The first Romantic Festival that you will experience in Rune Factory 2 is the Flower Festival of Spring. It occurs on 13 Spring on the Holiday. You have the opportunity to ask any eligible girl to go 'flower-gazing' with you at Cherry Blossom Square.
You do not need to have any particular heart level with the girl in order to have your invitation accepted by her. All invitations will be accepted. In fact, a nice aspect of the interaction that leads to the invitation is the ability to avoid the invitation. In each case, you will be given two options:
1. to invite the girl to view the cherry blossoms with you;
2. to simply make a remark about the beauty of cherry blossoms in Spring.
If you avoid the issue, you will be able to invite the girl later if you wish. This gives you a chance to think about it. Of course, you can experience the event with each girl without saving the result as I do.
The invitations can be made as soon as you meet the girl in the morning of the Festival. After your invitation is accepted, simply walk to the middle of Cherry Blossom Square. The event will be initiated. It takes virtually no time, unlike many of the Festivals in Harvest Moon. Afterwards, you can continue your day as usual, although the only business that appears to be open is the Clinic. Other buildings are unlocked but empty as every one tends to go outside to enjoy the sunshine and the beauty of the ever-falling exquisite blossoms.
Here are a few of the events. Note that any dialogue in parentheses is intended to reflect thought rather than speech in this game. I have included these interchanges so that players can have some idea of the personalities of the different eligible girls in Rune Factory 2.
As with respect to Mist in the original Rune Factory, the 'natural' choice for partner in the sequel is Mana, the girl who made it possible for you to start a new life. This is apparent if you choose to invite Mana to the 'flower-gazing' event.
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MANA:
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Mana: Sorry, Frey. Were you waiting long?
Me: No, I just got here myself.
Mana: That’s good.
We walk together beneath the arch.
Mana: It’s pretty, isn’t it?
Me: Yes, it is.
Mana: This is the place where we first met.
Me: Yeah, it is.
Mana: Just think, if I hadn’t happened to come by at that very time…
Me: If I hadn’t wandered to this very town…
Mana: We never would have met.
Me: Yeah.
Mana: (I’m glad I came here that day.)
Me: Did you say something?
Mana: No, it’s nothing. Thanks for coming to look at the flowers with me today. See you around.
Me: Yeah, I had fun.
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ALICIA
Note: You can see that Alicia definitely has 'set her cap' or rather her pointed witch hat' for you! She makes no secret of her romantic interest. If only she hadn't tried to cheat me out of 200G in her Request Event!
Me: Would you like to go flower-gazing with me?
Alicia: My reading was right after all. Yes, I would. Cherry Blossom Square is the best place to go for flowers.
At Cherry Blossom Square:
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Alicia arrives.
Alicia: Sorry, Frey. Were you waiting long? According to my fortune, you should have just gotten here.
Me: You’re right. I haven’t been here long.
Alicia: I knew it! I’m a natural fortuneteller.
We walk together beneath the arch.
Alicia: The cherry blossoms are pretty, aren’t they?
Me: Yeah, they are.
Alicia: My fortune says that couples who go on a date here have a high chance of getting married.
Me: Really?
Alicia: It’s true! And my fortunes are never wrong!
Me (with tear): (I wonder if that’s true…)
Alicia: Thanks for inviting me out here today. I had a fun time.
Me: Me too.
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JULIA
Julia is on the docks with Max near the ship.
Julia: I want to go see! Do you like flowers too, Freyr?
Me: Hm? Well, yes, I guess so.
Julia: Well, the Flower Festival’s really just a reason to hava a big party, but…
Me: Ahh, that sounds fun. By the way, Julia…
My choices now:
Want to go see the flowers with me?
Aren’t the blossoms pretty?
Me: Want to go see the flowers with me?
Julia: Oh, you’re inviting me? That sounds great! Okay, so let’s meet at Cherry Blossom Square.
Your character should go now to Cherry Blossom Square.
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Julia arrives.
Julia: Sorry, Frey. Were you waiting long?
Me: No, I just got here myself.
Julia: That’s good. Let’s go under the cherry tree.
Me: All right.
We go together beneath the arch where I first met Mana.
Julia (with music) It’s pretty!
Me: Yes, it’s very pretty.
Julia: The cherry tree is always in full bloom this time of year.
Me: This tree is my first memory of this town. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
Julia: Really? I guess it stands out, doesn’t it?
Me: Yeah, it does.
Julia: Well, I should be getting home. See you later!
Me: All right. This was fun.
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CECILIA
Me: I thought maybe you and me could go together.
Cecilia: Really?! That’d be great! Let’s meet up at Cherry Blossom Square, then.
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Cecilia arrives.
Ceci: Sorry, Freyr. Were you waiting long?
No, I just got here myself.
Ceci: That’s good. Let’s go look at the flowers.
We walk together beneath the arch.
Ceci: The cherry blossoms are pretty, aren’t they? I love looking at them like this.
Me: I like this too.
Ceci: You mean… being here… with me?
Me: Oh, well, I was talking about the flowers.
Ceci: (with tear) Yes… Of course.
Me: N-No, don’t get me wrong. I like you too, Cecilia. Obviously.
Ceci: Really? Thanks.
Me: Yeah.
Ceci: Thanks for inviting me out here today. It was a lot of fun.
Me: I had fun, too. See you around.
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Note: Sometimes I could kick my character in the head for being so maladroit! At least he did manage to say SOMETHING to mend the poor girl's feelings.
ROSALIND
Rosalind: The way the wind whips the cherry blossoms from the trees and sends the petals dancing through the air… It’s like a warm, fragrant snowstorm.
And I think the cherry blossoms are even more beautiful this year than they were last year.
Me: Hey, Rosalind…
Rosalind: Yes?
Want to go see the flowers with me?
Ever wonder how the flowers taste?
Ah, are you inviting me? Well, I have no reason to say no. I humbly accept your invitation. So, how about we meet at Cherry Blossom Square?
At the square:
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Rosalind: Sorry, Freyr. Were you waiting long?
Me: Hello, Rosalind. I just arrived here myself. Shall we go look at the flowers?
Rosalind: yes, let’s do.
IN the garden:
Me: It’s beautiful. It’s so picturesque. When I heard that this town had a custom of looking at flowers… It’s not that I didn’t believe it, exactly, but I just didn’t understand what it was about. But now, standing under this tree, I think I understand now.
Rosalind: Ha ha ha!
Me: I couldn’t count how many times I must walk right past this very spot. And I’m sure that I see this tree every time. But only on the day of the Festival do I really see its beauty.
Rosalind: I wonder why that is?
Freyr: It’s because I’m with you.
Rosalind: Oh, Freyr.
Me: …
Rosalind: … Freyr?
Me: Yes?
Rosalind: I don’t think I’ll ever foreget being with you here today, Freyr.
Me: Me neither.
Rosalind: Ha ha ha!
Me: Well, we’d better get going.
Rosalind: All right. Freyr, you’ll ask me out again, won’t you?
Me: Of course!
Rosalind: Ha ha ha. Thank you. I’m going home now. Take care.
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DOROTHY
Dorothy and Barrett stand together near the entrance to Trieste Forest.
Dorothy: G-Good… morning, Freyr. Today… we’re going to see all the flowers blooming… at the Flower Festival. I … I like flowers…
Me: Dorothy…
Want to go look at the flowers with me?
Do you like cherry blossoms too?
Me: Dorothy, would you care to go and look at the flowers with me?
Dorothy: Ah… that’s … that’s very sudden… What sh-should I say… Ah, well… yes… I would… Well, I think… the flowers in Cherry Blossom Square are meant to be … very beautiful. So… let’s meet up in Cherry Blossom Square, shall we…?
At the Square:
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Dorothy: Sorry, Freyr. Did I make you wait long?
Me: No, I just got here myself.
Dorothy: O-Oh, really? That’s, um, good… Uh, do you want to go, you know, over to the cherry tree?
Me: Sure.
She follows me through the archway.
Dorothy: It’s so pretty…
Me: Yes, it is, isn’t it?
Dorothy: I love flowers… The, um, cherry blossoms, too…
Me: They really are breathtaking. Seeing them for the first time had a tremendous impact on me.
Dorothy: Yes, they, um, seem more… special than other flowers.
Me: I know what you mean.
Dorothy: There’s something about just looking at flowers that makes me feel so… peaceful… Well, I should be getting home…
Me; All right.
Dorothy: Thanks for inviting me out here… Goodbye, Freyr…
Me: See you later.
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Yue is by the pool above Cherry Blossom Square today.
Yue: Good morning! Today’s the Flower Festival. I like looking at the flowers when they are this pretty. What am I thinking? I don’t have time for this! I ashould be out selling food for the festival!
Ha ha ha. You never quit, do you? By the way, Yue…
Your options now:
Will you go flower watching with me?
What else do you sell for the festival?
If you choose the latter:
Yue; Well, I’ve got plenty of party favours for sale too! Why, do you want to buy any?
(But she won’t sell anything! A menu will not open, no matter how many times you speak to her.)
I ultimately asked:
Me: Yue, would you like to go look at the flowers with me?
Yue: You’re asking me? Yeah, that sounds nice. Let’s go! I think the cherry tree at the Cherry Blossom Square is the prettiest to look at. Why don’t we meet over at the Cherry Blossom Square?
At the Square:
Me: (We’re supposed to meet here.)
Yue: Sorry, Freyr. Were you waiting long?
Me. No, I just got here myself.
Yue: Good. All right, let’s go over to the cherry tree.
Me: All right.
We walk through the arch.
Yue: (with music) It’s pretty!
Me: it is, isn’t it?
Yue: Don’t you think the cherry blossoms have a special charm to them? They’re just not like any other flower.
Me: Yeah, I feel the same way. The first time I saw them, they took my breath away.
Yue: it’s almost like a painting.
Me: Yeah, it is.
Yue: Well, I’d better be getting back. Thanks for inviting me here, Freyr.
Me: Thanks for coming, Yue. I had fun.
Yue: See you!
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The tryst with Rosalind is the most romantic perhaps. For once, your character actually becomes quite articulate with a woman! Instead of monosyllabic responses, he actually speaks rather eloquently of his appreciation of the beauty of the tree.
When he takes Dorothy to the Festival, it is she who becomes rather articulate, losing some of her shyness in the presence of the beauty of the Cherry Trees.
I am rather drawn to Yue personally, as I think she is gorgeous, and I love the way she dresses. Her personality is sweet. Although I love Alicia's fashion sense, and find her very amusing, her emphasis on money is a little distressing. I rather like the 'wanderers' in these games. Yue is a wanderer... One would like to give her a home. On the other hand, there is Mana...
If you experience the Flower Festival with Julia, you may notice that your character speaks nostalgically of his first meeting with Mana. I believe that he is predisposed to fall in love with Mana, despite the way he behaves in Rosalind's presence. It makes sense, after all, that the woman who is responsible for his new life would be the one he should marry. I probably will marry ALL the girls at some point, but the natural choice would be Mana.
Almost every one will make reference to the Festival when you speak to him or her on the day. Among the interchanges, the most amusing may the conversations with Jake, Cammy and Tanya.
Jake: Don’t you ever give it a rest?
The Flower Festival is today. What’s the point of that, anyway? Can’t you look at flowers any day? I don’t undersand you humans.
Me: I think it’s because we like to do things together.
Jake: Isn’t it just an excuse for you all to get drunk in the afternoon?
Me: No, I don’t think that’s quite it… Ha ha ha.
Cammy: Oh, good morning. Hey, did you know? Today is the Flower Festival. I just want to climb up into one of those blossoming trees!
Me: Cammy, I think you’d rather climb trees than look at the flowers!
Cammy *giggles* Can you tell?
Cammy *giggles* Can you tell?
Tanya (at the docks): Hey, have you seen a big, sharp sword anywhere around here? I wonder where I left it…
Despite having spent the Festival with every eligible girl, I am not certain what the effect is in terms of Love Points. Simply by SPEAKING to all the girls about the Festival, I gained a Love Point with Dorothy and one with Yue. I did not have to invite either girl in order to gain the point. On the other hand, I gained nothing with some of the girls, even after speaking to them about the Festival a couple of times. If inviting a girl has any Point value, it is not a full point.
Two-timing is not encouraged for the most part. When I tried to ask Ceci to the Festival AFTER viewing the blossoms with another girl, she angrily responded (with cross hurt): 'What do you mean you havent' made any plans? You've already been with somebody else, haven't you?'
I would suspect that in Rune Factory 2 as in the original, the actions that raise heart levels will differ from girl to girl.
14 comments:
Aww, I love Rosalind (as well as Dorothy and Yue)~ That was probably the most romantic of all the dates.
Though Jake's comment was the best conversation overall. Haha.
I love all the girls in RF2~ All the characters in general actually.
Oh yes, the romantic atmosphere such as the gracefully floating cherry blossoms in the Spring of Rune Factory 2 had a nice, calm feeling. Something about me prefers the first Rune Factory over the second one; but Rune Factory 2 did also improve in a few areas (i.e.: interacting with townsfolk is deeper).
The interactions with the villagers is very satisfying. There are many conversation options that appear randomly and include more than one character at times. For example, when you meet any of the three girls outside your farm on the day of the Spring Festival, there are at least three different long interactions that can be initiated between all the girls. Very amusing!
Another example: When I met a character while walking up a staircase in the town, I was treated to a dramatic recital of Alicia's latest mischief!
I love the conversations between Mana, Cecelia, and Alicia. I especially love the little "date" conversations that occur between Ray and Rosalind, Max and Julia, and Barrett and Dorothy? *needs confirmation on the latter* Ray and Rosalind's conversations definitely seem the most amusing.
Hikari, ultimately I hope to include the text of all romantic events and dialogue in my Guides. At the moment, I am trying to walk a narrow line between adding EVERYTHING to my game journal and actually playing the game. At the beginning, I wrote down every word any one uttered, but realised at that rate, I would not make much progress... Even the Requests proved to be a larger job than anticipated, as they multiply fairly rapidly!
An interesting point about the flower festival is that you can ask multiple girls to look at the flowers with you. This doesn't seem to be unlimited, however. After looking at them with Cecilia, Mana, and Yue, I also asked Dorothy, who responded, "Well...you see...I don't think, I mean...that you should...be asking so many girls..." which is kind of funny. --Jen
I noticed that immediately, Jen, but I was rather afraid that if I mentioned it, it might have been removed from the final retail version. It was harmless enough, after all. On the other hand, as you experienced it with different girls than I, perhaps it is intentional! I think it is only Yue, Mana, Alicia and Cecilia that can 'share' the experience and the limit appears to be three girls. When I watched the Cherry Blossoms with Yue, I still was able to watch them both with Alicia and with Mana... but when I asked Ceci after that, as with your experienced with Dorothy, I was given a little lecture!
After you made your comment, I began to think about it, and I now believe it is intentional and has something to do with the three girls' dialogue on Festival Days, where they argue over you and Alicia and Ceci both suggest going on a date. What do you think?
I may add it to the Guide now.
Well, I was more surprised that the game let me see the flowers with more than one girl, than that it stopped at three. I felt a bit guilty going back and asking Mana while she was standing next to Ceci, whom I had just asked on a "date" half an hour previously. As a woman (in the real world), I do not approve of such behavior. :-) I mean, at least be tactful. But yes, I think it was on purpose. As a rabid reader of your guides, I'd suggest you put in everything you know, although I can see that there may not be enough hours in the day for it. Anyway, thanks for the additional info! --Jen
P.S. Is it possible that the appearance of requests is related to affection rather than time? I seem to get a lot the day after a festival.
Jen, I am glad to know that I have another 'rabid reader' of my guides who wants details. I do try to add all the details I can, but after I have finished the basics. It takes about six months to truly 'complete' any Harvest Moon guide, I've discovered.
As far as the Festivals are concerned, this information is in both my General Guide and my Courtship Guide: speaking to ANY individual on a Festival day raises both Friendship and Love. That is why requests appear a Festival Day in your game! I have tested this, and it's not whether you actually spend the Festival with some one that raises Heart Levels. It's the simple fact that you interacted with the individual... which means that the Heart Levels of ALL the girls will be raised if you speak to them on the Festival Day, irrespective of the 'date' you actually make.
I felt guilty as well, when I went on the multiple dates while the other girls witnessed the business of asking another girl...
OMG! MY CHARACTER'S NAME IS FREYR TOO!! Weird, haha. Ragnarok Online player or just an affinity for Norse Mythology?
Dana, never played Ragnarok Online. It's a lifelong affinity with Norse Mythology, coupled with a family connection and our Northern heritage.
I was able to bring 3 girls to the Flower Festival. First I asked Ceci, then Mana, and then Alicia. Afterwards, if I tried asking Rosalind and Julia they told me not to ask multiple girls. haha. Yue told me no if I'd already asked someone else. Hope this doesn't effect me later in the game... guess we'll see. :)
where is jake during this festival? i can't find him anywhere... :(
he's by the entrance to meshina valley
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