Rune Factory DS: it's Harvest Moon with dungeons
Time to beat your plough into a sword
Some might say it's about time long-running farming sim Harvest Moon picked up on the seething violence hidden just beneath the surface of country life. Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (at least that's what the Japanese version's called), isn't about cider-fuelled punch-ups following last orders, though. It's more like Harvest Moon meets Children of Mana, or as the game's producer reckons, Harvest Moon with swords.
Farming still makes up a major part of the game, as you'll have to spend some time planting crops, tending your animals, and customising your house and farm buildings. Other peaceful vocations include doing a bit of fishing or trying your hand as a blacksmith.
Impressing the local lovelies in the hope of starting your own little farming dynasty remains the game's longterm goal, too. Each of them require you to complete certain tasks – whether it be catching a certain-sized fish, saving some innocent who's lost in a cave, or defeating various monsters – before you can propose.
But it's the role-playing dungeon-clearing that's the main new element with Rune Factory. Using real-time battle system, which requires you to conserve your stamina as well as your health points, you get to fight your way through various caves, defeating the inhabitants as you go.
This neatly links back into the farming part of the game too, as you can take the animals you've defeated – which range from wolves and bees to dragons, orcs and attack pigs – to work on the farm. You can also choose one of them to fight alongside you.
Other typical role-playing elements including levelling up, and finding better weapons, items and magical spells. You cast these in battle using your stylus to draw symbols.
Rounding out the innovation in Rune Factory is its use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. There's no co-operative play, but you can set up a shop to sell items, as well as using the messaging system to swap advice and even in-game screenshots.
There's currently no UK release date for Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. Indeed, the first Harvest Moon DS game won't be out here until the April 13th – but we'd expect it to be available sometime in the autumn, possibly with a new name.
