Rune Factory: Frontier (Wii) Review

Ever feel like the Wii has a lack of in-depth games? Mini-game extravaganzas just not doing it for you anymore?

Well, you're in luck - check out Rune Factory: Frontier for a game that is long, thoughtful and (surprisingly, for this genre) very polished.

Rune Factory: Frontier is a joining between farming 'sim' and RPG, bring some of the best of both worlds. The farming part is an important part however, so just a warning - if you can't stand games that take their cue from Harvest Moon or simply don't have a lot of patience, this might not be the game for you.

But if you're more interested now, let's have a critical overview of the game:

Game play

The most interesting thing about this game is how little it tells you. It's a game of discovery - but sometimes, you'll just find yourself at a loss for where to go next. Word to the wise - read the instruction manual before playing, then read it again after you've had some experience. Little things like knocking on doors with the nunchuck are basically left unexplained. Once the library is open in the game, you can read up there on the more advanced aspects of the game.

Though on the Wii, the game barely takes any advantage of the Wii motion-control. It's still a well-executed game in terms of controls.

There are a lot of aspects to the game, but it progresses in a day-by-day pattern, so you can get into a groove as you begin to manage your time. Sometimes you farm and take care of creatures, sometimes you're off getting experience and exploring dungeons, and other times you just hang around the village and mingle with the locals as their storylines progress.
Graphics

Actually looks really nice for a Wii game - some nice particle effects throughout. The dialogue parts are done with still images of the characters with their reactions sliding into the screen, with dialogue on the bottom. It's a nice way to see interaction and works well.

The camera is fixed, so even though everything is 3D, you are basically looking at each area from one angle. In certain cases, this is annoying as you run into objects you can fully see, but it's not a deal-breaker by any means.

You also get cut scenes for important events that are in an anime style. They're normally quite short and come randomly through the game.

Sound

Really nice music and some voice work on important lines of dialogue. Good atmosphere is created, overall.

Effectiveness

Is the game effective? By that, I am rating whether it fulfills

the goal it seems to be setting out to accomplish. And I would say - yes. It's a refreshing new take on the genre of farm 'sims' that will appeal to anyone wishing that Harvest Moon had a few more dynamics.

There are story elements and character plots that don't always make sense and sometimes leave you confused (ex. when you go to the bath house, you might overhear a conversation from another room. Your character faints, then appears outside the room saying that he is dizzy, and has lost one point of health. I still haven't figured that one out...)

Length of Play

Unlike Harvest Moon games, there is a definite "end" to the main plot line, and then the game lets you continue if you want, to marry, have a child, upgrade the house, and whatever.

I took my time with the game and explored around a lot, and ended up logging over 100 hours of play before reaching the "end"! How much do you see that in game today? Sure, you could go through faster, but there's so much to do! Side quests include: helping characters, collecting recipes, looking for constellations, raising animals, collecting special items, upgrading the house, raising your proficiency in skills, courting the town's girls, and many other things.

Age Appropriate for: 10 years and up

Though you hit the creatures with swords, you are not "hurting" them, according to the game. It is a magic sword and is only casting magic to make them disappear. No blood, no cursing. Some references to alcohol and drinking in the bar. There are also several sexual references by characters that are only found by accident, but would most likely be over a kid's head.

That all said, the game really takes some thinking and strategy to get through, so younger players might be feel overwhelmed.

I really enjoyed this game, and I hope you will too. It's nice to see something different, and with the lack of well-crafted games on the Wii lately, this game is certainly a diamond in the rough.