Playing RF4, I ended up going after Leon because he looked the most interesting. But as time went on, especially after marriage, I noticed he talks a lot like my IRL husband. I read him a few things Leon said, and he agreed right off the bat they do sound like things he’d say! So now when I’m playing and he says something like that I say stuff like ‘okay sweetie’ and we joke around about it.

I’m a cosplayer, and I have never before put so many hours and hard work and heart into a cosplay as I have for Leon’s from RF4. I can’t wait to wear it this summer - I hope I can meet other fans!

I feel so left out for not being able to afford a 3DS to play Rune Factory 4. I used to play the games all the time when I was younger and I've completed them all the previous titles multiple times so it makes me really upset seeing everyone go crazy for RF4, knowing I'll probably never play it.

Honestly, I wish that Forte was Arthur's sister instead of Kiel's. I think the Prince + Princess/Knight would be a lot more interesting, and they look more like siblings to me.

I’m almost reaching Winter Year 1 of SoS. I found it so lacking compared to RF4. I think RF probably spoiled a lot of us. I enjoyed the daily conversations with everyone. I liked how the conversations change when say, Kiel is with Leon, or if it was raining, they would actually be running for shelter. It made me look forward to the interactions with all the villagers. It’s a shame that most of the back stories occur through the marriage event, but even then they felt more fleshed out, especially through the Town Events. In the first season of SoS, I got so upset that everyone said the same things to me. They were static in festivals and the slow animations made me not want to interact with them, especially when you are tired and busy grinding away to kick start your farm. And you can block them physically, or look at the nameless townsfolk literally get stuck while trying to walk through the a vendor in the depot. Soon Eda will die and as I got spoiled, I already know that no one will care about her after the funeral event, making me feel really disappointed in the lack of personality of the individuals. It echoes the thought in Spring 1 that I can get through the game without speaking to anyone. It’s bland. I really hope RF5 will be a reality.

I absolutely cannot stand Margaret's design in RF4. It is so overly detailed, it just looks like a cluttered, hot mess. She is, however, my favorite bachelorette anyway. I just love how sweet and caring she is, her personality really helps me see beyond her questionable design choices.

One of the biggest reasons I loved RF4 was Doug. For a little background info as to why, I'll admit that I also loved a game called Tales of the Abyss. The protagonist of that game has a personality almost identical to Doug's, as well as being voiced by Yuri Lowenthall. At the end of that game, it's heavily implied that he dies, and I was pretty much heartbroken. When I started playing RF4, seeing Doug almost made me feel like I could see him again.

I love the dating mechanics in RF4, I love how you can date more than one person until you decide who you want to marry--but I hate the actual marriage mechanics, especially if you're a girl. I've been waiting months in-game for Leon or Arthur to propose. At this point I don't even care which one it is, I just want to get married so I can finally have a kid!

I struggle with an eating disorder. One day Volkanon made a comment encouraging me to eat every day, and even gave my character some food just during everyday conversation. It was the first time a video game has made me cry. It's one of the reasons RF4 is so dear to my heart.

Whenever I play an Bokumono game, I always choose who I’m gonna romance before I start playing. I didn’t do this when started playing RF4 and now I’m stuck with an engagement ring I crafted myself and 6 boyfriends who have already proposed to me that I had to turn down out of indecision. It’s time like this where I unrealistically wish for a harem option…

Even though I really liked Forte and Meg, I wanted to play as a girl first and marry Doug. I couldn’t regret it more. Now, I don’t have that urge to play again and in the end I didn’t marry neither of the girls I actually wanted to. It also happens in HM sometimes but this time it hurt for real, so I’ll just play as a boy and marry the girls from now on.

Last month, my boyfriend got me Rune Factory 4 as a present after I managed to score an A in the most difficult and grueling exam in my degree course; I started playing it out of curiosity, having never played a Rune Factory game before, and now I’m so hooked to it I can hardly put it down. The problem is, the new semester has started, and I already have a Physiology essay due in less than two weeks - but I’m struggling to sit at my desk for several hours at a time to write it because all I want to do is play! Why does the game have to be that good? XD  

When I started playing RF4, I was set on marrying Doug once I finished the second arc of the story. Now that I’ve reached that point in-game, though, I see Doug as more than a brother/best mate rather that marriage material, and I find myself more and more attracted to Dylas instead. It’s the first time ever that I don’t end up marrying my initial bachelor choice in a HM/RF game, and I think this proves how much more effort the developers put in character development for RF4. :)

I have always loved Harvest Moon titles, but after playing Rune Factory 4, the games are kind of ruined for me. The characters have dialogue that changes every day, the festivals are much more interactive, the random events add tons of character development and the marriage candidates have actual personalities that make each of them interesting in their own right, not to mention the convoluted story and the dungeon crawling/crafting/leveling system… I just feel that, after getting spoiled with all this, I will find the normal games dull and boring in comparison.

In Rune Factory 4, you can pick up the birds scattered around town. I didn’t think much of this until I decided to throw one and accidentally hit someone. When I saw it took off hp, being the horrible person that I am, I decided to repeatedly chuck the poor bird at the poor villager until he lost all of his hp and fell over. Now it’s my favorite way to pass the time whenever there’s nothing to do around town.

I realized that Vishnal from RF4 has the same voice actor as Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club and now I'm so going to marry him. He also acts exactly like him. I can finally have my prince!

I was feeling like the ugliest person in the world after I got stood up. I picked up RF4 to get away from my thoughts and realized I had left off just before I could start dating. Then… I got a kinda crazy idea. I did my makeup, got all dressed up, did my hair, and sat down to formally confess to my choice bachelor. And he accepted me. I played until I scheduled a date with him, and he arrived early. I got to see the outing through to the end. It felt like closure. Even though I know it was silly, this little character gave me back my confidence. As strange as it may sound, I feel like I can tackle the world again now.