Nintendo Life writes: "If you have enjoyed previous Harvest Moons for their longevity and aren't particularly bothered about the reduced cuteness – all animals are gone now, replaced by monsters – then you will love Rune Factory. If you've always been deterred by the cuteness, I can assure you it's now perfectly acceptable to play Harvest Moon. Like previous entries, it makes an unlikely gameplay idea engrossing and enjoyable, and for that comes highly recommended to farmers and fighters alike".
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."
