42. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny/Oceans (PlayStation 3)
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This game is about two friends named Aden and Sonja who randomly end up somewhere they don't know and also oh yeah Sonja is trapped in Aden's body. This is of course not a situation they want to live with forever so they embark on a somewhat epic although mostly just nice quest to get Sonja her body back.

As this is a spin-off of Harvest Moon, there is of course the option to court some of the villagers and get married and have a baby. There is once again an in game clock that progresses the time and four months representing the four seasons. There are of course festivals and events. Farming is present in this game as well although it is a bit different. You'll get four farming islands as the story progresses, each of which can grow and produce different things. You recruit monsters to do your growing for you, so no need to water stuff. There's of course also the fighting part where you will go to certain islands and fight beasts with weapons of your choice. You can also expand your house and add things like a kitchen. Tamed monsters can accompany you on fights.


General impressions:
I watched sharky play a lot of this game and, as I mentioned in my Rune Factory 3 review, it eased a lot of my concerns with the series. Eventually, after watching him play about a year in game, I decided to try it for myself! I knew most of the story and stuff so I was mostly checking out the gameplay. It was fun and I really enjoyed it and I look forward to a full and proper playthrough sometime down the road. I would say a negative is that you don't get to play as Sonja, the female lead, until you've finished the main storyline, and there are a good deal less bachelors than bachelorettes. So you kind of have it stacked against you if you want to play a female character.

Story:
The story was pretty interesting, I think. I do find how upbeat and positive it is pretty amusing. You have a woman literally trapped inside a man's body, both of whom are aware of the fact, they've woken up on a strange island with a bunch of strangers, and they have to go defeat monsters and stuff to figure out what's going on. That story could have taken a much darker tone, but instead none of it is treated as anything more than a minor annoyance and everyone is just so happy and nice. It was pretty funny to me.


Gameplay:
The gameplay isn't as good as Rune Factory 3. The controls are kind of awkward and it's a bit difficult to get the hang of. They also don't really explain some stuff that they should. Farming is much easier but it feels more disconnected since a lot of it is done by your monster slave labour. But stuff like how to give them cookies, they don't explain that you just need it in your inventory so you're sitting there trying to figure out how to feed them. But I do like that now you can cancel and accept requests as often as you want with no limit. But they do get repetitive.


World:
The world feels both big and small. The ocean outside of the island is massive and it can take days (in game) to get to your destination. But the island is very small, so it gets kind of boring after a while. But still it was a very nice town and there are some interesting islands and some very cool dungeons.


Characters:
I am convinced that Fennith Island, the main game location, is a utopia. Everyone is so nice and so happy. Everyone helps everyone, everyone gets along. The worst thing to happen is like a kind of half-assed attempted burglary and a child having a tantrum. Other than that these people are the nicest people ever. I do wish there was more interaction and stuff, but I was quite fond of the cast and I can't think of one character that I disliked.

Favourite character: Electra kxwBCnj.jpg
Honourable mentions: Lily, Bismarck F8YEEvO.jpgRSNMmy1.jpg

Electra wasn't even on my radar originally, but I just found her very sweet and kind and polite. She was also an incredible hard worker and she does what she can to help out the family. Lily was like the older sister I never had and she had some really funny and sweet moments. Bismark is a nerdy workaholic, he's extremely shy, but he'll stand up for himself and others if he needs to.

Overall this game is cheesy and upbeat, but it's also just a lot of fun, it's sweet, and it has a good sense of humour. There's a lot of stuff to do to keep you occupied, but it isn't for someone who wants a more serious game.