She says something like "I love sweets, like chocolate cake and jams, even though I know they're unhealthy for me."

Eeeexcellent. It starts slowly, but by the time you blink you've been playing it for six hours.

All right, I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I really need a kitchen!

Also I think Kross is going to be my best non-love-interest friend in the village. Liking colored grass is a plus! And I do want to learn what his deal is.

Yeah, chocolate cake is Lara's favourite. Though you can also just keep giving her jam (and not fainting).

So I should take on the Green Ruins before going after those damn sheep, right?

Pretty much. The first two floors are easier than the Whale's Fin. But the third floor is slightly harder, mostly because of the tight corridors.

Also, you can get chickens in the Ruins. You should always get chickens first in every Harvest Moon game. It's a rule 'n stuff.

a few questions

- where do i get something to break rocks with?
- is there a lock on mechanism for combat?
- what do those stones that the blacksmith sell do? (wind/fire/water/earth)
- how do i get/use magic?

thanks

Break rocks with the hammer, which you get from Melody. Go to the Whale Island dungeon and proceed for a few rooms: you literally can't miss her (plus you get the Hot Springs!)

No lock on available, which is another reason why I prefer the one-handers (large arc).

You use those for forging and crafting weapons/equipment. Don't worry about those just yet, as you won't need them for a bit.

Get a magic rod. The easiest way is to make one (fire rod= fire crystal+thin stick), but you can also do chores for Kanno, and he'll eventually give you one.

merci!

so i bought a forge, but as far as i can tell i can only craft tools, is there a way to craft weapons?

in terms of crops, should i focus on planting in dungeons or at my farm?

There are books that show you how to make weapons (as well as armor, accessories, gifts, etc.). Buy these off of Selphy to unlock them. (Cooking recipes work the same way.)

As for crops, the only difference is accessibility. I prefer my fields because they're right in front of my house, which saves a ton of precious time.

But the dungeons let you grow crops out of season, and will never be effected by natural (and unnatural...) disasters.

However, crops in your fields get watered when it rains, while dungeon crops do not...

Crops in your field produce valuable runeys, especially grass runeys, which are necessary for the long-term.

But crops in dungeons produce runes, which restore a quarter of your RP, which is incredibly useful throughout the game.

In the end, I planted stuff in the dungeons, and left them unharvested so I would have enough energy reserves at all times. I then concentrated on my fields, since runeys are great, and there's more space there (plus you save a lot of time).

Dammit Noname! This game sounds too interesting to pass up. It's going to have to go on the list.

I was always interested in getting a Harvest Moon game, but for some reason, I never picked one up. This sounds like it has all of that and more.

Hopefully in late May or June I'll have the time and money to start putting a real dent in my "To Buy" list.