Rune Factory 2
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Rune Factory 2

Developer(s) Neverland Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s) Marvelous Entertainment (Japan)

Natsume (North America) Rising Star (Europe)
Designer(s) Yoshifumi Hashimoto
Platform(s) Nintendo DS
Release date JP January 3, 2008[1]
NA September 30, 2008[2]
EU TBA[3]
Genre(s) Simulation, RPG
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) CERO: A (All Ages)
Media Nintendo DS Game Card

Rune Factory 2 (ルーンファクトリー2?) is the sequel to the simulation/role-playing video game Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, and was developed by Neverland Co., Ltd. and Marvelous Entertainment for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console.

According to Marvelous managing director and Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada, Rune Factory 2 does not borrow the Harvest Moon name for the Japanese release. This was done in order to grow Rune Factory as an independent series and Marvelous will continue to do this with all future installments including the forthcoming Wii game, Rune Factory Frontier. [4] However, Natsume has confirmed that the subtitle A Fantasy Harvest Moon will return for the North American release of this game. [2]

Contents

Story

The sequel to the original Rune Factory is set several years after Raguna and friends defeated the evil plans of the Sechs Empire. Things are at peace again in Norad Kingdom. In the village of Alvarna, a boy named Kyle has become old enough to travel on his own. Right before he begins his adventures, a strange premonition of doom begins to appear as a strange lady named Mana makes an appearance.

Developments

Instead of having to press start to enter the inventory to change accessories and armor, there are now touchable tabs in the lower left-corner of the DS touch screen. Tapping on these tabs will open up a larger window, where the player can easily equip the items they need. There is also a gauge on the upper screen to show how much water is in the watering-can. You can move your character with the stylus or the D-pad, also being able to swing your weapon's or tools with the stylus or B button. Another change to the game play is the ability to take on RPG-style quests involving the townspeople.

The story is separated by two parts. In the first half of the game, the player plays as Kyle. In the second half, the player will play as Kyle's child.

Characters

Bachelorettes (First Half)

Mana is the first girl you meet in Alvarna Village. She is very energetic. She lives with her father, Douglas, at the town's general shop, Pumpkin. After the school is built in the second-half of the game, she becomes the teacher. Mana plays a similar role to Mist from the original Rune Factory.

Alvanna's fortune-teller. She has a tendency to say "My prediction came true!" when different events happen. However, her weather prediction is always true, and even has the ability to change it. She can predict the next day's weather, tell you the location of a person, and tell you how close you are with someone.

The idol of the village. Julia runs the bath house, Wisdom. She is a kind yet relatively eccentric girl.

Prodigy. Similar to Bianca from the first Rune Factory, she is a polite yet somewhat spoiled girl. She lives at the Viviage Mansion in Alvarna.

Dorothy is shy and quiet, and is often seen at Natalie's clinic. She is always seen holding a small dog doll. She is a competitor in the Fishing Tournament.

Yue is a foreign peddler, and sells food and other items with her. She can be seen at the front of cave entrances. In the second-half of the game, you can buy kitchen utensils and other things for the school. She speaks with a Kansai accent.

When Cecilia from the original Rune Factory grew up in Kardia and decided to study abroad, she came across Alvarna Village. She is very thoughtful and sweet. She is a half-elf, which was also revealed in the original Rune Factory. She works as a maid in the Viviage mansion.

Boyfriends/Girlfriends (Second Half)

When the story advance into the second half, the major character's children will take appearance in the game. Though it is not officially counted as a marriage, boys can choose Kanon or Lamria as a girlfriend, while girls can choose Orphas, Roy or Rean as boyfriend. Muu and Suu are available to both boy or girl's route.

Both Kanon and Roy appear in the first half of the story but do not become candidates for a boyfriend/girlfriend until the player reaches the second half of the game.

It is noted that the parent's combination below are the default combination. Whenever the player marries a bachelorette other than Mana, Alicia, or Yue, Yue will automatically replace the mother role of the original child.

Kanon is Dorothy's younger sister. Unlike Dorothy's timid personality, Kanon is lively and energetic. Many of her quests involve playing games with her, such as Shadow Boxing or Rock, Paper, Scissors.

An active boy who likes playing with Kanon. He dislikes studying.

Barrett and Dorothy's son. With the way he dresses, people tend to mistake him for a girl. Unlike his parents, he is afraid of fishes.

Jake and Cecilia's son. Like his father, he dislikes humans.

Max and Julia's daughter, influenced by her grandfather, she seems to develop a good sense of food. She seem to know of some "Tulip" tale around Kardia, which mentions Mist from Rune Factory.

The twin daughters of Rei and Rosalind. They are always seen together. Suu is the more active of the twins while Muu is quieter.

Other Characters

Douglas sells seeds at "Pumpkin, the town's general store. He is overprotective of his daughter, Mana and tries to get rid of any boys that try to marry her.

Natalie runs Alvanna's clinic. Sometimes, she argues with her daughter, Alicia, as she thinks fortune telling is not scientific.

Godon runs Alvarna's church and is the father of Dorothy and Kanon. A hearty man.

He is an elf who works in Tanya's weaponry, and is mildly spiteful towards Kyle, referring to him as "human". Jake is a skilled swordsman and is protective of Cecilia.

  • Egan - Character Voice:

The polite and merry owner of the inn "Swallow". Egan is Jake's father.

Rei is Alicia's quiet and gentle younger brother. He has a very feminine appearance.

Barrett is a quiet person who tends to be avoided by the villagers. Rumors of violence surround him but the truth is unknown. He participates in the Fishing Tournament. He becomes a teacher in the second half of the game.

Byron is Alvarna Village's mayor and Barrett's father. He and Barrett seem to have a hard time understanding each other though. He can build monster huts for you to store dungeon monsters in, and later on in the game, build the town's school.

Rosalind's older brother. Very clearheaded, and maybe a little narcissistic.

The town's gourmand and father of Rosalind and Max. He is the judge during food-related festival. He is always looking for something to eat and is similar to the original Rune Factory's gourmet, Jasper.

The owner of the weapon shop and Roy's mother. Her quests on the town bulletin board involve defeating different monsters, and unlike other villagers' quests, you can keep coming back to re-do them for more money.

Merchandising and Pre-order Bonus

Rune Factory 2 has had multiple manga series to help promote the game, in such magazines as Dengeki Nintendo DS, Monthly Wings, Dragon Age, and Dengeki Maoh. If players pre-ordered the game in Japan, they would receive a free CD with three mini-dramas as well as an 18-page art book.

Sometime after the release of the game in Japan, a CD with all the background music, three mini-dramas, and the two theme songs was released with a novel based on the game following sometime after.

Reception

Famitsu scored the game 7 / 8 / 7 / 8 which equals 30/40, which is lower than the original Rune Factory's score of 33/40.

References

  1. ^ Rune Factory 2 for DS - Rune Factory 2 Nintendo DS - Rune Factory 2 DS Game
  2. ^ a b NATSUME TO BRING THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RUNE FACTORY 2: A FANTASY HARVEST MOON TO NINTENDO DS LATER THIS FALL -- Press Release
  3. ^ Release Dates - Official Nintendo Magazine
  4. ^ C3 Interview with Yasuhiro Wada

External links

v • d • e
Rune Factory video games
Rune Factory · Rune Factory 2 · Rune Factory Frontier
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