Rune Factory Frontier

 Wii
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 49
  3. Negative: 3 out of 49
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. FigMan
    Mar 18, 2009
    10
    This is the best Rune Factory game I have ever played. Anyone with a Wii, and has any liking for Harvest Moon must get this game. It is well balanced, tons of items to collect/make, and most of all it has that "it" factor that is crucial in these type of games. The translation from Xseed surpasses Natsume by leaps, and bounds. GET THIS GAME!
  2. ChrisS
    Mar 27, 2009
    10
    There is so much to do, I don't even know where to start some days. It never gets boring, and has an atmosphere that makes it safe to play in front of my kids.
  3. LowellF
    Apr 11, 2009
    9
    A well-done and addictive game. If you like Harvest Moon, but want a little more interaction and action, this really is the game. More involved and deeper than most building games, it has excellent graphic design and a more interesting story than most 'farming/building' games. I discounted out of hand these kinds of games before, but this really turned me around. I only wish A well-done and addictive game. If you like Harvest Moon, but want a little more interaction and action, this really is the game. More involved and deeper than most building games, it has excellent graphic design and a more interesting story than most 'farming/building' games. I discounted out of hand these kinds of games before, but this really turned me around. I only wish they'd kept the DS connectivity with the translations as I might have invested in that side of things as well.… Expand
  4. Egork
    Mar 5, 2014
    7
    This is Harvest moon meets and adventure game. The crafting is good, but some things aren't worth making because there is too steep of a grind. The combat is nice in that you don't have to be a hyperactive 8 year old to do it. It's good for aging gamers and kids alike. There are some really annoying parts, namely a lot of plot holes, a gate that you can never open, a clock that you canThis is Harvest moon meets and adventure game. The crafting is good, but some things aren't worth making because there is too steep of a grind. The combat is nice in that you don't have to be a hyperactive 8 year old to do it. It's good for aging gamers and kids alike. There are some really annoying parts, namely a lot of plot holes, a gate that you can never open, a clock that you can never fix and really really annoying little runeys that you have to care for despite the old wizard boasting how well they grow in this land and do not follow a predator prey relationship like anything in nature. They seem to be there simply to extend the hours of game play that it takes to complete the story. They should have had a way to upgrade the harvester or if you get Candy's heart points up, she will care for the wretched little things.

    They also should have had more than 3 save slots and having the ability to visit a friend's town and maybe leave gifts for them would have been a nice touch. Overall, it's a game that the whole family can enjoy and as far as I know the only adventure type game that is not turn based designed so that older members of the family can play too.    … Expand
  5. Sabbalabba
    Feb 25, 2011
    10
    Ever since I played this, I can't go back to Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town.
    The Farming, dungeon crawling, RPG stats and upgrading, make this a BIG improvement over it.
    Any fan of Harvest Moon MUST get this. It's too damn fun. Now let's hope they bring Rune Factory: Oceans to North America.
  6. JLZM
    Aug 12, 2011
    8
    Very open ended. This can be great when you are growing your character and advancing in level/status, but can occasionally get confusing and even dry at times when you aren't at a point that you want to be at. Overall, once you get past the rough patches, it is a very addicting and rewarding game that contains more depth and content then the vast majority of the other games in it's genre.Very open ended. This can be great when you are growing your character and advancing in level/status, but can occasionally get confusing and even dry at times when you aren't at a point that you want to be at. Overall, once you get past the rough patches, it is a very addicting and rewarding game that contains more depth and content then the vast majority of the other games in it's genre. It does this by combining a JRPG combat/leveling system with life sim socializing and farm sim care-taking, and meshing them together in a way where they actually effect each other and function in harmony.… Expand
  7. Kirisoul
    Jan 16, 2012
    9
    This is an excellent game. Even if your not a fan of farming or sims, if you have a wii you ought to give this a shot. All the elements of harvest moon and a light RPG are meshed pretty nicely in this. If you've ever played Rune Factory for the DS, this is a perfect transition. You can tell there were some pretty high production values for this game, as the graphics are beautiful and a lotThis is an excellent game. Even if your not a fan of farming or sims, if you have a wii you ought to give this a shot. All the elements of harvest moon and a light RPG are meshed pretty nicely in this. If you've ever played Rune Factory for the DS, this is a perfect transition. You can tell there were some pretty high production values for this game, as the graphics are beautiful and a lot of hand drawn are and excellent cutscenes are strewn throughout the game. It falls shy of perfect for some nitpicky things like the inability to stack items (like in RF3), the absurd difficulty (takes at least 60 hours to complete the game with a focus on upgrading weapons and combat ability), and the fairly significant 5-10 second load time between areas that noticeably slows the pace of your day down. Still, its a great start for Rune Factory on the Wii, and it's pretty cheap (though its kinda rare) so pick it up if you can, you'll be surprised at how fun this game can be.… Expand
  8. hippiej
    Jul 31, 2012
    9
    One of the best games on the Wii... One of the best games I've played, period. Guilty pleasure of mine as i know it's a little corny... It's that good. if you liked harvest moon but wished there was more... you're gonna love this one.
  9. TharosTheDragon
    Sep 27, 2015
    6
    The game isn't awful. The colorful graphics will appeal to anime fans. But this is a rare example of a game that I actually trading in before beating. I've described it as an MMO without the MMO. It's Harvest Moon with an MMO-style combat system tacked on, where you just click the bad guy and wait for the battle to end. I think there was a Rune Factory game that actually had "A FantasyThe game isn't awful. The colorful graphics will appeal to anime fans. But this is a rare example of a game that I actually trading in before beating. I've described it as an MMO without the MMO. It's Harvest Moon with an MMO-style combat system tacked on, where you just click the bad guy and wait for the battle to end. I think there was a Rune Factory game that actually had "A Fantasy Harvest Moon" as a subtitle. What this means to me is that after the small world has all been explored, I just gotta get up every day and work. Work! That's not fun. It was fun while it lasted to explore around town and level up my tools and see what all I could do, kind of figuring out which female character I'd like to romance (if it's an anime, it's a harem anime). Sooner than I expected, I discovered how to grow a beanstalk up to the floating whale-shaped island where all the enemies are. I had to go back every day as I leveled up and could get a little further through the cave every time. Eventually I got to a dead end where there's a girl in a tower and I figured you gotta grow special flowers in her garden to draw her out. But I never did, because that was the point at which I decided this game wasn't worth my time.… Expand
  10. Taylor1
    Mar 8, 2017
    10
    Honestly one of my favorite games of all time. It includes farming, relationships, fighting and taking care of monsters, cooking, fishing, crafting weapons and tools, this game has it all! It has a nice fantasy appeal as well. Love this game!
  11. boot8008
    May 13, 2019
    10
    One of the best games on the wii or any console rune factory can never go wrong

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best Wii Game of 2009
38
#38 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2009
22
#22 Most Shared Wii Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. Nintendo Power
    75
    Frontier isn't for everybody, but it delivers on its promise of providing a deep, engrossing experience while letting you live a relaxing life. [Apr 2009, p.88]
  2. IGN
    83
    A great package, and one of the deepest RPG's on the system thus far.
    Read full review
  3. Game Informer
    68
    Even when it fails, though, Rune Factory: Frontier is packed with so many other activities that there's always more than enough to do. [Apr 2009, p.85]
See all critic reviews »