Older Rune Factories

Covering Innocent Life (PsP/Ps2), Rune Factory 1 (DS), Rune Factory 2 (DS), Rune Factory 3 (DS/Switch), Rune Factory Frontier (Wii), Rune Factory Tides of Destiny (Wii/Ps3), Rune Factory 4 (3DS/Switch/Steam), and Rune Factory 5 (Switch/Steam).
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lasagna
New Seedling
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Post  Posted:

Yo, so I already have RF4 and RF3, and I was wondering your opinions on (if I get the chance) me getting RF2 or RF1.
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Melody Muse
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Post  Posted:

All right! *cracks knuckles* Finally an opinion thread I can give good feedback in!

TLDR: RF2 is a pass unless you're a hardcore series fan. RF1 is worth it, especially if you can't/don't want to play RFF.

RF2: It's so buggy, and the English voice acting so ear-grating, that I can't recommend it unless you're an avid collector of the series/determined to play all the games. It's a shame because the characters are cute, but, in all seriousness, even as someone who can tolerate a lot of problems in games, this one is so buggy it's hard to appreciate. Like, I mean, there's nothing (iirc, anyway) as bad as say, a save file getting corrupted, but I remember there were so many bugs, and so many typos and such, and good luck trying to collect/find a thread of them all because a lot of people (myself included) got bugs that no one else did, et cetera. The plot is also very... odd. There's a lot, iirc, that never gets explained. But it also has a lot of really great characters, and some amazing side dialogue and quests. Just... the bugs really can ruin the experience, even if you're super patient.

RF1: A fair warning before I go into details on this game: I might have massive nostalgia glasses for this one because it's what got me into RF and then HM/SoS. But I still think it's one of the best RFs in the series plot and character wise. That being said, it hasn't aged well mechanically. Even when it came out, it wasn't exactly impressive on the mechanics front. I mean, the characters basically stand around all day and are zombies, if you marry Melody you can't use the bathhouse due to a bug, you can't move animals between barns, etc. But it has several of my favorite characters in the series, some who didn't make it into RFF, even, and I still think the plot of it, while simple, is great. In general, if a player wants to meet the cast of characters, I still point them to RFF instead, because it has most of the RFF cast and overall better mechanics. But I still think RF is a great game in its own right, and it's probably my favorite behind RF4. (Also it has Melody, which, as obvious by my username, is the best waifu.)
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lasagna
New Seedling
New Seedling
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Post  Posted:

I'm super glad you responded because from reading older posts from Rune Factory 1 was most likely gonna get the second. I had no clue that it was so glitchy :P Anyway, thank you :lala: But yeah, eventually I will probably pick up the second Rune Factory just because I love the series so much, wish we had a Rune Factory 5 smh
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Melody Muse
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Post  Posted:

You're very welcome! Yeah, I just remember I was dating Alicia in RF2, and I got a bug where I could not get her to go with me to this one festival, despite her being at max hearts, and no one else could recreate this bug. It was so frustrating.

I'm glad to hear you're showing interest in the older games in the series though, and love it so much! I always think it's good to see where a series got started, even if it really didn't age well.

Also I think we all wish for an RF5. Just have to keep hoping that the people from Neverland Co. that got absorbed into Marvelous will eventually make an RF5.
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Sir Stardust
Pick Potatos, not boogers
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Post  Posted:

I tried to play 2, I really did. I just... really didn't enjoy it very much. There's not much dungeon crawling/exploration in the first part, and I find myself talking to my chosen bachelorette/doing her requests, and going to bed just to make it go faster. It doesn't help there's no forging in this part, either.

In the second part, the exploration is there, but the characters are so much less fun to talk to and feel like they have way less to say. Plus, I really don't like being so limited on the recipes that I can learn at a time. The other games managed to balance this a lot better. And because the way the plot works, I guess I can understand it, but I still don't like it. I end up giving up around halfway through the second half of the game, every time.

Also, if you want to see the worst thing ever, look up Barrett on the RF wiki, and look at his wedding picture when he takes off his bandana. I don't know who approved this, but I hate it.

~~~

And, a quick note about 1...

In 1, it's possible to get stuck for a little bit, plot/dungeon-wise. There's one dungeon that's surrounded by water, so you can't get to it until it freezes in winter. If you rush through the previous ones, it's possible to get them done within spring/summer.

So, either stagger your dungeon completion, or be okay with working on your house/forging, making friends, and farming until winter hits.
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StormFire
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Post  Posted:

For me, RF2 and RF4 are my all time favorites. I haven't played either in a couple of months, but I would definitely recommend getting RF2. It has an interesting story line that spans across two generations, and I found myself liking most of the characters, even if they aren't as "advanced" as the characters in the newer games. I think the hardest part to get used to would be the mechanics/controls and fighting the monsters since it was a tad easier in RF3 and RF4, but it's still very fun. From what I can remember, the worst glitch I had encountered was the character walking through walls/monsters, but nothing too game breaking. It also has nice/cute scenes and events, which I thought was nice.

I also have RF1, and I liked it as well, but as the posters above mentioned, the characters don't really do much and the plot can be dragged out because you have to wait for the winter season to get into a certain dungeon, and if I recall correctly, there's a glitch that doesn't allow you to leave that dungeon if you stay in there past the winter season. RF1 still has a special place in my heart though since it introduced me to the series, but I just prefer RF2 a bit more!
imjusthere
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

The first RF game I owned and played was Rune Factory 1. It was great for introducing new players to the series, and indeed is much more slower paced than the later titles. If you're use to the fast pace of RF4, then RF1 might irritate you with its incredible slowness. (It sure did for me going back to it!) Most of the bachelorettes require certain achievements or items to be married. Some are easier to marry than others as evident in the Rune Factory Marriage Page- http://fogu.com/hm/rune_factory/marriage/index.php
Since how the game runs and how you interact with objects, I found it incredibly easy to max out my level (to 99) in Greed Cave (the final dungeon). It's a really cheap method and made finishing the game too easy. I'll post the technique if you want, but you're bound to figure it out anyways.
I haven't played RF2 yet, so I can't give any opinion regarding it.
ChaosAzerothCat
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Post  Posted:

Honestly I've owned every single DS RF game, and I think RFF is the only one I haven't owned (though have played) and 2 is the only one I haven't actively tried to get again.

It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but I find myself unhappy with how stifling it is to begin with. For a character of such plot importance you sure feel unimportant when basically big chunks of play are cut off from you as said person. The school thing while annoying some was kind of nifty at least. IDK, I had an alright amount of fun with it, but after some time I realized that the way they put things behind a lock bothered me and 'second half' the other kids and characters bored me. Which sucks because that's where most of the content is.

Also I've played so many hours of RF1 and I'm not sure that I know the fishing trick, I sure can't think of anything unless it's something I did without realizing it. :lol:
imjusthere
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

ChaosAzerothCat wrote:Also I've played so many hours of RF1 and I'm not sure that I know the fishing trick, I sure can't think of anything unless it's something I did without realizing it. :lol:
The "fishing trick"? I haven't spent that much time fishing to know what that is. Could you please elaborate?
ChaosAzerothCat
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Post  Posted:

imjusthere wrote:The first RF game I owned and played was Rune Factory 1. It was great for introducing new players to the series, and indeed is much more slower paced than the later titles. If you're use to the fast pace of RF4, then RF1 might irritate you with its incredible slowness. (It sure did for me going back to it!) Most of the bachelorettes require certain achievements or items to be married. Some are easier to marry than others as evident in the Rune Factory Marriage Page- http://fogu.com/hm/rune_factory/marriage/index.php
Since how the game runs and how you interact with objects, I found it incredibly easy to max out my level (to 99) in Greed Cave (the final dungeon). It's a really cheap method and made finishing the game too easy. I'll post the technique if you want, but you're bound to figure it out anyways.
I haven't played RF2 yet, so I can't give any opinion regarding it.
That bit right there. Because I misread finishing as fishing. :lol:
imjusthere
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

It's not much of a technique; more like an unsatisfying and cheap way to level up to max and go defeat the final boss. I believe I had the (2-handed) Volcannon sword going into the fight, and didn't feel at all like a final boss fight. More like a stronger standard enemy.

Quite literally what I did-
Spoiler:
I made use of the field patch in Greed Cave as you walk in; right next to where the Orc Lords spawn. Since you can't run overtop of branches (I think? maybe stones), I made a barrier along the side of the field and just used my long-sword to kill the Orcs without taking damage. I grinded that for a while and was soon up to level 99.
ChaosAzerothCat
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Post  Posted:

Interesting!
I'm all for seeing all kinds of ways of play.

I've played with minimal farming, with balance, with cheat device (for the items only obtainable through it which is like 2 equips IIRC), more without cheat device. Changed focus at different points in time, married different people. Pretty much tried to do things differently as I felt comfortable with and interested me at the time.

Another thought about RF1 is that it's a solid starting game but mechanics can feel a bit slow if you've played the newer ones. It's still a great game imo, it's a good one if you want to understand the start of the series.
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Sanne
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Post  Posted:

They're probably going to feel a bit dated after having played 3/4, but I think the games have their charm.

You might want to get 1 first but it doesn't really matter that much.
(Character spoiler, no story spoilers)
Spoiler:
The only thing I could think of that might make you want to play 1 first is that a certain character returns in 2.
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Robinstar
Huggy Chickens
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Post  Posted:

I don’t yet have 2 and 3, though I do plan to get them, and I have all the rest.

Going from 4 and then playing 1 really feels weird. The differences stand out so much without the others filling in the gaps. A lot of things in 1 hit me as odd. I can’t figure out if something sounds wrong with the voices or if that’s just what happens with voices through DS Lite speakers. I’m still able to find a lot of enjoyment in it though. If you adapt well to stuff like I do, then it’ll be fine after awhile. I haven’t encountered any sorts of bugs or anything actually wrong with it. Raising LP with a specific girl in mind while doing routine things that just happen to raise someone else’s is definitely going to happen, however that makes you feel. It doesn’t really shove what you’re supposed to be doing in your face like a lot of games do nowadays, so you might be slightly confused at a point, but the goal becomes pretty obvious without much effort. Not necessarily easy. But obvious.
Oh and you’ll want to get to building lots of barns cause... grass? Yeah that doesn’t regrow. But you’ll get as many pieces as you have barns for some reason when you cut it. For some reason. The one big issue I have with the game is that.
Wurmple
Anonymous Fish

Post  Posted:

I guess i have the unpopular opinion but i actually really liked RF 2. I have played all the RF games, even the one for wii and ps3, and i thought they all had their own kind of charm to them since for the most part every RF game does something unique from the others. RF 2 is the only one that lets you play through as your child, i guess from the other opinions here that wasnt really something everyone else enjoyed though. Maybe i'm just weird since i kind of liked the school mechanic of learning new recipes, i also cant remember running into any bad bugs when i played and i have played through it twice marrying 2 different girls
RF 1 was the first one i played though, and i certainly enjoyed that one or i wouldnt have made an effort to try every game since then lol. It might be weird to play the older ones after playing the new ones though, RF 4 added so many improvements and new things that you might miss. I sometimes still go back to replay the older ones and find myself missing some of the new improvements, but i still have fun with the old ones
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