Speaking to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, Rune Factory Producer Yashimoto Hirofumi revealed his main inspiration for creating the Harvest Moon spin-off.
According to Hirofumi, the Rune Factory series was created to provide players an alternative to the Harvest Moon series — something more westernized with an open world. The producer revealed that he drew a lot of inspiration from Square Enix's Dragon Quest series. By combining the farming element of Harvest Moon with the RPG gameplay of something like the Dragon Quest games, Hirofumi feels that Rune Factory has given players a lot of freedom to do what they want within its world.
I sunk countless hours into Rune Factory 3 for the DS, and I can definitely attest to the fact that there was a sense of freedom that provided me with several things to do at my own pace. I would spend a couple of in-game days just tending to my crops and farm animals, while others I would spend exploring and adventuring. It was a sense of freedom that really gave me a lot of entertainment.
Here's hoping Rune Factory 4 continues that tradition and allows players to farm and explore to their heart's content.
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