While this new installation is charmingly poignant play, glaringly noticeable flaws preclude its hidden potential.
The Good: As you traverse this new and strange but diverse world of Harvest Moon, you'll find it to be quite interesting, meeting friends and enemies and exploring a plethora of convoluted dungeons. Go ahead, grow crops and sell them to gain money through thick and thin. As an added bonus, deliver crushing blows to monstrous beasts you meet along the way with your hoe to keep the peace in your precious farm.
*Must-Read Comment*: Does Rune Factory sound pretty sweet right now? Don't stop reading and go buy it, though, because after this next section, you may be disappointed.
The Bad: Let's talk graphics first. If you've seen Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the DS, you know that 2D and 3D can blend extremely well, giving minimal gameplay slowdown (unlike 3D) and a feast for the eyes (unlike 2D). Most unfortunately, that is not the case at all here. FFXII blended these two aspects seamlessly, with a mixture in background and characters. The blend for Rune Factory is not quite as consistent, making it at some points seeming as if pop-up figures are walking across a story book. The new "survival" system can make things quite difficult as well. As if keeping an eye on your farm and profit were not hectic enough, you also have both Hit Points and Rune Points. Rune Points, used to complete various tasks, are depleted quickly throughout the day and soon begin taking a toll on your Hit Points. Though these points can be refreshed with a soothing bath and such activities, who will really take a break so frequently and do so? Then there are extreme repercussions ranging from waking up with a headache at the doctor's office to having to restart from the last time you saved. There isn't exactly a solid storyline, either, though Raguna's volatile life can prove to be quite exciting.
Verdict: Overall, Rune Factory is a fairly good game. It's rather hectic, agitating, and difficult, but that can all quickly turn into immense excitement. Toughing it out and spending $35 or so on this game could turn out to be quite a profitable investment--I myself enjoy the carefree life of the farm mixed with the heart-pounding exploration of dungeons and hunting of monsters.
"Is this a good buy?": In one word, yes. In more, it is an adventure, through good times and bad, on a farm and through dungeons, that will last you for at the very minimum 30 hours.
In the End: After hours of hard work and strenous tasks, look back at your incredible feats and state proudly, "That's my farm, my story, my fantasy Harvest Moon."