Since its inception on the Super Nintendo, Harvest Moon hasn't strayed far from the original formula. Attempting to stir the pot, Rune Factory is the first title in the series to implement a fighting system. Unfortunately, even with dungeon crawling included, the game tends to go back to its farming roots often, much like previous games in the series. Inevitably, the gameplay becomes a matter of taste. Yes, the new features are interesting, but they hardly change the pacing of the original gameplay and for Harvest Moon fans, this is welcome news. For those who have either grown tired of the series or are bored by the slow pace of farming, this title might be better off avoided.

The game starts as others have in the series. Your character is dropped off in the middle of nowhere, taken in by a member of the town of Kardia. This time, that member of the town's name is Mist and she gives you little in the way of explanation as to why you are here. Story has always been second to the farming the Harvest Moon titles, and that fact stands true with Rune Factory. A story exists but it's not a Final Fantasy-esque epic by any stretch of the imagination. Just like in previous games, the majority of your time is spent growing crops. This means tilling the land, planting the crops, watering, and eventually harvesting. Some plants grow better seasonally and some take longer to grow or yield more but, as always, this is first and foremost a farming simulation. Moving forward requires deft skills at planting and growing and, as you sell things, you can purchase new tools and other items to move the game along.

Those happy with the emphasis placed on farming will feel right at home here.

Eventually, after working the fields long enough, the mayor of Kardia allows you to enter a nearby cave, for some monster eradication. As a first for the series, the fighting system itself is merely a diversion from the normal grind of farming. What lies inside the caves is actually quite helpful. There are ores here that can be mined for special tools, as well as places where seasonal crops can be planted year-long. These two things are fairly nice additions on their own, but the best aspect of this feature lies in the player's ability to manipulate the monsters. As you come across them, the option arises to allow them to work on your farm. Through this enslavement, harvesting grows far easier and with no complaints from the monsters whose freedom has been stripped, this works to great effect. It's strange that something like this was not thought of years ago, as working the fields can grow tiring with the minutia. Now you are given the opportunity to go hunting far more or sit and reap the rewards of your monsters work. It's a great dynamic that alters how the game is played.

Due to the new fighting system, hit points become a major factor, along with rune points, which determine how many actions you can perform. Rune points are depleted every time you choose to plow, plant, fight, or perform an action in the game. Once your rune points are entirely lost, you begin losing hit points until you eventually die. If you die above ground, you end up in the doctor's office the next day, and you lose all of your progress. If you are in a cave however, you will die and be forced to load the last save point. This can be frustrating, especially in the later levels, but it just teaches you to save more often. To be fair, there has always been a sort of rune points system to the Harvest Moon series. Exhaustion used to take place after a few swings of the axe or tills with the plow, so it's not necessarily a new aspect of the game; it's just being presented differently. Inevitably, you are forced to ration out your limited rune points, changing the entire pace of the game. Ideally, you'll have to befriend enough monsters to work your farm. Otherwise, you will waste far too many rune points going over the small details, such as watering. It is not necessarily a negative trait of the game, but after so many Harvest Moon titles, it feels as though some freedom has been stripped from Rune Factory.

The game definitely caters to those familiar with the series.

Graphically, this game has veered away from the traditions of the Harvest Moon franchise dramatically. Gone are the childish characters and whimsical colors, replaced instead with uninspired anime creations and boring palettes. The backgrounds look good, but for whatever reason, the characters themselves look very strange. All polygonal, these models are detailed yet lack anything of note or interest. Each enemy looks like it could have been in any number of anime games and in no way feels specific to this series. They are basically just bland creatures for which little to no character has really been given. The sound design is similarly limited in Rune Factory. Few of the songs are endearing, and in fact, grow irritating as they repeatedly play. Characters make the sort of chirps you would expect from a baby bird, as opposed to a venomous monster, and even though graphically the game has attempted to grow up, sound has yet to follow suit.

Rune Factory is still a Harvest Moon game, which says it all. The gameplay tends to focus more on the micromanagement of your rune points and farming, something that veterans will love. However, it's hard not to feel as though this franchise has become yet another cash cow, whose udders are beginning to run dry. Even the "dramatic" addition; the fighting system, ends up feeling tacked on to the tried-and-true farming system. This is still a worthy entry into the Harvest Moon series and although it suffers from the same monotony the series is known for, it can still be enjoyable for those who like running a digital farm. It's consisted of the same formula for years and for anyone interested in micromanagement, this is a great game. Those looking for exciting adventures or interesting gameplay need not play Rune Factory. It too quickly becomes a minutia-filled snore fest that does little more than play like every Harvest Moon title before it.