Rune Factory 4 Gets 3DS Launch Date Of Oct. 1

Rune Factory 4 finally has a release date, and it’s quite a bit sooner than you might think. Set to hit the Nintendo 3DS in just a couple of weeks, on the go gamers can expect to rule their kingdom, harvest crops and dive into dungeons in this all new “RPG simulation adventure” on Oct. 1.

XSEED Games made the US release date official this morning with the launch of a new Rune Factory 4 official website. That’s where interested gamers can bone up on the new adventure’s story, read about the new features, characters and more. Otherwise, you can pick the game up come Oct. 1 in either physical format or digitally through the Nintendo eShop for $39.99.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Rune Factory’s roots are firmly embedded in the much-loved farming/life simulator series, Harvest Moon. But while Harvest Moon was all about living a quiet life and returning a farm to its former glory, Rune Factory takes that familiar DNA and plugs it into an action-based RPG, complete with a kingdom in peril, dungeons overflowing with baddies, crafting, side missions and more. Still, it wouldn’t be a Rune Factory game without some farming, as well as the chance to fall in love and marry one of the kingdom locals.

“Rune Factory 4 is a fantasy life simulation game that combines farming and resource management with classic RPG dungeon adventuring,” reads a statement from XSEED. “For the first time in series history, Rune Factory 4 gives players the option to play as a male or female hero. As the newly-appointed prince or princess, players fulfill royal duties like fulfilling requests from townsfolk, or taking a more rural approach to governing by harvesting their own fruits and vegetables to help out in other ways.”

As stated above, the player can woo would-be marriage candidates, chat up and give gifts to the locals, raise a family and pick up a weapon to defend the kingdom from invading baddies. You’ll also have the support of Rune abilities on your side, as well as the ability to have a companion or one of your tamed monsters join you in battle.

If that sounds like your idea of a good time, then look for Rune Factory 4 on the 3DS on Oct. 1.