Rune Factory 4 - John E Boy

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Whooo boy! this one took me a long time to finish... Let me know what you guys think! also on a side note, since this is Halloween, I have a bunch of Halloween videos on the way! lets just hope I can finish them all on schedule...

[@bunnsberry3236]

John E Boy I really wish someone could localize the game handbook from japan. How about some help with crafting , special items and secrets.

[@bunnsberry3236]

Also I feel like you showed too many bosses and spoilers:(

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

I mean... I did specifically say that I was going to be fully reviewing the game and if nobody wanted to hear or see story spoilers to skip to a certain time.

[@SeraphBlademaster]

PLEASE TELL ME YOU KNOW ABOUT RUNE FACTORY COMING TO THE SWITCH AND RUNE FACTORY 5!

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

I do, really looking forward to it.

[@bullseyeproductions9016]

You may not get a lot of views but those of us who watch appreciate the work you put into your content. Keep up the good work

[@sorenman1]

People Rune Factory 5 is in development. Let that sink in, its happening!

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Ohhhh trust me, I tweeted about it as soon as I got the news. I am so pumped!

[@sorenman1]

Totally Agreed! @@JohnEBoyVideos

[@cgillis3989]

I very much appreciate this youtuber. Rune factory 4 is one of my favorite games and It's very good seeing an individual who seems to love it just as much, if not more. Plus all the videos you do can be very helpful and just fun to watch :) Keep up the good work

[@EvanFAF]

What I find weird is how Xiao Pai managed to climb to the top of Leon Karnak without clumsily falling off.

[@genesisarc778]

Thank you for all your detailed and amusing Rune Factory videos that I still revisit to this day to give myself refreshers. xD I'm excited about RF4 Special on Switch and glad to see you've heard about it as well!

[@hiyunnie]

I just got into Rune Factory 4 last year and your videos are always informative to watch ( I especially enjoy the villager series ). Anyways thank you for all the hard work you do on your videos~ I await for when RF5 comes out and will await for your videos

[@ColorMeASatanist]

Another video and it's a Rune Factory 4 review! It's been a long time coming! Shame I've already gotten into the game and watched all of your old videos. But even then, Good job with this video!

[@kryskross9027]

There’s tons of new RF4 players since the Switch game came out, maaaybe some new videos are in order? 😁

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

You maybe right... :)

[@Neochiken1]

@@JohnEBoyVideos I would very much so like a guide on how to make my monster friends do big boy damage

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

I talk about how to increase it a little bit in the monsters vs villagers video. I wouldnt mind making a video on it, the only issue is that it would take a while since you can only give monsters one item a day.

[@cgillis3989]

We need some new videos for the switch special, and the coming of RF5! WE NEED IT

[@TheGlamourNazi]

I hope when RF5 comes out you’ll do videos on it

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

if it does then im sure i will.

[@astral9173]

I know the part about the Sechs Empire's name was intended as a bit. But I just wanted to point out that it is actually pronounced like "zex" rather than "sex." It is the German word for 'six,' which has the pronunciation of zɛks.

[@sansal.4907]

I am german and I can confirm that if sounds like sex 😂

[@lavendermun]

lmao I love your sense of humor! it's clear that you spent a lot of time working on this video, so thank you for your hard work. i love RF4 and it was a blast to hear a full review of RF4 from someone else who enjoys it just as much.

[@bravescholarlys1127]

Awesome new video! love RF4 and the massive content and charm it brings!

[@stinkyandy6366]

Nice to see another Rf4, I still play this game and trying to get all ultimate weapons (99 recipes kill me)

[@aster9953]

You're back! (YESSSSSS)

[@user-he3tg4uj8l]

Just a quick fyi barrett is from rf2 originally. Yea i play these too much

[@Sly-Moose]

I've been playing the RF series since 2012

[@lunarbutterfly7]

The third arc is no longer random in Rune Factory 4 Special

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Me and many others are thankful for that.

[@dragcomania7220]

I love Rune Factory 4 and I was so happy that you made this video but theres a few things you ignored to comment on like how placing down furniture is pretty wierd and how if you finish all of the town events the sleepover one will repeat over and over again. I know you didnt want to go into full details about this game since theres a lot in Rune Factory but you didnt include Cooking, Crafting and how it takes so long to max these ablities. Over than that this video is pretty spot on. I didnt even know that if I brought the villagers along with me on my quest, I would get extra dialouge. I really can't argue tho since my way on beating this game is totally different from yours.

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Yeah the furniture placing was pretty weird but then again anytime I got some new furniture I would usually toss it into a wall or the corner lol.

[@dragcomania7220]

@@JohnEBoyVideos It took me hours to place all the cooking utencils in the right place and it still looks bad lol. The way I play this game is I dont use the crafting or forging table at all, I grind in Sharance Maze and try to get good weapons in chests.

[@rainn27]

Really nice review of Rune factory 4! I played this game 4 years ago, and I've replayed it multiple times. Easily the best 3DS game.

[@AlexandraStubbs]

I’m SO excited to know what you think of the new RF4 and RF5 (once more information is revealed of course) for the Switch!

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

I think it's nice that RF4 is getting more recognition and i think it will sell really well on the switch, im hoping that they might add more content to the game (other than what was shown) and I am ecstatic for RF5's release.

[@AlexandraStubbs]

John E Boy Thank you for responding! I’d love to hear what you’d love to see in RF 5 or a wish list. Kind of like what the Animal Crossing community is doing. I agree I’m SO thrilled it’s continuing, I thought for sure the series was not going to keep going. Your content is amazing and has helped me in my RF 4 journey. 😊

[@quarreneverett4767]

I am like 1 month and a half after the first arc ending. I'm noob second arc hasn't started

[@entornosretratosvargas7379]

Thanks for all your help, greetings from PANAMÁ xD

[@Asher89leo]

It is time to get back to rune factory

[@dindonpoo163]

I feel really happy for starting this game so late. There's still plenty of things to do.

[@JustCozItsMe]

2 things early in the vid. 1 I actually hate yt for hiding your channel from me suggested until I picked my 3ds back up while taking my grandmother to a minor surgical appointment, getting hooked back on RF 4, again, and then directly searched you again. Next, while I enjoy the slight tone change, all the serious talk had me concerned you may have left a bit of something special behind, then the DS montage, not all too worried anymore. Though the lack of uploads is another story, wish I had some solid ideas for you.

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Thanks for watching! and don't worry, i'm not out of ideas i just was busy for the past few months. hopefully i should have a new vid on this channel within the next few weeks.

[@sorenman1]

love it. Nice to see this review for one of my favorite series.

[@superkaabii64]

I love RF4! It is my favorite game. I really am hoping for a Rune Factory 5. Am I the only one who loves Doug character? I married him. The Rune Prana is really hard. I grinded in the Dungeon Flower until I got a really good weapon.

[@stinkyandy6366]

Super Kirby 64 Rune prana is really hard XD took me long time to beat it

[@stinkyandy6366]

You gotta marry horse man uwu Idk its up to you :D

[@superkaabii64]

Kasume zx in my first File I married Vishnal because he is so cute. But then I liked Doug more and made a second (now my main) file. I really like all of the three but I would say marry Dylas, because he is so cute when he is blushing.

[@superkaabii64]

Kasume zx I love male Tsunderes they're so cute! I cannot decide which girl to marry in my third file. I like Margeret and Dolce the most of the girls.

[@superkaabii64]

Kasume zx yes I know Leons teasing is reaaally cute and when he tease him he is even cuter. But I really like how Doug proposed to the MC it was soooo romantic. >w

[@astra8815]

I don't like the Arc 2 ending. It was unsatisfying and having the same credits music as Arc 1 just made it feel unspecial, and the happy music playing while talking about Ventuswill's death was just... odd. Also, what do you consider the best weapon type for the player?

[@Sly-Moose]

Short swords with all status effects and with the range maxed up. Maybe add a high level rare can and a 4-leaf clover if ya have room.

[@phantomgirl832]

Hey John E Boy, I recently just started Rune Factory 4 and in the process I discovered your channel. And omg can I just say I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! Not only are they informative for any/all players, but your personality is very uplifting and I immediately subscribed. I don't know if you'll be reading this comment anytime soon, seeing you don't post as often, but I hope you know that I would love to see you play/make videos on RF5 when it comes out later (HOPEFULLY by the end of this year).

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Sadly, I don't think we will be seeing rune factory 5 until next year or the year after but you never know. Also thanks for watching :)

[@phantomgirl832]

@@JohnEBoyVideos Hey can't hurt a girl for dreaming haha.

[@bravescholarlys1127]

@@JohnEBoyVideos well you're correct at least this gives it time to polish the game further.

[@sabrinasmith4793]

I got the game just last month since I finally had the chance to and I love it so much! I beat the second arc a few weeks ago so I'm just waiting for that event to trigger. I heard about that trick with Dylas and Amber but I always have Dylas with me since I'm trying to marry him and nothing like that has happened yet ^^' This is my first Rune Factory game so I don't know what the others are like, would they be worth checking out?

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Rune factory 3 is pretty good and I have heard good things about rune factory frontier.

[@sabrinasmith4793]

@@JohnEBoyVideos Oh cool, I'll have to look into them then. RF4 is the only one for 3DS right? So the other ones are like DS games?

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Rune Factory 3 is on the DS and Frontier is on the wii

[@alucidmirage5602]

2 was pretty good. It was my first one. For Frontier, I heard you should play 1 first, because you can have all the characters recognize you and the events of rune factory 1. However, I do think this one has the most features. The further back you go, the less features there are. Though 2 has you play what I'd consider the bulk of it as the main character's child being either male or female.

[@alucidmirage5602]

The battling and farming is pretty good, but if you care, the romance aspect is a lot weaker imo. (In the older versions.) Or rather some of them. I feel the town is more fleshed out too.

[@James_Lo]

Great video! Never actually played this (and 2, 3 or oceans) because they are really expensive to buy preowned but love the others.

[@konshu4068]

rf5 will show up in 2020!! I hope one of the arc isn't as random as arc 3... ;w;

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Hopefully it shows up in the US on 2020. from what I heard the 2020 release date was only confirmed for JP but I have hope

[@GallerieDuIb]

Did you already try the Amber/flower thing?

[@maripai2064]

omg your back!!!!!

[@fairiesandlillies3471]

Is doug horrible becuase You cant Get better relesion whit him?

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

He's horrible because he barely knows any skills and spams his weakest skill the most

[@inabi-kun113]

15:50 I felt that :'D

[@SushikillerHD]

Did you just...play as villagers..in that last vid section? Like is that a thing??!

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

You can change yourself into a villager using an order in the game but other than using their voice lines and looking like them, it doesnt do anything else.

[@SushikillerHD]

@@JohnEBoyVideos Woahhhhh still new things to learn even though I played this game so long... Watched the plantsword video aswell :) Cheers for explaining! Really hyped for RF4 Special on Switch, got myself a switch for it a few days after I saw they announced RF4 Special / RF5! What are your expectations on RF4 Special - EU Release? :o

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

hopefully not as long as it took for them to release the EU version on the 3ds

[@SushikillerHD]

@@JohnEBoyVideos fingers crossed..... On another note, I'd like to sent you an email about a little (big) project of mine. Would you mind if I reach out to you? :D

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

@@SushikillerHD sure

[@fairiesandlillies3471]

Cant We stop beating a dead house😭

[@vincentvillanueva2383]

@John E Boy Check out Rf5. It’s official now and is in development

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Way ahead of you, tweeted about it pretty much as soon as it was announced.

[@vincentvillanueva2383]

Lol sweet😂

[@USBmi]

I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced “z-echs”. Sechs is a Greek word, and does not follow typical English pronunciation.

[@rauchschwalbelp7693]

Um...greek language has not the latin alphabet. It is the german word for the number 6.

[@USBmi]

RauchschwalbeLP oh, thanks for correcting me! I remembered it started with a g at least, lol

[@sansal.4907]

Its german for the number 6 and yes it is pronounced like 6.. lol

[@spoonikle]

undead horror!!!

[@cyncynshop]

I just use monsters to clear dungeons. Before I saw your videos, I didn't even consider using ANY villagers.

[@thelamergamer1894]

69th like on the video about the sechs empire.

[@GottMoxy]

You still alive for RF5?

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

Absolutely!

[@bravescholarlys1127]

@@JohnEBoyVideos awesome!!

[@tess7620]

More RF4 content. 😁♥️

[@Dante1282]

Sechs = german for six

[@metastase895]

So you're trying to do a review of this game without having the word "review" in the title...and it sure works for the better because this is really NOT a review. I don't mean to be rude - I imagine you put a lot of time and effort into this video - but the majority of this pretty much boils down to you nitpicking on this game's story (which is more like an excuse for the gameplay) and an optional feature of bringing villagers as party companions. If I would take you as an example of a big fan of this game it's no wonder the creators went bankrupt. As for your actual, valid complaints: - Triggering Arc 3 is not actually random. The game stacks possible events and they have priorities to them. As long as you're not cluttering the event system (by trying to marry everyone simultaneously for example) it shouldn't be a problem. Also, the advice of having Dylas and Amber in your party is a waste of time. If you want to reset the game until it triggers, just wait a bit in the morning and see if the participant NPCs start walking towards the General Store. If not, reset. Took about 5 minutes to trigger it every time I've played, no setup (beyond saving before an Event Day) or any other hassle involved. - The design decision of playing down story elements on Arc 3 was deliberate from the start. You argue it's a missed opportunity because you're trying o justify your personal desires while disregarding the fact that part of the target audience just plays easy mode, finishes Arc 1 and MAYBE Arc 2, and then they're done with the game. Which is precisely why the story closure needed to happen in Arc 2 for all intends and purposes. - Don't like Doug? Don't bring him with you. Problem solved. - I suppose you almost have a point on the NPCs combat AI and movesets. The game was not primarily designed with NPC allies in mind and this is why they're OPTIONAL. You think it's even doable to balance the combat around every Tamed Monster, Rideable Monster, Villager allies AND the player's multiple movesets from any criteria other than cosmetic/aesthetics? You're out of your mind if you think all "Pokemon" are born equal and just as useful as others. The designers OBVIOUSLY knows this when they include a character who slips and fall mid-battle. Or a Ratata. - Your complaint about the hassle of bringing NPCs to hear their unique story dialogues is the most idiotic of all, simply because they auto revive every time you change screens. So effectively, the "extra" difficulty of bringing them with you is ZERO (actually less, since they still serve as meat shields). Also, you can change the difficulty to EASY at any time. If this video was an actual review you would be downright spreading misinformation now. - Despite the fact this was a design decision and not a mistake as you suggest, if every villager was useful in their own way and uniquely designed to fit a specific role in combat, RF4 WOULD BE MISSING A TON OF FEATURES that are currently present in the game. In fact, they overdid it out love with RF4, hence bankruptcy. - The only aspect regarding Tutorials that I agree with is at the start of the game. They take too long to get things going. Other than that, you can fast forward all text by holding "Y" and you can skip every other tutorial. Also, saying the entirety of Arc 1 is a huge tutorial is a bit irrelevant because, by that logic, every game is a tutorial from beginning to the end. And even your example choice is dubious: how can you say the Fairy situation is a good example of tutorialization when that forcefully stops players on their tracks while Requests can be taken at their own pace? - I don't know what game you were playing but the amount of freedom the game gives you from very early on is quite a lot actually. After beating the 1st boss, you can already break into Yokmir Cave. This trend of unlocking later areas early continues through the game (Maya Road, Leon's Karnak, Sechs Empire, etc). By the end of the 2nd dungeon you already have access to explore pretty much every major system in place (like Forging/etc). And let's not forget that the world is filled with remarkable points of interest, such as Death Fungus, Cucko Nest, very specific special rewards from hidden "Search" spots, etc. - The reason why the game is cryptic about very specific, non-fundamental/optional mechanics is because those were aimed at hardcore players, who will experiment and find the answers out. In short, this alleviates alienation of the casual audience while keeping the game's pacing manageable. On a final note, keep in mind the developers knew they were closing doors after this game was done and that this would likely be the last game in the series. So they went out of their way to include features they should have no business doing and if this was any other game, things like Arc 3 wouldn't even exist. Here is a piece of advice: whenever you think about something cool a game could have done/included, be mindful and put yourself in the developers shoes, try to think of the reasons why it wasn't or if something else was prioritized over it. I've tried to dissect and criticize this game's design many times in the past and after thinking deeply about many things I thought was wrong or could have been done better, I started to notice little details I wasn't able to see before that explains a lot. For example, have you ever wondered why they made each room spawn different enemies every time you re-enter the room? I can assure you it's not just to spice things up with variation. At some point during testing, I'm sure they've noticed something that also took me a while to see. Try to think about what could that be yourself as an exercise. Doing many Lv.1 Solo Hard Mode runs without grinding gave me a deeper understanding of the game because it brings all gameplay nuances to the forefront, exposing why some things are the way they are in a way that would be difficult to see otherwise.

[@JohnEBoyVideos]

While I appreciate that you watched the whole video (I am assuming you did) and decided to make a big comment nitpicking a lot of the points I made, allow me to counter some of the points you made in your comment. - what you said maybe true about arc 3 not being as random to start as I said in the video but having dylas and amber with you is not a waste of time at all, waiting a little bit and then checking general store is an even bigger waste of time, the whole point of having dylas and amber with you together is that if they both say they have to leave then 80% of the time it means that the arc 3 event has started. doing what you suggested would make me have to wait a couple of minutes to see where the NPCs are heading and then if the event didn't start I would have to start the process all over again. - "the fact that part of the target audience just plays easy mode, finishes Arc 1 and MAYBE Arc 2, and then they're done with the game." are you trying to tell me that the majority of people who play this game play it on easy mode and only finish half of the story? not only that but the developers designed this game around those people and not the ones who have played the previous games? why not have the story finish in arc one then if that's the case. that point just seems asinine to me. - I specifically said in the video that its not Doug I have a problem with, it is the way they made him as a companion you can take with you that I have a problem with. how many games do you know where they have a character who is shown to be clearly capable in combat throughout the entire game, turn out to be a complete weakling with little to no skills or abilities? let me put it to you another way. volkanon and ventuswill are both NPCs that you can acquire after spending a certain amount of points to unlock them. both are shown to be strong in the games story. and guess what? both are strong in combat when you unlock them! volkanon is the highest level villager (excluding ventuswill) and has a good skill layout, ventuswill is a divine dragon and has insane stats, doug has a couple of crappy skills. do you see my problem here? - At what point did I mention balance in the monsters? I would never mention balance with monsters because the game makes it very clear that if you want a monster to be strong then you are going to have to feed it and train it everyday. balancing that would be impossible. what I asked for is completely reasonable and totally possible. its not hard to give a couple of skills to each villager and to make them behave a certain way in combat if they are a higher level. oh and by the way, the example of " when they include a character who slips and fall mid-battle." makes me think that you didnt level xaio pai up at all. because that slipping and falling, turns into an explosion attack once she reaches a certain level, which by the way, is a unique ability that only she has. I am perfectly fine with those character quirks BTW because i am seeing that characters personality and quirks in combat, and for the most part all of the quirks that each villager has that are shown in combat have some use. (besides bado) (P.S. ratata and raticate are actually not bad pokemon... sunkern is a bad pokemon) - You seem to have completely missed the point I was trying to make (although I probably could have made it clearer in the video so my bad on that one) my point is, from the beginning of the game, you are basically told that you can have villagers with you in combat, and sometime later, you are told that you can have monsters with you as well. so then what is the point of taking my favorite villagers with me if they are barely helping me out in combat? my problem is that (lets say for the sake of this argument that bado and clorica are my favorite characters) if i bring those two with me (bado will likely not attack at all at lower levels and clorica is prone to sleeping) and I continually see that they arent helping me out much in combat, then why would I keep having villagers with me at all? why would I not just have monsters with me at all times? the whole point that I am trying to make is that if I wanted to take my favorite people with me but they really arent doing anything helpful, then why would I do it at all? what is the point of me being able to have them with me when I could just grab some monsters? also if I chose to play on hard mode for a challenge then why the hell would I want to switch it to easy difficulty just to see some dialog? infact, if I have to change it to easy mode because they arent helping, isnt that just proving my point? - 1. I never said it was a mistake, almost any game that has ever come out has had someone say (this game would be perfect if they included this or fixed that) I'm just saying that some of the villagers kinda feel like they just had a sword slapped on them for the sake of having them just being able to be taken with you. 2. I have absolutely no idea what point you are trying to make here. "RF4 WOULD BE MISSING A TON OF FEATURES that are currently present in the game." are you trying to tell me that from the beginning of development, if the designers decided to make the villagers the way I talked about instead of the way they actually made it, that it would somehow prevent them from adding other elements to the game? are you serious? also what features specifically would be missing? - So tell me, when in the game do you learn you can skip text by holding "Y"? because I never knew you could do that until my second play through because I don't think it is specifically mentioned in the main stories tutorials (although I could be wrong about that, its been a few months since I last played.) No. it is not irrelevant to say that ARC 1 is one long tutorial, it is an exaggeration. just like you saying "by that logic, every game is a tutorial from beginning to the end." is a gross exaggeration of what I said. in what world does 1 third of a game equate to a whole game? Green the fairy is a good example because while the game does stop you once you enter the room for her to talk to you, once you clear out the monsters you don't have to speak to her again and can just keep going through the cave, her tutorial is completely optional. - I wanted the freedom to explore the entire first map from the beginning of the game, not after beating the first dungeon. (the criticism you made is fair though, this is just what i meant by I wanted freedom. I wanted to be able to explore the map without being forced to go into the first dungeon.) - I was not a hardcore player when I started playing this game, I hit a wall and needed an extra bit of help to get through a spot I was stuck in. it would have been nice If i could have learned some of those forging/crafting techniques through a request tutorial or something along those lines instead of having to go online and look through RF4 forums for tips on how to make better equipment. - Hindsight is 20/20, sometimes developers miss things or don't think about certain things in the game while making it. which is why we have patches to games nowadays.(I have done coding for games, not just talking out of my ass) ultimately, everything comes down to how much time you are allowed to work on the game. Here is some advice from me, if you start something by saying " I don't mean to be rude" then proceed to include things like "If I would take you as an example of a big fan of this game it's no wonder the creators went bankrupt." then don't bother typing that you don't mean to be rude, because you already failed in that regard. if you're going to provide criticism on something, you don't have to be a dick about it, you can just be honest and bring up the points you dont agree with and provide counter points. if you want to criticize my points fine, but don't tell me that you don't mean to be rude, then immediately start being rude. it just makes you look immature in my eyes.