Rune Factory 4

[Skyblade]

I just got the Items later, no need to get them immediately.

Which is why you didn't find Gold before the first ending. One of those chests has two Gold and two Silver in it.

Although I skipped most of them first time through as well. But when I did finally outfit myself properly for the Fire Maze and actually complete it, I was able to get them all. And don't forget the secret switch in the Forest Cave that you can only unlock if you have an NPC with you.

There's also the western ice maze, which can be explored before then, but I'm not sure what's in it, it's a little too high a level for me at this point (those beetles are jerks to take on with physical weapons at a low level). But you may be able to find Gold there as well.

Plot wise, did any of the twists grab you? As soon as Doug mentioned his history, I immediately jumped to the conclusionthat the Sechs Empire did it. I haven't gone past the first ending though, so I'm curious to see what will happen and if we'll finally get to take on the big bad who has been a pain in our rear the entire series.

Also, have you found the mini-dungeons? There are a couple out there. The cave with the Mammodoodles (great way to get Fodder without having to plant it), or the cave with the Dragon Skeleton from RF3 (which has a weird plant item as a reward that I haven't found a use for yet).

The Prince Orders definitely open up to get more options. Adding new shops (unfortunately no new full-character NPCs), expanding your farm (at least three times, probably more) or your room, inviting Barret and Raven to come over every day, even nationalizing the baths to make the baths free from then on (for a measly 35 THOUSAND Prince Points).

I'm really liking the events, which seem to have taken the place of the personal quests. I'm not sure I like the structure of them, due to their random nature and the fact you can't choose which you want to do or follow, but the events themselves are pretty awesome. Some of them are hilarious, and some are just exceptionally well written (Illuminata's stolen seeds is a great one, and part of it really took me by surprise).

I have to say that I really don't like the idea of Amber as a romance choice. She's just too young.


Oh, and I heard that this game features New Game+ (at least the Japanese version did). Kind of. Actually, it's an Order (available in any New Game as soon as you finish the Prologue), that carries over certain things. Like your stats, skills, items, money, shipping history, farm status (not the crops themselves, just the soil quality and number of extra fields/rooms/barns unlocked), and NPC status and equipment.

The things that do not carry-over are mostly scenario-related: story progress, villager LP/FP, revealed areas in maps, all of the orders (except, presumably, the upgrade ones, like extra fields), and, unfortunately, your recipes. That's right, you'll have to learn them all over again. Boo hoo.