Rod's Return to Mineral Town in Sunshine Islands

*****************************************************************

Those of us who played Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town hoped in vain to witncess Rod's return to his devoted wife, Lillia. He had gone off to distant parts in search of a rare flower to cure her... Events in More Friends of Mineral Town included a letter from Rod, but that was as close as he ever came. Urban legends to the effect that he secretly had returned and was living on the boat moored to the pier were nothing more than frivolous fantasies.

Here is the entry for Rod from my Characters Guide:

ROD:

Birthday: unknown

Rod is Lillia's absent husband. He went off on an expedition to find a rare flower that grows only in the desert, hoping that this would be the cure for her illness and has not returned. There is one cutscene involving this business. It is one of Popuri's heart Events but is included here because it gives so much information about Rod:

Popuri and Rick projecting their 'hurt', then:
Rick: I can't believe how irresponsible Dad is! Leaving Mom like this and going off in search of some flower we're not even sure it exists!!...
Popuri: Don't talk that way about dad!
The whole reason he went away is to cure Mom!
Lillia: Both of you stop it now! Please don't argue about your father!
Lillia: Freyr, you're here at just the right time.
Popuri and Rick are fighting about their dad, you see.
They won't listen to me at all...
Will you talk some sense into them for me?
Popuri: Our dad was brave enough to go out hunting for a rare flower to cure Mom. Rick blames him for leaving us, but I think that's horrible!
Dad only left because he loves Mom...
Rick: Can you believe it? ! Dad left without any real information about the flower, or a plan about how to find it! He'll never find it! That's why he's irresponsible!

My choices were:
I agree with Popuri.
I agree with Rick.
Poor Lillia.

I said: 'Poor Lillia'.
It was obviously the correct response because:

Popuri: .............. I'm sorry, Mom...
Rick: Sorry, Mom.
Lillia: (with music): Just... Please stop arguing about your father!!... Ohh... This is all my fault!
Popuri: Nothing's your fault, Mom!
Rick: Popuri's right. It's not your fault at all, Mom... I'm sorry for talking that way about Dad...
Lillia: That's OK. I know you just talk that way because you're worried about me.
Popuri: Sorry for worrying you, Freyr. Everything's OK now.
Rick: Sorry for dragging you into this.
Lillia: Thanks for stopping the fight, Freyr.

If I had said:
I agree with Popuri.

Popuri: (music)
Rick: (hurt)
Popuri: See, even Freyr thinks I'm right.
Rick: Freyr! Don't butt into other people's business!
Popuri: Don't get mad at Freyr just because he doesn't agree with you!
Rick: .... Popuri...
Popuri: Thanks for taking my side, Freyr.
Lillia: I'm glad the argument's over. Thank you, Freyr.
Rick: ................

If I talked to them after...
Popuri: Thanks for taking my side, Freyr.
Rick: Yeah well... What do you know about it?!
Lillia: Thanks for stopping the fight, Freyr.

If I had said I agreed with Rick:
Popuri: But... Why?! How could you say that!
Rick: See, even Freyr thinks Dad is wrong!
Popuri: Mm... Looks like I was wrong about you, Freyr!
Rick: Popuri! Don't be mean to Freyr!
Popuri: What!
Lillia: Now they're arguing over Freyr!
Will they ever stop?
After...
Popuri: I can't believe you took my brother's side.
Rick: I'm glad you understand me.
Lillia: I just hope they don't start again...

There is another Event involving the absent Rod in MFoMT that can be experienced before 1.00 p.m. in your third year or later in the Summer season, provided Popuri remains unmarried. (In one game, I experienced it on Saturday, 3 Summer at 12.50 p.m. in my third year.)

A Letter from Rod

At 12.50 p.m. I went out of the forge and into the Poultry Farm and experienced an Event inside with Lillia, Popuri and Rick. Poupuri was standing on the right, in front of the counter and Lillia and Rick were standing together in front of the table.

Popuri: Hello, Freya. How are you?
Rick: Hi.
Popuri: Hi there, Freya.
Me: ?
Lillia: What? You say I look in a good mood? That's because I am! Do you want to know why?
Me: ?
Lillia: You see... tee-hee... I got a letter from my darling today... It was the first time ever! Do you want to hear what he wrote?
I nod.
Lillia: Dear Lillia, How are Popuri and Rick? I am fine. I'm writing from a vast desert, where the search for the flower to cure you has lead me. I am confident I'll find it soon, so do not give up hope. Look after the store.
All my love, your husband.
Isn't he wonderful...?
Rick (with hurt): 'Look after the store'... Easy for him to say!
Popuri (with angry face): Why can't you just be happy like Mom, Rick?
Lillia: This mean's he's safe, don't you see? I'm so happy...

After:

Lillia: Tee-hee... I'm so happy!...
Rick: Letters are nice... But I want him to come home now!...
Popuri: I'm so glad you are, happy, Mom!

Now, in both Island of Happiness and Sunshine Islands, four Characters from Mineral Town visit the Islands in different seasons. Karen and Popuri travel to the Islands together in Autumn, staying during the Winter season and leaving at the beginning of Spring.

In Sunshine Islands, at 5-6 Hearts, Popuri will tell you: My mom gets sick a lot... But she feels better when my dad's with her.

Admittedly, this is not real evidence that he returned from his quest for the rare flower, but the fact that she mentions this rather matter-of-factly made Freya suspect that Rod HAD returned...

The Character you play in Cute

When you begin Harvest Moon Cute, DS, you have the option to choose between the Mineral Town character from 'More Friends of Mineral Town' and the girl character from Forget-Me-Not Valley in 'Another Wonderful Life'. Essentially, the game appears to choose your appearance according to the predominance of bias towards one or the other.

I tried many different permutations and here are the results of each from my own game journal:


Harvest Goddess: Dum-da-da-DAA! I'll be asking you some questions. Remember that your character's appearance will change depending on how you answer. Well, let's get started. Which do you primarily play, GameCube or Game Boy Advance?

Game Cube
Game Boy Advance
Both

GBA

Do you like blonde hair?

Love it.
It's okay, I guess.
Not really.

Love it

How about ponytails?
I guess I like them.
Pigtails are better.
Not really.

Not really.

Now be honest, which do you like the best?

Mineral Town character
Wonderful Life character
I don't really care.

Mineral Town character.

O.K. Your character's appearance has been determined.

You will get straight blonde hair with the character from MFoMT.

Which do you primarily play, GameCube or Game Boy Advance?
GameCube
Do you like blonde hair:
Love it
How about ponytails?
I guess I like them

Which do you like best?
I don't really care.

You will be the character from MFoMT with long blonde hair.



Which do you like best?
I don't really care.
Both
Not really
I guess I like them

You will be the character from Another Wonderful Life with red hair.

If you answer:

Both
Not really
Pigtails are better

Again, you will be the character from Forget-Me-Not Valley in Another Wonderful Life.

The Real Scatterbrain: To Muffy's Rescue!

***************************************************************************

Many of the 'girl' versions of Harvest Moon include an event where ALL the girls in the game get together for one reason or another. In More Friends of Mineral Town, all your 'rivals' will descend on you one morning, asking that you cook their favourite dishes for them one by one.

In Harvest Moon Cute for the DS, the event where all the girls come together is Muffy's 200 FP Event. When you enter, she will be in a state of panic and ask you to beg every girl in the Valley to come to her rescue. You obligingly will do so, only to discover that her 'emergency' is one involving her make-up!

Nonetheless, despite the very different personalities of each girl and her private opinions regarding make-up and personal vanity, each will do what she can to give Muffy the advice she seeks. It is interesting to discover the depth of caring and friendship that can be achieved with your 'rivals' and their friendship with one another, even if you are courting the same man. There are a couple of moments in specific Harvest Moon games where a flash of conflict can assert itself. For example, in one of Ann's Heart Events in the boy version of Harvest Moon DS, Muffy and Ann almost come to blows over you! On the whole, though, there is a great deal of tolerance and affection in Harvest Moon for others, even when they are eccentrics like Murrey.

Your character will be given three options when Muffy asks YOU for help. Your choices are:

You can't hide the years.
Massage your face.
Put on lots of makeup...

One of these responses will raise Muffy's FP by 20 points. Another will drop her FP by 20 points and the third will have no effect whatsoever. I will leave it to you to work out which response is the best one in the circumstances.

When Worlds Collide... and Nami lies!

The 100 FP event between Cliff and Nami has been included both in the original Harvest Moon DS game and in the new Cute 'girl' version of the game. I personally was outraged by this event when I first experienced it in the original game.

It occurs on a rainy Saturday afternoon after 1.00 p.m. in the lobby of the Inner Inn. Both Nami and Cliff must be at 100 FP. In Cute, I employed a very expensive strategy to raise Cliff to 100 FP while he still was at black heart level in my first Spring. I simply fed him chocolate at a value of 1 FP per gift after the initial chocolate increased his FP by +3. This is not a strategy I recommend to other players. I did it because I like to experience events as early as possible for my Events Guides. There is no particular advantage in experiencing the event early. It does not increase any one's AP or FP.

In any case, the event in both versions of the game basically is the same. Nami tells Cliff that SHE was the one who rescued him in the square in Mineral Town on that snowy day when he fell unconscious to the ground. What a bare-faced lie!!! After all, it was ME who rescued him both in Friends of Mineral Town (as a boy) and in More Friends of Mineral Town (as a girl).

Nami rather cleverly declares that she left immediately after taking Cliff to the clinic because the doctor would have asked all sorts of 'annoying questions' if she had stayed, thereby explaining (albeit falsely) why no one saw her at the scene. Why on earth would Nami say 'such a terrible lie', to borrow Prissy's words in 'Gone with the Wind'. Is it for the glory? Is it because she has secret aspirations to win Cliff's heart, despite her official preference for Gustafa? Why, o why? After all, as Nami declares at the end of the event when she realises that I overheard the entire conversation: 'It's not like me to help people'. Well, I didn't think it was like her to lie either!

Rune Factory Announcement

I now have confirmation that I will be sent an advance copy of Rune Factory in order to begin working on a guide for it.

I should have the game early next week and will begin the guide as quickly as possible. I am very excited about this: Rune Factory has been described as 'Harvest Moon meets Zelda'. Although I have not been able to play the game myself yet, I am more inclined to describe it as 'Harvest Moon meets 'Golden Sun' or 'Sword of Mana'. However one chooses to describe the game, the fact of the matter is that one is able to raise monsters, as well as creating and using weapons. I assume the usual activities included in Harvest Moon games are available as well: farming, mining, fishing and so on. As soon as I have the game, I will write a little review of it.

From all accounts, 'Rune Factory' will be great fun! To me, however, the most wonderful aspect of Natsume's games is the lasting appeal that they all have. Even when a new game is released, one does not put aside the old games forever. I look forward to a time when I will be able to play 'More Friends of Mineral Town', 'Magical Melody' and 'Harvest Moon DS' again...