Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

It's impossible to deny that Rune Factory 3 is the best entry in the series. It has improved in just about every area it possibly could: the battles are more dynamic, the farming isn't monotonous, the characters are deeper and more intriguing, and the dialogue is full of variety.

As much as there is to do in Rune Factory 3, none of it ever gets too complex or stressful.

Rune Factory 3 definitely shares many similarities with its Harvest Moon heritage, but successfully branches out into a highly engaging action RPG that stands in good stead when compared to other role-playing efforts on Nintendo DS thanks to its enjoyable battle mechanic, variety of objectives and the above average storyline.

Excellent character portraits. [Christmas 2010, p.61]

This sweet experience is one that can be enjoyed by newcomers and veterans of the Harvest Moon series, as Rune Factory 3's positives definitely outweigh the negatives.

It's all far too familiar. [Dec 2011, p.98]

It's simply frustrating that, even after several previous installments, the series has yet to improve significantly – even moreso since a lot of the issues holding it back seem easily fixable. As it stands, Rune Factory 3 is a solid game – just not a great one.

Sensational game. I don't know why I skipped it when it first came out, but I'm so glad I discovered it. It's like playing Harvest Moon, Pokemon, and Zelda at once. I don't think I have seen an RPG this involved in a long time: you can do everything from item crafting to cooking, have countless weapons and spells, have multiple relationships, take any character into your dungeon party--and it has a good story with multiple endings. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a great JPRG or Action RPG.

this game is great! the gameplay is really good, the graphics are nice too, i also like the music, although you'll think the main character is like a girl until you hear his voice acting, but still a great game :)

Totally awesome game, ok story really fun game play and the marriage candidates are all good looking, oh and it has a little bit of voice acting in it, i gave it a 10

The best Run Factory to date but that does not mean that close to be THE GAME, there are things that need improvement for become a best game. With high replay value and bright is the right game for those for those who want an alternative of mainstream.

The core game is amazing, but this is a review in 2020. After the QOL improvements in RF4, you really cant go back to 3 without serious frustration. As part of the series, as a whole, it has only tiptoed in progression. Playing harvest moon 1996 up until RFactory4, the series is pretty stale until the spinoffs and more recent games. Trio of towns, RF4, Innocent Life started to progress, though! In hindsight, all the (fake) people whose lives you'll touch, all the crops you'll (fake) grow, all the mobs you'll (fake) destroy.. its all really amazing. It just isnt, after playing the next versions... and Fantasy Life. As it stands, I would ADORE a remake with the new QOL and maybe some sidestory DLC (pretty standard, these days.) RF5 is right around the corner.