"Special" is a port and minimalist remaster of the original handheld title. Rune Factory 3 was the game to introduce many of the series staple gameplay systems and is when the Rune Factory series "finally got good" according to most fans. That said, the remaster retains some of the rough edges from those early days. The controls are slippery and finicky, causing Micah (protagonist) to hit the wrong field tiles. Other times if you aren't standing in the exact spot the game wants you to be in it will be impossible to collect resources from ore and stumps, even though visually, it looks like you should be able to.
Of the three games I have played (RF3, RF4, and RF5), this entry in the series has my favorite player home.
The colorful cast of characters are considered to be the most eccentric of any Rune Factory game and I love it. There is just something about Rune Factory's brand of 'quirky character' that suits their world. Sofia and Sherman for example, always say the opposite of what they mean. I thought for sure this 'quirk' would grate on my nerves after a while, but to the contrary I adapted surprisingly fast and began looking forward to every comical conversation their unusual speech patterns produced. The dungeons and story are shorter than Rune Factory 4, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It still has a respectable length full of worthwhile content, which I prefer over longer games that waste my time with filler. The shorter length also makes it a good entry point for people looking to get into the franchise because it establishes the core mechanics used in Rune Factory 4 and 5 without demanding a large time commitment.
Fulfilling requests from NPCs is one way to increase your bond with them but many requests lack clarity, such as Zaid's "Come See Me" request, in which I accidentally went down the wrong path because there was a fork in the road and I had no way of knowing which path to take. I then had to defeat all the enemies within a designated area without touching the portals used to cross a river or the area would reset. This requires using either a lily pad seed or specially made boots - which the request gave no indication I would need. Zaid also has to stay alive and there is no way to revive him with items. Other times the requests have you doing things like catching birds that look as if they are part of the background scenery. To catch them you will also need to use controls that are never used anywhere else and you likley won't know exist. It wastes a lot of real-world time on backtracking, looking up guides, and restarting quests which could've been avoided with some additional text.
RF3's main gimmick is the protagonist's ability to turn into a sheep, which I assumed would lead to some fun interactions, especially when the main obstacle to be overcome in the narrative is a divide between two races: univir and humans. The univir were banished from the human town of Sharance for reasons nobody remembers, and the leaders of both villages hate each other because that is just how it has always been. The player is never told what transpired to cause this whole debacle, but the townspeople are all for getting back together and do just that by throwing a party.
I know this is a game aimed at a younger audience, but I was kinda expecting there to be a little more substance to the conflict. Some kind of cultural misunderstanding, past trauma or incident that Micah would act as a mediator for. Instead there isn't any real tension or issue to resolve. The conflict is wholly artificial and easily mended. Micah being a half-race isn't even really incorporated into the story at all. It is made out to be a big secret that he has to keep, but then no one ever rejects him when they find out. To the contrary, he is always met with immediate acceptance and cuddles. One of the town's residents is actually a mermaid and another is a half-race like Micah, so it makes sense that a shapeshifting sheep wouldn't bother these people. I just hate that it's another artificial non-issue and a fun mechanic with wasted potential.
How someone can be a half-monster is never explained; I certainly hope a human didn't sleep with a sheep, or a bird in Raven's case. Marian mentions that shapeshifting is a thing powerful magic users can do. Could it be related to RF4's Guardian transformations or RF5's were-people?
Conclusion:
Rune Factory 3 is a good entry point into the series because it is of reasonable length and establishes the core gameplay systems that appear in future Rune Factory titles. Like most games in the series it is wholesome and inoffensive. The story and characters aren't ground breaking but they are interesting and entertaining enough to make the time you spend with them feel worthwhile.Related Reviews:
No comments:
Post a Comment