Requests, Romance and Deceit

I think I mentioned before that I find Max oddly compelling as a character in Rune Factory 2. In fact, were my 1st Generation character a girl, I would court him instantly. His personality is so ingenuous. His arrogance, rather than being infuriating, is rather charming for some reason. Perhaps I cannot justify or explain it fully, but I like Max immensely. (Could it be nothing more profound than an attraction to guys with long blonde hair? Could be, I suppose.)

The only time Max slightly disturbed me was when he offered my 2nd Generation character a kiss on the cheek as a reward. I am quite certain he was offering in a purely avuncular manner, but it smacked a little of inappropriate behaviour by an adult towards a child. At the age of 9, a kiss on the cheek by an uncle is natural... I suppose it disturbed me mainly because I didn't feel like a 9 year old child and actually would have liked that kiss. (Meanwhile, to my fury, my character automatically rejected it with utter disdain and repugnance.)

In any event, there are a number of Request Events in Rune Factory 2 that involve deceit of one kind or another and one of them involves Max. Here are three of them. The first features Max, and his desire to 'prove' himself an action hero. The second and third are 'Heart Events', although Alicia's Request typically requires that you romance ANOTHER woman in order to prove her fortunetelling abilities.

Easy Lesson for Cooking in Rune Factory 2

Having vowed to myself that I would not spend any more time on videos, I somehow persuaded myself that a little tutorial to help players obtain all the upgrades necessary for Cooking and Forging as well as a brief lesson in completing a successful dish might be useful. Here is Freyashawk'e Easy Cooking tutorial:



Much has been added to my Rune Factory 2 General Guide in terms of 2nd Generration information. The updated version should be published shortly.

Mining Festival in Rune Factory 2

The Mining Festival in Rune Factory 2 occurs in Winter and you have not married yet or if all Eligible Girls are not at full 10,10 Heart Levels in the first year, speaking to every one on the day of the Festival is an opportunity to increase levels.

It is an interesting contest in a way. The object of the contest is to mine a specific gem and present it to Herman in the quickest amount of time. Herman will tell you that you can mine from any Cave but the gem he specifies will be found only in the Cave/Caves where you ordinarily would find it.

What you need to remember is that the result whenever you smash a rock in a Cave always is random. In the first year, the designated Gem is a Ruby, found only on Blessia Island. If you go to Blessia Island without saving your game first and smash every rock on the Island, you may be forced to leave without a single Ruby! I did it as a test to see if the day of the Mining Contest would produce more gems than usual. I never mined at Blessia Island before without obtaining at least one or two Rubies EXCEPT on the day of the Mining Contest. Of course, that was a random result. If I had saved my game at the Port before entering, I could have reloaded to mine again...

In point of fact, it was only a test so I didn't save the result. I was interested to see if Herman would accept a Ruby taken from my Cabinet instead, so the next time I played through the Contest, I rushed home and fetched a Ruby from storage, then gave it to him. He was astonished by my speed and pronounced me the winner!

Incidentally, when I did it 'honestly' and smashed every rock on Blessia Island after defeating the pesky monsters who try to interfere, I brought back six Rubies, gave one to Herman and still won the Contest. He told me
'Ohhhh! What an umbelievably fast time! To think that I'd live to see such unprecedented speed!'

The prize for winning is an 'Invinciroid'.

What I found more interesting even than this, however, was the fact that Yue competed in this Contest. She really is a hardy, fearless adventurer in her own right. I did not marry her in this test game simply because she has Requests to make in the 2nd Generation and I wanted to keep it as close to the 'average' game as possible...

When you speak to the participants in the Mining Contest, Yue will teach Roy another 'foreign phrase' which he rather rudely calls a 'funny phrase'. The actual phrase she will teach him is random and there is more than one dialogue connected to this. I am very sorry I didn't document all possible dialogues, but I really must move on... In any event, I did document the most interesting one, which involves a potential romance between Cammy and Roy as well as one other. If there's a third, I'll leave it for discovery in my next game! I don't want to wring every surprise from Rune Factory 2 in my first game.

In one result, Yue teaches Roy the word 'Maido' which she declares is a 'way for merchants to say goodbye when a customer has made a purchase.' She then suggests he ask his Mum for a sweet and when she gives it to him, say 'Maido'. Roy suspiciously asks: 'Why would I do that?'

(In my own rather hasty research, I discovered that:
'Maido!' is short for 'Maido, osewa ni narimasu,' a phrase many merchants and buisinessmen formerly used in Osaka to greet one another.)

In another result, Yue teaches him the phrase: 'Suki ya nen.' She declares: 'You should say this when you're confessing your true feelings to that special some one', then suggests that Roy 'run over to Cammy and pour your heart out!)

(Again, in my research, I discovered that 'Suki ya nen' is the equivalent in Osaka of 'Suki desu' in standard Japanese, which means 'I like him/her/it.' These phrases suggest that Yue is a merchant from Osaka or the Harvest Moon equivalent of Osaka!)

Once more, these little details are part of the delight of playing any Harvest Moon game. Like the random occurrence at the New Year Festival in Island of Happiness, when your character actually chokes on a Rice Cake, it is only by experiencing the same event/Festival again and again that a player will discover the wealth of detail that has been created in these games.



I will marry both Yue and Mana when I play games on my own permanent cartridge. At this point in time, however, I chose a different wife for the game that ultimately will be erased... Guess whom I chose...

By the way, with respect to mining, there will be a point when Herman will give you all sorts of spurious advice, such as an old wives' tale to the effect that drinking milk before you mine will increase the number of gems found. One would expect that players will not be take any of it seriously...

Rosalind and Romance in Rune Factory 2

Before I moved permanently into the wedded state, I wished to experience the 'Shooting Star Festival' with each of the Eligible Girls. As with respect to the dialogues of the girls after you marry them, Rosalind's Event on the night of the Shooting Star Festival was the best in terms of romantic action, although Yue's Event was quite amusing. I will not marry Rosalind in this game but it is very tempting! She has such wonderful Events.

It appears to me now that Rosalind has the guts to do what ALL the girls want to do where romance is concerned. Every girl goes to the rendezvous hoping for romance, but only Rosalind dares to act upon her desires. There are hints, though, that your character is more inclined to act romantically where Rosalind is concerned as well. In the course of the event, he decides that he will try to kiss her after a series of uncomfortable silences heavy with hidden desires.

Here is the Shooting Star Event with both Rosalind and Yue. As you will see, they are very different interpretations of the same event.

Julia's 8-9 Hearts Request

Julia was the last Eligible Girl to reach 8 Hearts in my game. Her Request Event at this level is interesting because the special item that is used to propose to her must be acquired from another Eligible Girl after the completion of Julia's Event.
It is Yue, in fact, who suggests that a special romantic item be made from the rare ore that you obtain in Julia's Request Event. That almost broke my heart as Yue is at 10 Hearts and there is no doubt whatsoever that she is in love with me herself. As there are no Rivals for Yue's affections, she will be doomed to a solitary future if I marry Julia. Julia, on the other hand, has the very delectable Max to sweep her into his arms if I decide not to marry her.

Poor Yue. To her eternal credit, she exhibits no jealousy or resentment whatsoever and indeed wishes you luck in your courtship of Julia, despite her profound love for you. As I always fancied Yue, she may be my choice of spouse in this first game, although Alicia and Mana are the other possibilities here.

Here are both Julia's Request Event and the Event with Yue that follows it. Note that my loyal Wolf companion was the one who displayed all the heroics on the field of battle. I didn't even have time to tuck the rare Messhlight Ore into my Rucksack before he had leapt into the fray to defeat the Monster!

I am rather ashamed to say that my character took credit for the Monster's defeat in this Event... Obviously, one really is not supposed to go on this particular Quest with a Tame Monster!



Initially, I intended to replay the Event in a more traditional fashion, but I am too pressed for time now and it is rather amusing to watch my dear Silver Wolf usurp my designated role as Julia's saviour.

Romance is in the Air in Rune Factory 2

The Heart Events are coming thick and fast now in my own game in Rune Factory 2. The Message Board is filled with requests from Eligible Girls. I had expected to hear from Mana and Yue, both at 9 Hearts, but when I had the option to make a proposal of marriage to Cecilia, in the course of her Request Event, I was rather taken aback for a moment. Still, never let it be said that my character is a coward... I duly accepted the challenge and chose the proposal option, even though I do not intend to marry Ceci in this game. The results of that, as well as the other options I could have chosen, will be included in my next video effort.

Meanwhile, I made a video of Mana's Request Event first, as it was the simplest, involving the fewest alternate paths. It is only Part I, however, as it leads to other events. In fact, drama of the highest order is expected in Part II.

Here's is Part I of 'An Engagement Ring for Mana':

Rivals actually react to others in Rune Factory 2

***********************************************************
In most Harvest Moon games, your relationship with any eligible girl or bachelor has no effect on other eligible partners. Jealousy, except in a few exceptional instances, is not a factor. One exception to this is Ann from Mineral Town in Harvest Moon DS, who will react to Muffy's interest in your character in no uncertain terms. On the whole, though, eligible girls/bachelors tend to ignore the very existence of any rivals in most Harvest Moon games.

In Rune Factory 2, however, you will find yourself in an uncomfortable situation if you invite one girl to a Festival but then speak to other eligible girls afterwards. They will express their disappointment. At the Flower Festival, you actually can invite a second girl to gaze at the flowers with you after taking some one to the cherry trees, but if you do, beware her ire!

Even on other days, there are three girls who tend to tease one another and make references to their rivals' romantic interest in you. These girls are Mana, Alicia and Cecilia. If you go to Mana's bedroom on the day prior to the Dance Festival after 6.00 p.m., you will experience more than one embarrassing conversation!

On the morning of the Dance Festival on 19 Summer, the three girls collect in their usual Festival location outside your Monster Barn.

It is difficult to choose a partner for the Dance, to be honest. Each girl has such an emotional investment in the occasion. If you do not save your game afterwards, you can experience the charming dance with each of the girls. The result, however, of experiencing the Event is to raise a girl's Heart Level in terms of Love by 1 point. Your final choice therefore does matter.

I will post some of the dialogues here to give you an idea of how each girl responds to an invitation. Some are more poignant than others.

Girls tend to be found in the same locations on the day of any Festival. Mana, Alicia and Cecilia gather together outside the Monster Barn. Yue will be found alone next to the Pool 'to another world' that allows Wi-Fi connection. Rosalind will be found at the West End of Alvarna on the main street.

Barrett and Dorothy stand on the Falling Star Path near the crossroads. My hope that Dorothy could have fun at the Festival with Barrett if I chose some one else was dashed when I spoke to Barrett.

He declared quite plainly:
Barrett: Today’s the Dance Festival. I don’t want any part of it… Why don’t you go enjoy yourself?

Max and Julia can be found side by side at the port near the ship that sails to Blessia Island. One has no doubt whatsoever that Max will be more than happy to squire his companion to the Dance should you fail to ask her and that he is a fabulous dancer himself.

Max: Is that what you’re wearing to the dance, Freyr? Well, to each his own, I suppose.
Still, I hope you’re prepared to impress the ladies with some fancy footwork. Nothing impresses a woman like a man who can dance!

The responses each girl will make are very different, but the actual dance is the same in every Event. Alicia's responses may be the most entertaining, as one might have guessed.

Alicia: So today is the Dance Festival… My fortune predicted that you’d come up and say to me…

My choices:

Please dance with me.
Um… never mind.

I asked her to dance and she said:

Alicia: Uh? Oh, really? Yes, I would love to!
Me: Shall we dance, Alicia?
Alicia: (My reading was right! I did get asked to the dance!)
Me: Did you say something?
Alicia; What? Oh, no, it’s nothing.

In the end, my own choice was determined by pity.


Here is the event with Alicia:




Actually, though, in the end, my final choice was determined by compassion rather than any other consideration. Yue looked so lonely there by the Pool. With neither family nor friends in Alvarna, I felt compelled to ask her to the Dance. Her responses were the most poignant as well, even more than Dorothy.

Yue: Today is the Dance Festival. I doubt any one’s going to bother asking me out, but I can’t help being a little nervous anyway.
Yue, would you like to dance with me?
Umm, never mind.
Yue: Who, me? Really? Are you sure, Freyr? Or are you just joking? If you really mean it, I’d love to.
At the square:
Me: Shall we dance, Yue?
Yue: I’ve got to warn you. I’m a terrible dancer. But we can have fun anyway, right?
Me: Of course we can.
After the dance:
Me: Thank you, Yue. That was nice.
Yue: Yeah, I had fun! I didn’t know you were going to be such a good dancer!
Me: I’ve never really had much practice.
Yue: I had so much fun, Freyr. You don’t know how happy it made me to be asked to dance. Thank you. Well, I’ll see you later, Freyr.

Whomever you ask, you will be forced to endure verbal expressions of disappointment from some of the other eligible girls if you speak to them after you have danced with some one else.

For example, Ceci will remark:

Ceci (with cross hurt): Oh, you already danced with some one else? But I was really hoping... Never mind.

Mana (with cross hurt): You danced with somebody else, didn't you? Why didn't you ask me instead?

Alicia (with cross hurt): Haven’t you already danced with some one else? According to my fortune, that’s not going to lead to a very happy future.

Rosalind will ask;
Rosalind: Hmm? Freyr, where exactly were you leading me today?

Julia is one exception. As I had expected, she will be quite happy to dance with some one more skilled than I.

Julia: Did you enjoy the dance? I had a great time with my partner.

Actually, Yue and Dorothy are too polite to make a fuss.

Yue will simply say, rather sadly: 'Hi, Freyr. You look like you're having fun.'

Likewise, Dorothy will ask: 'Did you have fun?'

It may be coincidental that Julia was at a lower heart level than any of the other girls and was most complacent where my own behaviour in asking another girl to the Dance was concerned. I would be interested to know whether she would have given a different response had she been at 8 hearts like Mana or Yue. When I play my second game, I'll work harder at the start to court Julia as 4 hearts is on the cusp of romantic interest as it were. At 5 hearts, a girl will show up on Alicia's romantic radar as one who has an interest in you. (I rather doubt the girls' post-dance responses if you dance with another girl change according to heart level, but it is one of those details I'd like to confirm later when I have time.

Note: I should make it clear that, for all their verbal reactions to their rivals and any interest that you take in another girl, doing so will NOT lower any girl's heart level.

A Little Tour of Trieste Forest and other Seasons

Here is a little tour of Trieste Forest, courtesy of Freyr. He is accompanied as always by his favourite Monster, his Silver Wolf, named (without much imagination) Wolfe. He stops to speak to Yue who mentions the Dance Festival on the morrow and expresses an interest to discover how well he can dance. He then goes forward and flails about rather ineptly in the various areas of the Forest due to the fact that I cannot hold the camera and use the DS controls effectively.

You may notice that a Chest containing a War Trophy is left behind more than once and that the combat is left to Wolfe. Freyr takes a few blows from various monsters but ignores them in the interest of showing you the Forest.

It is eternally Spring in the Trieste Forest and Spring Crops and Flowers can be grown there. An apple tree in the northeast corner of one screen displays Apples every few days. As Freyr collected them yesterday, unaware that a tour of the Forest was in the future, you will not see any Apples on the Tree. The Pomme-Pomme Monsters in the first area of the Forest drop Apples as War Trophies on occasion as well.

Aquamarines and Emeralds are the gems that can be mined here. Again, as Freyr is helpless while I carry the camera, he cannot use his Hammer in the course of the tour...

The text of the conversation with Yue is as follows:
Yue: Good morning. It’s a nice day, isn’t it? Tomorrow’s the Dance Festival. I don’t dance much, but I still have a good time.
Me: I don’t think I’m very good at dancing either, but I’m looking forward to it.
Yue: I wonder what you dance like…



Here is one of the Messhina Valley and the Padova Mountains. The guide is becoming rather weary of this, as he says he looks like 'a right prat!'. He is quite a good fighter in his own right, but you wouldn't know it from the way he appears due to my own ineptitude with the camera.

The Messhina Valley is ruled by Autumn and it is here that you find the Buffamoo and the Cluckadoodle, two 'Ranch Monsters'. In fact, you will see the Buffamoo here, on a screen accessed by a bridge that is almost hidden from view. At night, the same location is frequented by the Cluckadoodle.

The Padova Mountains are ruled by Winter. In fact, this is the home of the Silver Wolf. I have one more video that contains some exciting combat scenes of wolf pitted against wolf...

Heart Events in 1st Generation of Rune Factory 2

In Part I of Rune Factory 2, otherwise known as the '1st Generation Game', your character's primary goal is marriage and procreation. Most 'Events' in this phase of the game occur in the course of a 'Request' made on the Bulletin Board. 'Heart Events' are no exception.

There are a number of events that require you simply to meet a girl at a specific location. In the case of Mana, you need to meet her at the Pier. In the case of Cecilia, you meet at the Crossroads to watch a shooting star event together. Sometimes, it is the reward itself that makes the Request romantic, as when Yue gives your character a 'kiss on the cheek' after you bring her the fish she required from you.

In the 1st Generation game, you become familiar with the characters in the village, their birthdays, their likes and dislikes and obtain all the necessary tools for a successful life.

'Most Favs' for Characters in Rune Factory 2

As with the original Rune Factory, you do not have to raise heart levels much in order to be told what a character likes to receive as a gift. Even in the first week of Spring, characters were confiding their likes and even their dislikes:

Yue will give you a bag of Daikon Seeds when you complete her quest for Honey. In case you do not get the point, she will continue to tell you afterwards:

Yue: I couldn’t ever turn down a good DAIKON RADISH. I don’t care how many I’ve eaten.

With the sly humour I am beginning to expect from RF2, Tanya will refer to her love of edged blades obliquely when she confesses one of her favourite foods:

Tanya: I like any fruit, but my favourite is APPLE. I like both eating APPLE and peeling it.

Barrett: I like fish… SALMON, for example. That’s all you need to know.

Herman: (with music) I can never have enough TOMATO JUICE after breakfast. Whenver I get my hands on some TOMATO JUICE, I can’t hold back.

Gordon: I really like a good PUMPKIN. But I always eat too much of it! Ba ha hah ha!

Ceci: Do you know what my favourite thing in the world is? It's DIAMONDS. And RUBIES. Oh yeah, and EMERALDS. Oh yeah, I can’t forget SAPPHIRES. Plus AMETHYST. I like that, too.

Alicia shares Ceci's love of diamonds.

Alicia: I really like a nice DIAMOND. What do you like, Frey?

Max appears to focus on war trophies. He has given me 'tips' on three different war trophies that he likes, calling it 'background knowledge' each time.

Max: For some reason, I’ve beens strangely captivated by PROOF OF WARRIOR since I was young. Well, just a little background knowledge you should remember.

Max: FLUFFY SCARF is so enchanting the way it’s so fluffy. I just love this. Well, just a little background knowledge you should remember.

As a total non sequitor, he made a comment one day to the effect that:

Max: I don’t like PLATINUM at all.

Byron: I must admit, I do love a good EGGPLANT. I just can’t stop eating them.

Egan: I really like WHITE CABBAGES. They’re very healthy.

Ray: I like PINK MELON.

Douglas: I like SKIPJACK, kid. Don’t forget that, now.

Natalie: My favourite things are PUMPKIN PUDDING and TOMATO. Do you like them, Frey?


True to form, you have to pry information loose from Dorothy, who is almost pathologically shy. (One is reminded a little of Candace in ToT.)

Dorothy: Is something wrong?
Me: Oh, no, but… What’s your favourite thing to eat, Dorothy?
Dorothy: Oh, um… I like… I like fish… and, um… I really like… CHAR.

Incidentally, for the record, I absolutely LOVE this game. I have to stress, however, that I was not tired of playing Island of Happiness and fully intend to return to it when time permits. Everything about Rune Factory 2 embodies my own fantasies in terms of the landscapes, the graphics, the beauty in the depiction of the characters... and as some one who loves fencing in real life, how could I not respond to a game that allows me to farm AND wield a blade in combat?

The spiritual premise both of Rune Factory and Rune Factory 2 that allows you to use a weapon to TAME a creature rather than killing it makes it superior to other 'combat' games. It is true to the essential philosophy of Harvest Moon which insists that one must live in harmony with the land and all living creatures if possible.


Note: With respect to the text in screenshots, I'm afraid I can't do much better. It does not translate well in this build, as it is not a 'bold' font. It is perfectly legible on the DS but not as easy to read here. As I have added the actual text to my post in every case, it shouldn't matter.