Rune Factory 4 First Impressions for 3DS

rune factory 4 logorune factory 4 logoRune Factory 4 just launched yesterday for the Nintendo 3DS on both the eShop and via retail outlets, and I?ve had a chance to spend a little time with the game as I prepare a full review for some time next week. I thought I?d share some of those impressions here, as I?m finding myself genuinely impressed with the game so far, and hopefully more people will be willing to check it out than just the devout fan base surrounding the series.

rune factory 4 009rune factory 4 009The biggest thing that stands out to me in the early parts of the game is just how alive the hub town seems to be. It?s not a big, sprawling metropolis of any sort. The opening city is comprised of a small number of shops and areas. But the NPC?s within that town are constantly on the move. Shops have set hours, and outside of those hours shop workers, named characters that you?ll interact with outside of them peddling their wares, can be seen bustling around town. There?s a day/night cycle in place with time tracked on screen, and while the day is fairly brisk you can speed things up by going to sleep in your room to begin the next day bright and early.

rune factory 4 007rune factory 4 007And then there?s the farming, gathering, and crafting aspects of the game, known as staples for the series. You?ll start off with a small patch of land that you?ll need to clear of debris, till, and plant seeds in. Just like previous Rune Factory titles, you?ll harvest those goods and be able to sell them daily, or use them for other material. You can also gift goods, crafted or harvested, to other characters in order to improve relationships with those NPC?s. Guys and girls can be courted here, with a fair number of options for both.

rune factory 4 011rune factory 4 011Another thing that stands out to me about this particular Rune Factory entry is that everything feels speedy. Character movement is brisk, farming and crafting can be accomplished in little time, and you can generally fill the early requests made of you without being bogged down in endless dialogue or overly repetitive actions. This is all appropriate for a portable game of course, but still manages to be a mark missed by a lot of developers on handhelds, especially RPG devs.

All in all, I?m pretty impressed with what I?ve seen so far. I?ve got a long ways to go before I?ll be ready to write a review, but as of now I?d say this is worth a look. From what I understand there?s no demo available via the eShop, which seems like a missed opportunity for publisher XSeed. But I imagine you?ll see plenty of similar impressions trickling in from various folks this week, and if you?re still on the fence, be sure to check back for my full review next week.

Dustin Chadwell

Reviews Manager, Staff Writer

Recent Posts

Learn more about Marvel Cosmic Invasion at San Diego Comic Con

Is Greg Miller’s loyalty to DC Comics so strong, he won’t even host a Marvel…

1 day ago

We march once more as Patapon 1 + 2 Replay hits PC and consoles today

Bandai Namco continues to ensure PlayStation Portable/Vita games sees a new audience.

1 day ago

Build Megatron’s loyal subordinate when the Soundwave LEGO set comes out August 4th

I guess we couldn’t get the Decipticon leader because we can’t have a LEGO gun…thanks…

1 day ago

Novel Rogue review for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch

What do you get when you cross Slay the Spire with generic JRPGs? Something pretty…

1 day ago

DC’s trinity has landed at Krispy Kreme shops nationwide for a limited time

It might be Superman’s time in the spotlight at the theaters, but he’s willing to…

1 day ago

NIKKE goes cruising in the game’s summer update going live on July 17th

Boom and Shock wasn’t the only thing I was feeling when the Summer variant of…

1 day ago