Kyle Miller writes "The original Rune Factory title debuted in 2007 as the first "fantasy" Harvest Moon, complete with action RPG mechanics, dungeons, swords, and orcs. While the fantasy elements complemented the farm simulation well enough, there were too many inconveniences and rough edges for it to be considered a great game. This time around, the developers had the chance to pull a few weeds from an otherwise healthy garden. Unfortunately, in the process, developer Neverland overlooked the locusts that came swarming in at the same time. As a result, Rune Factory 2 is a mix of improvements to interface and presentation and downgrades to combat and overall design. The resulting game is no more worthwhile than its predecessor and, perhaps, even slightly less enjoyable."
Given that it is a spin-off of Harvest Moon, it isn’t surprising that romance is a part of Rune Factory. But what may catch someone off guard is how much the games offer. These titles offer lots of people they can spend time with, some of them showing how many different kinds of species live in this fantasy world. They are people who are capable at performing certain jobs and surviving against monsters. Their storylines also can be quite engaging and fun. Essentially, they can go above and beyond.
Independent leading UK publisher Rising Star Games have today created the world’s first virtual ‘twinning’, as their Harvest Moon videogame series has been twinned with Surrey Docks Farm in London. Most twinnings usually take place between similar major cities from different parts of the world. This is the first case of a real-world place twinning with a virtual reality environment.
RPGamer: "Overall, this is a rather nice game, which I recommend to anyone who likes Harvest Moon games, who would like Harvest Moon games if not for the fact that the gameplay gets repetitive after a while, or who liked a few Harvest Moon games but became annoyed with how they all seem to be remakes of each other."
