worth the effort.
Gameplay:
With two different styles to play the game, everyone get to play the
way they are most comfortable with. A great addition to any game.
Graphics:
More sprites, less pixalation, and more emotions to the portraits, Rune
Factory 2 has surpassed it’s previous game in this department.
Voice acting:
Poorly done. Some characters’s voices sounds way off, especially Kyle
and his children. Japanese voices are better.
Story:
For the Harvest Moon series, this is a fantastic and touching story of
love and family. Sometimes, I get upset over what some of the
characters do. (Douglas is a perfect example.) But overall, this has to
be one of the best stories in the entire Harvest Moon franchise.
Farming:
Unlike the previous Rune Factory game, Farming is much more important.
During much of the second generaton, Money becomes very important.
Although, money can still be easily made. I find growing golden crops
quite hilarius. Officially, just about everything is now golden in the
Harvest Moon series, from Milk, to Wool, to Cheese, to Yarn, to Eggs,
to Mayonnaise, and now vegetables.
Animals:
Adding special skills, and misical notes that enable monsters to do
many new things. This is a fantastic upgrade to the Rune Factory
series. How unfortunate that they are not planning to add it into Rune
Factory: Frontier.
Crafting:
Much better. Crafting is very difficult, but rewarding in the end. Not
only can you craft weapons, but you can also upgrade them, making them
stronger. Thumbs up for rewarding you for crafting. I admit that
crafting the most powerful equipment in not needed, you can beat the
game with just a Defender, and a bronze shield. Upgrading anything more
is just overkill.
Festivals:
During the first year, it can be fun. But after a while, it becomes
boring, and you are not going to want to do them. Marvelous Interactive
needs to work on keeping the festivals more challenging, fun, and
rewarding.
Marriage:
marrying the girl you like is surprisingly fun. There are so many
events, and so many things to do as you get to know each girl before
you propose.
During second generation, marriage is not that entertaining anymore.
All the weddings are just pretend, and you can get married to everyone,
one after another. I know that they are just kids, but still. . .
Combat and Magic:
Fighting monsters is one of the main things to do in Rune Factory 2.
You don’t do much of it in the first generation, but you do a LOT of it
in the second generation. Leveling is much more difficult, especially
since the enemies are toughter, smarter, and more organized than in the
original Rune Factory.
Magic is by far more useful in Rune Factory. During much of the game, i
find myself casting more spells than using weapons. However, that
changes after you find your ultimate rune ability for the weapon that
you like. Once you have that, magic will almost become obsolete. Magic
will only be useful against enemies that resist physical attacks.
Difficulty:
Rune Factory 2 is HARD!! This is one of the most difficult games I have
played for the Nintendo DS so far. (Please don’t confuse difficult with
poorly programed.) With enemies that will gang up on you, and kill you
before you know what happened, planning ahead, and using wharever they
drop to your advantage, this game requires some planning, and thnking
ahead to conquer. If you have the ultimate rune ability, the game
becomes easier to handle. But if you do not figure out how to get them,
then be prepared for a bumpy ride.
Overall score: 9.0
Rune Factory 2 is an incredible game, with a great story. But the
complaints I have is the game may be a bit too difficult for many
players. Much of the time, you end up grinding, or waiting for evening
to complete quests or tasks. In generation 2, classes can become rather
boring, and you end up skipping many of them.
