All of the other outlines in the art are completely unnoticeable, so it perplexed me that the developers would feel the need to outline the edges of each portrait. Instead of looking at the character art, I would be captivated by this inexplicable black line that surrounded most of the characters. I noticed it about five minutes in, and couldnвЂ™t look away. Every character portrait is, for reasons unknown, framed by either a black or very dark brown line. Heaven forbid if you decide to actually milk one of the said buffamoos, as the game may start to glitch, with an occasional black line passing over the screen as Kyle performs the action and retrieves the milk.

It is even more prominent if you ever have to use the monster barn вЂ“ especially if you decide to have, say, four buffamoos on one floor. If the main character Kyle moves towards them, his typical run will slow to a leisurely walk. For example, on holidays in the first generation, Cecilia, Mana and Alicia will gather in the North Square Alvarna area. A recurring problem in both generations is a noticeable slow-down that occurs whenever a large number of characters are present onscreen. The game, as a whole, is not without its flaws. It was more of a nuisance than anything, and I found IвЂ™d just have to take more care when positioning Kyle. Sometimes IвЂ™d want to just run in and mine some gems, but the game would automatically make Kyle take a swing at a nearby monster or portal instead of the rock cluster. The only control problem I encountered was an auto-targeting system that implements itself in dungeons. You can enter the menu by tapping start or KyleвЂ™s character portrait. You can change equipped tools, skills or items by holding the L button and A, B or Y button, then scrolling through the options. I say almost, because outside the fields and monster barn, it can be difficult to make Kyle attack or perform an action. You can almost play entirely with the stylus. She also can control the weather вЂ“ for 1,000g you can make it rain. Since sheвЂ™s practically the only NPC who stays in one area on a regular basis, this is a huge help when you need to find someone to report back after completing a quest. First, for 20g she will tell you where anyone in town is. SheвЂ™s the town fortune teller, and has two fantastic abilities. Speaking of Alicia, sheвЂ™s easily the most useful NPC, despite her rather flamboyant appearance. I found Cecilia, Alicia and Yue were the easiest to get 10 hearts with, as Cecilia likes all gems, Alicia is happy with diamonds and fortune telling requests and Yue is pleased with Aquamarines from Trieste Forest. Its also easy to get the initial bachelorettes to fall in love with you, after you get a hammer from GordonвЂ™s quest or your Spring crops grow. Relationships grow quickly, as long as you take the time to talk to the townsfolk at least once a day. The whole first generation moves at a wonderful pace, so its easy to get addicted and you wonвЂ™t find yourself bored. Often time, these are just fetch-quests, but theyвЂ™re a good means of making money and acquiring items. Completing this quest could result in you receiving money, seeds, food, a new tool or 100 pieces of wood.

Every new level of friendship with a townsperson means a new errand or quest on the bulletin board from them. It actually motivated me to make friends with all the villagers, instead of just the girl I wanted Kyle to marry. The message board is a wonderful new innovation.

DonвЂ™t worry about making accessories, forging weapons, cooking or making medicine вЂ“ you donвЂ™t get into any of that until generation 2. Instead, your time is better spent talking with the people in town, giving gifts, tending your farm, raising monsters and taking message board requests. The difficulty level on all four dungeon areas is one star, so level grinding isnвЂ™t really an option after you reach level 10 or so.

The focus of the first generation of Rune Factory 2 is socialization and farming. After meeting the item shop owner Douglas and his daughter Mana, the main hero, weвЂ™ll call him Kyle, decides to settle in Alvarna and work the abandoned farm there. (Surprise surprise.) He happens upon the town of Alvarna during the cherry blossom season, and finds the town peaceful and charming. He doesnвЂ™t know what it is, or why heвЂ™s traveling, because he has amnesia. Rune Factory 2 begins with a nameless young man on a quest for, well, something. The focus of the first generation of the game, where you play as a young man with amnesia who decides to settle in the town of Alvarna, has a different feel and sense of purpose than the second generation, where you play as the son or daughter of the young man. In a way, Rune Factory 2 is like having two games in one.

Rune factory 2 forging