Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny

About

Aden and Sonja, two lifelong friends, live a tranquil life on Fenith Island until they're struck by a mysterious curse: they awaken to find both of their souls are now trapped in the same body! On top of this unusual calamity, the Fenith they knew is gone, replaced by a strange island populated with unfamiliar faces. Only by exploring this new world will they be able to solve the mystery of this c…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny screenshot

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 166 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding44 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of farming, crafting, and RPG elements, providing hours of engaging gameplay.
The graphics are colorful and appealing, enhancing the overall experience of exploring the game's world.
The relationship-building aspect is rewarding, with character interactions leading to new quests and story developments.

The camera control is limited, making navigation and exploration frustrating at times.
The combat system can feel repetitive and lacks depth, often reducing battles to simple button mashing.
The farming mechanics are overly simplified, relying on monsters to handle tasks that players traditionally managed themselves.

story
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The game's story is described as lengthy but often underwhelming, with many players feeling it lacks depth and compelling elements. While some appreciate the intriguing premise and character relationships that unlock new quests, others find the narrative vague and tedious, leading to a focus on gameplay mechanics over storytelling. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop for the game's life-simulation and exploration aspects, with mixed opinions on its execution and engagement.
- “It has a growing storyline that can change with the choices you make.”
- “This game has an intriguing storyline, beautiful graphics, and an awesome water travel/island exploration aspect to it!”
- “The main story premise is interesting and holds a bit of mystery to it.”
- “Next up would be something very familiar to pretty much every other entry - that being the underwhelming story.”
- “What is even more saddening is the fact that the game doesn't truly open up until the 'story' is completed, as if to say, 'hurry up and finish the fantastically underwhelming and vague story to get into the good stuff!'”
- “I do feel like it is lacking some story and depth, and although I like the characters, they do seem a little 'shallow' in the sense that they always say the same stuff to you.”
grinding
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can become tedious, particularly in crafting, cooking, and farming, which some players found overly simplified or restrictive due to reliance on monsters for farming tasks. While the RPG elements and dungeon crawling offer a variety of activities, the farming mechanics have shifted significantly from previous entries, leading to mixed feelings among fans of the genre. Overall, players who prioritize farming may find the changes disappointing, while those focused on combat and exploration might enjoy the streamlined experience.
- “After a while, the RPG elements started to get a little tedious; I felt my energy was getting drained just far too quickly.”
- “The only thing that really bothered me about it was the runey system, as well as how time-consuming farming was.”
- “Grinding in forgery, crafting, cooking, and carpentry can get a bit tedious.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
25%
13%
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many users praising their beauty and overall quality, particularly on the PS3. While some noted occasional blurry textures and a lack of detail in certain character models, the visuals are generally considered impressive and contribute to an enjoyable gaming experience. Overall, the graphics enhance the game's engaging storyline and exploration elements, making it a visually appealing title in the Rune Factory series.
- “Amazing graphic designs as well as story, I recommend this game to anyone who wants to kill time and enjoy a relaxing game.”
- “This game has an intriguing storyline, beautiful graphics, and an awesome water travel/island exploration aspect to it!”
- “Great graphics, great sound, excellent gameplay, voice acting is wonderful!”
- “Though the visuals go far beyond other titles, they aren't far beyond what the PS2 was capable of pushing.”
- “Graphically, it's one of the better Rune Factory games, but somehow they'll have you wanting to go back to the illustrations and simple polygon models (Mikoto's character model is catastrophically limited for what they decided to do with her).”
- “Graphics are pretty, but not really very detailed.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The gameplay in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the reduced time pressure through various mechanics like pet-assisted farming and quick teleportation to dungeons. However, some users found the farming mechanics confusing and poorly explained, necessitating external help to understand them. Overall, the gameplay is complemented by great graphics, sound, and voice acting, contributing to a positive experience.
- “Time pressure is greatly lessened by having more ways to mitigate the cost and by reducing the time it takes to do things, such as farming being done by pets and a mechanic that allows you to quickly teleport to dungeons.”
- “The gameplay is interesting too!”
- “Great graphics, great sound, excellent gameplay, and wonderful voice acting!”
- “I ended up needing to consult Google to figure out gameplay at some points.”
- “Very strange farming mechanics; I had to Google how you're supposed to do it because the game doesn't explain it well at all.”
- “Time pressure is greatly lessened by having more ways to mitigate the cost and by reducing the time it takes to do things, but the mechanics can be confusing.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The music in the game is characterized by catchy tunes and pleasant melodies that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the lively characters and humorous dialogue, complemented by good, albeit limited, voice acting. The beautiful visuals further elevate the enjoyment of the soundtrack.
- “The areas are beautiful to look at and the music is pleasant.”
- “Catchy music, funny dialogue, interesting and lively characters, and good voice acting (though voice acting is limited).”
- “The opening song is great.”
- “The opening song is in Japanese, which might not resonate with all players.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety throughout the game.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, making it feel disjointed.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its funny and cute characters, catchy music, and engaging dialogue, complemented by lively character interactions. While the voice acting is noted to be limited, it still contributes positively to the overall comedic experience.
- “The characters are funny and cute.”
- “Catchy music, funny dialogue, interesting and lively characters, and good voice acting (though voice acting is limited).”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its high replayability, attributed to its impressive graphics, engaging storyline, and significant depth, making it a compelling experience for players to revisit.
- “All in all, it is a great game and has a massive amount of replay value.”
- “Graphics are amazing, the storyline is great, there is lots of depth, and it has high replayability.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes reported by users, rendering it largely unplayable.
- “The game freezes all the time; it's not playable.”
- “I experience constant crashes that ruin the gameplay experience.”
- “The stability issues make it impossible to enjoy the game.”