Rune Factory Frontier

They finally did it! (but some of you might already heard about it) The perfectly awesome Rune Factory Frontier is being released on Wii. But if you didn't know, Rune Factory is the RPG version of the Harvest Moon farming simulation series for Nintendo DS. You do everything you usually do in Harvest Moon - grow plants, animals, get married, expand your farm, etc. But there is also a story line which you need to follow in order to progress in the game. The RPG part requires players to fight monsters in various caves. You can also grow a variety of seasonal crops in each cave throughout the entire year. Seasons in caves don't change and each one has its own season. After the main storyline is finished, you can continue playing the game indefinitely just like regular Harvest Moon.

My reason for excitement is that I can finally see Rune Factory on my big screen TV in 3D instead of pushing the buttons on my little DS. According to GameSpy, Rune Factory Frontier promises to introduce different experiences for everyone and provides choices that set a certain direction for every player.

What I like about the Rune Factory series is that it combines simulation farming with RPG. My experiences vary between being a hardworking farmer to being a courageous knight who fights monsters and rescues damsels in distress. The farm is also easier to manage. Days seem longer and you don't run out of stamina that easily. It can also be replenished once a day by taking a bath at the local bathhouse. (Tree of Tranquility also has that feature where your little character can take a relaxing bath at the hot springs) There are also health and stamina bars which let you see how close you are to collapsing. The only Harvest Moon games I've seen with a similar feature are Tree of Tranquility and Island of Happiness. I haven't played any other ones except for Harvest Moon DS/DS cute.

Rune Factory Frontier is coming out on March 17th. I will write a more thorough review after I'll play it.

Julia