Poll of the Day > Countdown topic for Rune Factory 4 Special on the Switch!

(+) Yeah! (+)

9 Days Left!

So excited! LOVED the game on the 3ds and must have put in over 200 hours on it, and I'm happy to go back in and put in another 200 more.

This is one of the few games I'm willing to buy at full price, just to show support for the company.

If you haven't played the 3DS version, haven't played any Rune Factory game, or are just a fan of farming/dating sims like Story of Seasons (Harvest Moon) or Stardew Valley, this is a MUST buy.

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I've 100%'d it twice, so I may as well do it a third time (and by 100% I mean all content plus a fully gold ledger)

Excellent game, even better than Fantasy Life

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8 days to go.

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Hopefully if it sells well enough we'll get a sequel.

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O heck it's coming out soon?? I can play that while waiting for Animal Crossing.

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I flipped out with excitement when this game was announced in the Nintendo Direct. I was so blown away that I didn't have any reaction left for the announcement of RF5 being in development. So yeah, I've been eagerly anticipating this title ever since, and can't wait to enjoy it all over again.

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tbh there's a lot of 3ds games that, i feel, would be far superior if they were ported to the switch.

the tiny screens, and absolute shit resolution, ruined a lot of otherwise great games.

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Zareth posted...

Hopefully if it sells well enough we'll get a sequel.

Rune Factory 5 is already in development!

Planned release is late 2020, but I think it'll get delayed to 2021.

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Oh and I forgot to mention that RF4S digital pre-orders and the Archival edition will come with a special Swimsuit Day DLC.

It's just a special code that will unlock a Prince/ess Order that makes it so every bachelor/bachelorette goes around in their swimsuits regardless of season.

Pretty minor but it's there if you want to get an early copy.

Much more substantial however is the "Another Episode" DLC that'll come out with the game.

It's FREE to download starting from launch day all the way up to March 26, 2020. After that it'll be $4.99.

Apparently it's special illustrated stories for all 12 marriage candidates and it'll be fully voiced in both english and Japanese.

So yeah, just a heads up for those interested.

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Maybe Ill look into it... What does it have that separates it from other farming games?
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waifus

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Monsters as livestock, that you tame to have as allies in battle. Depending on the species, some are sources of produce on the farm, some are able to help out with farm work, and some can be ridden, not just for speed, but for unique attacks too. Not just a few particular monsters, but nearly all the monsters, including bosses, can be tamed, though those ones understandably take some special preparation to win over.

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Shadowbird_RH posted...

Monsters as livestock, that you tame to have as allies in battle. Depending on the species, some are sources of produce on the farm, some are able to help out with farm work, and some can be ridden,not just for speed, but for unique attacks too.

That sounds pretty interesting. Maybe Ill watch some trailers or something. Or play a demo, if one comes out...
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LinkPizza posted...

Maybe Ill look into it... What does it have that separates it from other farming games?

Combat is probably one of the major things it has over other farming sims.

And it's not like the piddly "combat" in Stardew Valley. It's full on hack and slash, multiple weapon types, weapon skills, magic system, dungeon crawling, leveling up, the works. It's a full on action-rpg.

There's also a pretty robust crafting/cooking system, along with monster taming and raising, alongside the surprisingly deep farming system.

And of course, what helly said, waifus (and husbandos).


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is it multiplayer?

are there missables?
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LinkPizza posted...

What does it have that separates it from other farming games?

It has gameplay. Yup. Weird concept, I know, but it really is an important factor... SONG OFF SEASOANOASNOASNS

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I convinced a casual gamer girl friend of mine to get it as she grew up playing Harvest Moon 64.
I pre-ordered my deluxe edition yesterday.
I'm gonna go through 1-3 before I start it though. They've been in my backlog for years.

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Kimbos_Egg posted...

is it multiplayer?

are there missables?

Single Player only.

No missables.

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meh
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T0ffee posted...

Combat is probably one of the major things it has over other farming sims.

And it's not like the piddly "combat" in Stardew Valley. It's full on hack and slash, multiple weapon types, weapon skills, magic system, dungeon crawling, leveling up, the works. It's a full on action-rpg.

There's also a pretty robust crafting/cooking system, along with monster taming and raising, alongside the surprisingly deep farming system.

And of course, what helly said, waifus (and husbandos).

Sounds like a lot. I mean, the combat sounds like it might be pretty fun. That and the monster part make it pretty different from most. The crafting system is in a lot of games, and most are pretty different. So, I probably wouldnt consider that a big difference, since its usually is. If I would like it or not, Idk yet... But it fun to see, I guess...

Lokarin posted...

It has gameplay. Yup. Weird concept, I know, but it really is an important factor... SONG OFF SEASOANOASNOASNS

I mean, lots of games have gameplay...

T0ffee posted...

Single Player only.

No missables.

No miss ales is good. I like that. Though, single player only kinda sucks... Like just a little, though...
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LinkPizza posted...

Sounds like a lot. I mean, the combat sounds like it might be pretty fun. That and the monster part make it pretty different from most. The crafting system is in a lot of games, and most are pretty different. So, I probably wouldnt consider that a big difference, since its usually is. If I would like it or not, Idk yet... But it fun to see, I guess...

There's no demo unfortunately so definitely check out some gameplay vids if you're interested.

Keep in mind though that this is, ultimately, a remaster of a 3DS game, so don't expect some highly flashy combat or anything like that.

IMO, this is a game (and series) where if you just took a look at each of its systems individually and separate from the context of the game, you'd find them kinda simple and not enough to be the focus or center of a primary gameplay loop. But by combining them and interweaving them in a smart way, the game comes out to be better than the sum of its parts.

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Oh and 7 days left!

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LinkPizza posted...

I mean, lots of games have gameplay...

well, I meant of farm games.

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Been debating whether or not I should pick this up. I had to buy the 3DS version twice because a 'friend' stole my first copy.

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T0ffee posted...

Oh and I forgot to mention that RF4S digital pre-orders and the Archival edition will come with a special Swimsuit Day DLC.

It's just a special code that will unlock a Prince/ess Order that makes it so every bachelor/bachelorette goes around in their swimsuits regardless of season.

Pretty minor but it's there if you want to get an early copy.

Much more substantial however is the "Another Episode" DLC that'll come out with the game.

It's FREE to download starting from launch day all the way up to March 26, 2020. After that it'll be $4.99.

Apparently it's special illustrated stories for all 12 marriage candidates and it'll be fully voiced in both english and Japanese.

So yeah, just a heads up for those interested.

I would want the game but I won't be able to get a Switch any time soon.

Shadowbird_RH posted...

Monsters as livestock, that you tame to have as allies in battle. Depending on the species, some are sources of produce on the farm, some are able to help out with farm work, and some can be ridden, not just for speed, but for unique attacks too. Not just a few particular monsters, but nearly all the monsters, including bosses, can be tamed, though those ones understandably take some special preparation to win over.

Can you only fight the bosses once or can you always fight them so you can tame them later?
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Lokarin posted...

well, I meant of farm games.

What makes it have more gameplay?
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LinkPizza posted...

What makes it have more gameplay?

I think he just means you can fight in it. he's saying Harvest Moon/Song of Seasons is inferior cause you don't do combat and just do peaceful farming. Rune Factor has farming but also battles.

Revelation34 posted...

Can you only fight the bosses once or can you always fight them so you can tame them later?

All bosses respawn and can be re-fought once a day, and almost all of them can be tamed.

You'll need specific items to tame them though.

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6 days to go.

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5 days left!

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we need one for this or next gen console the last one was rune factory oceans on the ps3

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LinkPizza posted...

Maybe Ill look into it... What does it have that separates it from other farming games?

For RF4 in particular, the sheer depth to the writing is pretty mind-blowing. I'm pretty sure I went more than a full in-game year of talking to everyone in town every day before seeing some of that dialogue get repeated, which made talking to everyone feel genuinely worthwhile for more reason than just racking up friendship points. There's also a huge number of random events that offer mini-stories with even more character development, most of which flow very naturally from day-to-day gameplay, and some of which have over 1000 lines of dialogue. It was a very easy game to get socially invested into, which kind of spoiled me for other farming games (Story of Seasons, for example, offered like one unique piece of dialogue per character per season, and it didn't engage me nearly as well), and I feel that makes it one of the best examples of the genre.

Of course, that's on top of good farming mechanics (soil quality is fairly complex and demands either crop rotation or the use of specific fertilizers, and livestock consists of tamed monsters and therefore has some delightful variety to it), a deep crafting system (I put together a complex excel spreadsheet to help sort out how to optimize my equipment), combat and skill systems with plenty of variety, a variety of economic strategies to use throughout most of the game (endgame ends up with one option being distinctly better than all others, but that's almost impossible to avoid in the genre)... it's just an excellent game, with the quality and depth of writing being the icing needed to tie the whole cake together into a fantastic dessert. Literally my only complaint is that the story (and dungeon content) is divided into three arcs and the third arc is started by one of the aforementioned random events, meaning bad luck can result in playing for (in-game) years before seeing it happen. It can be circumvented by save scumming, but it's a design flaw that could easily have been avoided without compromising how organic the event system feels.

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BlazeAndBlade posted...

we need one for this or next gen console the last one was rune factory oceans on the ps3

Rune Factory 5 is already in development for the Switch!

It's slated to release for Japan in late 2020, so expect the english version sometime mid-to-late 2021.

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i bought the stupid game.

IB i regret it.
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Amazon already shipped my copy today. Nice

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can't play until the 28th
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there's no reason he wouldn't be able to play it early if he got it early


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Thanks for reminding me about this, TC. I just preordered the archival edition because I love Hinako Iwasaki's art and it's just probably one of the best RPGs when it comes to the amount of DIY at your disposal. Alas, I have more RPGs on the backburner such as DQ11 and XC2, plus I just started playing 3H. Man, so many RPGs... it doesn't help my Switch backlog'll grow more in March, either!

It's a good thing my cafe's having success so far. No boss to worry about, only expenses, which leaves me with a lot for cash for games, ehehe!

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Game_Grumps posted...

there's no reason he wouldn't be able to play it early if he got it early

i meant me, downer. it doesn't come out until then in the eu
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Glad to see so many people interested in the game.

Hopefully Rune Factory 5 will sell well so that the series can continue for as along as Harvest Moon did.

And 4 more days to go!

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Just another game to add to my buy list if I ever get a Switch.
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Kimbos_Egg posted...

i meant me, downer. it doesn't come out until then in the eu

At least it's better than the gap between the NA and EU releases of the original RF4.

T0ffee posted...

Glad to see so many people interested in the game.

Hopefully Rune Factory 5 will sell well so that the series can continue for as along as Harvest Moon did.

And 4 more days to go!

I'll definitely be buying 5, but where RF4 was very much a swan song for Neverland, I'm not expecting to see quite as much effort and passion put into 5 as 4 had. That's a tough act to follow, especially if you have a future to consider instead of having resigned yourself to bankruptcy.

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Kimbos_Egg posted...

i meant me, downer. it doesn't come out until then in the eu

then specify loser

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T0ffee posted...

Glad to see so many people interested in the game.

Hopefully Rune Factory 5 will sell well so that the series can continue for as along as Harvest Moon did.

And 4 more days to go!

All I hope is for online co-op Sharance Maze or ultra-dungeons, and maybe dungeon races along with the ability to barter with online players instead of only the denizens, which would make the barter skill more fun. A PvP would be also good for the competitive folks, though I'd rather chill in other towns, aha.

Oh, and make human allies not so obsolete compared to monsters.

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adjl posted...

I'll definitely be buying 5, but where RF4 was very much a swan song for Neverland, I'm not expecting to see quite as much effort and passion put into 5 as 4 had. That's a tough act to follow, especially if you have a future to consider instead of having resigned yourself to bankruptcy.

Oh definitely. Add the fact that they have no prior experience working with the Switch hardware, and the last 3d game they did was Tides of Destiny; I'm definitely expecting at least some degree of a downgrade compared to RF4. Not so much in the visuals, but more the gameplay.

I'm just hoping it'll be at least somewhat better than Tides of Destiny. If they just fixed the farming system and kept everything else, that'll already be a big improvement in my eyes.

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3 days left!

Now I've always wondered, when doing a countdown for the last three days in Majora's Mask style...

Would you start here with Dawn of The First Day, then do Second Day, and then Final Day, like how it is in the game?

Or does it make more sense to do Dawn of the 3rd Day, 2nd Day, then Final Day, to keep with the numbering?

Just a thought that popped up when I started doing the countdown.

What do you guys think is the more appropriate style to use?

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Is there anything new in this version besides the DLC stuff?
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Revelation34 posted...

Is there anything new in this version besides the DLC stuff?

Aside from the upped graphics and more voiced lines, no not much has been really added.

The only major difference with this is that marriage events and the start of the third act are not randomized anymore.

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2 days left!

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1 day left!


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