This information will be included in detail in my General Guide and my Bestiary and Caves Guide for Rune Factory 2 on Monday, but for those players who are frustrated by their inability to obtain a couple of items, the solution to this is to use a Magic Spell.
There is very little in any Harvest Moon game that does not have some purpose and Rune Factory 2 is no exception. You need to have the Inquisitive Waltz Spellbook and the aid of a Tame Monster to find the elusive Poison Powder and a couple of other items...
Rune Factory 2, like Island of Happiness, is such an immense game even where its basic plot is concerned, that one may be inclined to forget that ALL Harvest Moon games include secrets that are not obvious to the player and which must be discovered.
When one begins to use the Forge and Workbench in the 2nd Generation, one finally can use the War Trophies one has collected from Monsters in the Caves. As the list of items grows, one may assume that all rare items that cannot be grown as crops are 'dropped' by Monsters. This is NOT the case, however. There are a few rare items that must be 'found' by a Tame Monster.
The use of the 'Inquisitive Waltz' in this game really is quite wonderful. Once again, I am reminded of playiing the flute for my dog in 'Save the Homeland'. That was one of the best options in that game.
Here is a little visual tutorial on how to find and use the Inquisitive Waltz to uncover the rare Poison Powder.
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3 comments:
Freya,
I just came across this site and just wanted to express that I'm in awe at the amount of work and time you spend on these games Freya. Do ever have dreams or see yourself in a farming simulation (laugh).
Recently I found myself with fascinated with the whole farming game genre. So, in your opinion which game is "better" and explain why?
I'm conflicted of getting into the Harvest Moon series or the whole Rune Factory series.
Thanks,
Sam
I can't tell you how much your faq's helped me through both rf games. I hate to say it, but I think I liked rf 1 better. Even though rf 2 has 2 generations, rf 1 had more caves to explore. I love the requests in rf 2, but I would have liked to see more caves open up in generation 2, not just more areas of the same caves. The game doesn't seem any bigger, or seem to take any longer to complete.
I also find it a little odd that I had no idea where or how to find these 3 items until I watched this vid, yet I beat the final boss with a very mediocre sword and shield, and only 2 upgraded charms as added defense.
I also never even completed the first requests in gen 2 for Julia, Barrett, or Herman. I guess I just would have liked for there to be some mention in conversation and what-not of the existence of these books, or some small clue as to how to find these items. There's also never any mention of how to find or make the Gold veggies.
It just seems to me that you should have to complete some of these tasks in order to defeat the final boss and beat the game.
All that said, I can't wait for rf 3. I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on some of these things and on the game overall compared to rf 1.
Cheers,
Charlie
Perhaps I should write a post to address both comments here.
When I thought about my own preferences for a moment in response to your queries, I believe that I actually like Rune Factory 2 better than the original. It is more of a true 'Harvest Moon' game in some ways. The 1st Generation is all about Courtship and Marriage and personal relationships, which is characteristic of any Harvest Moon game.
Charlie, I believe that your complaint basically is that Rune Factory 2 is not linear enough, but that is characteristic of Harvest Moon. Although both Rune Factory games have RPG elements, fundamentally they do stay true to the essential Harvest Moon philosophy. Some mysteries are solved but others are not. Some characters give real clues, but others simply TALK. It's very much like real life in some ways, as it is open-ended.
Recipes are a big part of Harvest Moon and the forging and accessory-making is simply another aspect of that. You don't NEED those items, but it is fun to look for the ingredients and make them in order to complete your collection. Again, this is pure Harvest Moon.
You could buy a Weapon from Tanya, skip school and still 'beat' the game, but that kind of defeats the purpose which is to make the most of the adventure of living in Alvarna.
Still, the entire premise of Harvest Moon is to give the player freedom of choice. How much time and energy you choose to invest in the details is up to you.
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