Rune Factory 3 Special is a faithful remake of the Nintendo DS title that offers impressive graphic improvements, but doesn’t do much to innovate beyond its aesthetic. The game comes from Marvelous Inc and XSEED Games, which have a long history with the Rune Factory and Story of Seasons franchises.
Just like all Rune Factory titles, players will begin in a mysterious new place after being struck with a bad case of amnesia. The title weaves a tale about a long-standing conflict between monsters and humans, which the protagonist – who’s half human and half monster – becomes embroiled in. Unfortunately, unlike other Rune Factory games, there’s still only an option for a male character in the remake; the ability to play as a female hero was arguably one of the biggest things long-time fans had hoped would be added in the new version.
There’s plenty for players to do outside of Rune Factory 3 Special’s main storyline thanks to its blended mechanics of farming, romance, crafting, and dungeon crawling. Things can feel a bit slow in the beginning, but by mid-spring the satisfying game loop begins to unfold. Tending to one’s farm and monsters, checking the bulletin board for villager requests, giving gifts to the townsfolk, fishing, and grinding new levels for the myriad of skills in the title are all interesting and viable options of gameplay. Some of these things can occasionally feel repetitive - particularly raising certain skills – but they do a good job of always giving the player something to do.
As players go through the daily grind, one of the most noticeable things that could’ve used an improvement in the remake is the game’s controls. While not awful, things like having to drag and drop every item into one’s storage chest and the clunkiness of holding versus equipping items can feel tedious at times. Combat controls have are remained the same, but not to a fault – fighting was always somewhat simplistic in Rune Factory 3, but a handful of special moves, interesting spells, and the ability to fight as a monster keep things engaging, as does the wide variance of enemies and the new Hell difficulty setting.
One of the things that stands out most about Rune Factory 3 Special is its characters, who feel like some of the most well-defined and unique townsfolk in the entire franchise. From the father and daughter who amusingly only speak in opposites to the mermaid who runs the bathhouse, each resident feels distinctive and engaging, and this is further aided by the game’s updated graphics. New character portraits for conversations paired with fresh voice recordings make getting to know everyone very special. There sadly aren’t LGBTQA marriage options in this entry, but the 11 bachelorettes are a fun and diverse bunch.
2023-09-05 03:48:03
Article from screenrant.com
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