Guide Note:

Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon is the first Harvest Moon game that includes fighting monsters and using magic along with farm simulation.

Story

Your named character wanders into the town of Kardia, exhausted, hungry, and without much sense of who you are or where you've come from. You're taken in by Mist, a young female farmer who provides you with a house to live in and an open field for you to tend. You are soon on your way to becoming a farmer.

Gameplay

The game plays similarly to the other Harvest Moon games in terms of the farming and time management. You clear your fields, plant your crops, and pick and sell them for a profit, and to keep your farm going. A new addition is the inclusion of battles. When the mayor of Kardia gives you access to a cave, you are able to gather resources, but you also encounter various monsters. You can either kill them, done in real time, or befriend them. If you befriend the monsters you can get them to work on your farm, which in turn increases the profit for your farm. Energy management is the priority in this game. There are two measurements for your character's well-being: his hit points and his rune points. Rune points are used whenever you perform an action like plowing, watering or just about any other productive activity. Rune points act like your stamina bar in other Harvest Moon games. Once you deplete all of your rune points, any rune-dependent activities will decrease our hit points. When you run out of hit points on the surface you'll awaken in the physician's office. If you are exploring a cave, the game ends. Hit points and rune points can be restored with a good night's sleep, a hot bath, or by consuming some special items or even appearing next to your crops. Much of the game is based on how well you manage your energy on daily activities.

Fast Facts:

1. Developer: Neverland
2. Publisher: Natsume
3. Platform: Nintendo DS
4. Genres: Simulation, RPG
5. Modes: Single player, Nintendo WiFi
6. ESRB Rating: Everyone (E)
7. Release Date: Aug 14, 2007