14 DAY TRIAL // The developer Rising Star has announced that Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon will be brought to Europe this September on the Nintendo DS. The game debuted in Japan in August 2006 and also saw a 2007 release date in North America.
Rune Factory is a more violent take on the whole Fantasy Harvest series. The main game mechanic is still toiling in the fields for as long as you can to get crops and food on the table, but you can do a little quest work as a hero on the side. The caves around the fictional town of Kardia are filled to the brim with monsters and you can choose to leave the fields for a day or so to go crush the monsters, defeat the bosses and learn why the monster infestation appeared in the first place. As the plot uncovers, you'll discover why you were found almost dead in this town and what lies in your past.
Other than that, you can talk to the townspeople, offer help to some of them, go fishing in the nearby sea or tame beasts to help you work your fields. As always in the Harvest Moon games you can expand your house and engage in courtship. There are 10 eligible bachelorettes in the game this time and you can marry the one that tickles you in the right way.
I myself seem to have a thing for mysterious Sharron. As always in the series, getting the right partner takes a bit of time, with friend points and sometimes quest objects required to successfully propose to any of them.
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is used to swap emails, screenshots and messages with other players, as no clear cut multiplayer option is supported.
The game received positive reviews when it was originally released in Japan, with high praise for the way it tied into the Harvest Moon concept. A sequel has also been released this year in Japan only, taking the story several years after the events of the first game. It probably won't be ported to other markets for a while.