• "Rune Factory," a game for the Nintendo DS, is a unique blend of dungeon crawling and farming. It's a bit like a mixture of a Harvest Moon game (the subtitle, in fact, is "A Fantasy Harvest Moon") and a Zelda game. It calls on you to master and balance exploring dungeons and taking care of your farm, all while trying to earn some money and meet a wife. It's a tall order, but there are a few things you can do to help yourself with the task.
  
  

Weeds

• Weeds appear on your farm every day. They present a unique opportunity: You can either earn some extra cash by shipping them off, or earn some experience with the Scythe tool. With additional experience, you can use the tool more efficiently: less energy wasted and more work done with them. At the same time, there are certain weeds that are worth more than others. Some of the weeds will restore HP when you've been injured in battle, and others are worth a lot, like the Bamboo Shoot, which is worth 130 gold.
  
  

Sowing Seeds

• Start by plowing a 9-square area, as you can only sow seeds on plowed areas, which is important to note. Seeds will cover a 3-square by 3-square area, and you'll have to stand in the middle of the area to cover the whole spot. After you have planted the seeds, you'll need to water them. The basic watering can holds 12 squares' worth of water, and you will have to water each square in order for the plants to grow. Grass seeds will only need to be watered on the first couple of days, but vegetables and flowers must be watered every day. Remember also that plants can only survive in their season. If you're planting a winter plant in summer, it will wither.
  
  

Harvesting

• Remember to harvest all of your vegetables when they are fresh. You harvest them by picking them up with the A button, and not by cutting them down--that's a waste of money. Once you've put the vegetables in your backpack, you can either ship them or eat them yourself.
  
  Grass, on the other hand, you cut down with the sickle. It automatically is harvested into the silo as feed for your livestock.
  
  

Rune Points and Health Points

• Keep an eye on your Health and Rune points. Once your Rune points are expended, any actions you make--including battle--will expend energy. If your health is running low, leave the dungeon and eat something quickly. Knowing when to run away is sometimes more important than knowing how to fight.
  
  

Gigant Hot Springs

• The Hot Springs will restore all of your health and rune points, but only works once per day. It's a very cheap way to effectively double your income and activity for the day: 10 Gold. Using the Bath House will also make Melody like you more, meaning frequent visitors can woo her quickly, and marry her.
  
  

The Friendship Glove

• After defeating a monster, it will return to the First Forest, where you have the option, with the Friendship Glove, of taming the monster. However, in order to keep a monster, you'll need a Monster Hut--the Glove comes from Tabitha after ordering the hut. Once tame, you can take the monster out to battle with you, or, raise it as livestock. Some monsters you can milk, others lay eggs you can sell. Just remember, you can't bring any monsters into town, so leave them on the farm.