Japan don't do agriculture... But if they did... It would still be bananas!

I was a complete newcomer to this series before this game and so far I am pleasantly surprised. The game is hard to describe without alluding to other games from the Harvest Moon franchise, so I guess the closest comparison I can think of would be Farmville, crossed with Little King's Story, all wrapped up in the cutest dating simulator you ever did see. On a Tamagotchi. In Japan. Especially in Japan.

A word of caution on this game regarding this game's art style - You will have been warned by almost every review of it's "cutesy anime styling" and "esoteric gameplay". These reviews are not wrong. This game is Japanese as BALLS. In a way this is a shame as it will instantly appeal to the cosplay crowd without being appreciated for the strong game it actually is whilst being shunned by most other people for, well, appealing to the cosplay crowd.

The game gets repetetive quickly (tend the farm, talk to peeps, complete some fetch quests, sleep, repeat) but the mechanics are solid, every single action in the game leads to a level up or reward of some kind and there is this fundamental WoW-esque compulsion for just one more go... It's hard to put into words but if grinding's your gig your are sublimely catered for here.

Generic but beautiful art design, compelling if repetetive gameplay, super relaxing, strangely rewarding and sweet enough to induce diabetes. All in all, not a bad little game. 4 stars.

Happy gaming,

-Mikey Base

Great buy worth the cash

this is my favorite game of the series the down fall is that it wasnt long enough i was able to beat it in like 15 hours but that was just me going through as fast as i could if you take your time and get all the best things it cand easily take 80+
great game worth the buy if your a fan of the previous games

This is the greatest discontinued game I ever paid for.

I bought Rune Factory 3 because I am a fan of the Rune Factory and Harvest Moon franchise. The only thing I hate about this game is that it had been discontinued, which made it a rare game. I can genuinely said that Natsume had improved the system from the previous series, making it a great play.

Awesome farming/ fighting game

Where do i start what an awesome game so many improvements from the previous two Rune Factory's. Has a setup and awesome story line, kinda cool how you can turn into a monster shame you can change into any other e.g dragon, golem or wolf etc but ohwell. Really helpful how things constantly appear on the farm helps moke money, dungeon setup awesome easy to find and distinguish. All in all it's a good game so many things to do, a game i recommend everyone should play 10/10 from me.

Hard to get in Canada!

I had a hard time trying to find a single copy in Cananda, where I live. Once i found out no copies where in any best buys, future shops or any EB games I had searched the internet.
Rune factory 3 looks like a great promise to the fans of the rune factory and harvest moon phase for the DS. I can't wait to play it myself.

Thank you very much for having a copy! Not to mention a unopened package!