Rune Factory: Oceans turns to Tides of Destiny

Rune Factory: Oceans is getting a North American release! Only, it won’t be Rune Factory: Oceans here. Natsume’s localizing the PS3 and Wii game as Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, which sounds much more appealing and mysterious, if you ask me. Plus, it’s going to make its English language debut next month at E3 2011.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny is, like all Rune Factory games, part farming simulation and part action-RPG. The two heroes are Aden and Sonja, who suddenly find themselves cursed, sharing a body and on an unfamiliar island. By tending a farm, making friends with villagers and exploring dungeons, they’ll find a way to get back to their normal selves and get home. There’ll also be plenty of opportunity to explore the world on the back of a golem, find a girlfriend or boyfriend and continue their lives after the main storyline is completed.

This is quite a notable entry in the series, for a number of reasons. First, it’s the very first time a Rune Factory game isn’t limited to a Nintendo platform. It’s on the PS3 as well, which I’m sure many people will appreciate. I know that’s the version I’m going to get. Also, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny is only the second game in the series where you can play as a female avatar. Rune Factory 2 (DS) was the first, but even then it wasn’t perfect. The female character there was a child, so the whole marriage and family thing just couldn’t happen.

Seriously, keep an eye on this game. Every Rune Factory title is special in its own way and a delight to play. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny should be no exception. Plus, the annoying runeys that were in Rune Factory Frontier (Wii) won’t be reappearing in this entry!

Read [Scrawl] Also Read [Game Informer] Site [Natsume]