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Heartwarming / Rune Factory 4

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  • The whole relationship between Doug and Blossom. Yes, he's a lazy fart and complains about working at the shop all the time, but he really does care for the old woman and she looks after him like a grandson.
  • When you read Dylas's diary for the first time, he'll write that he's not the kind of guy to keep up with something like this and says goodbye. Later, he'll decide to add on and complain about how Lest/Frey is trying to get involved with him. In the end, Dylas writes how grateful he is to the people of Selphia, giving thanks to Lest/Frey, Porcoline, Margaret, and even Doug.
  • Barrett provides some touching moments, especially when you compare him to his younger self from the second Rune Factory. Such as his reasons for having a braid and finding out that he has gained a newborn daughter since RF2.
    Barrett: (talking about his past) I've always just done what I felt like doing. I was a little... rougher around the edges when I was young, I guess. But then I met someone. If you ever find someone like that—and you'll know—be good to them, okay?
  • Towards the end of the second arc, when you're up against the Ethelberd-Ventuswill hybrid and all looks pretty bleak...everyone in Selphia starts to pray to you not to give up through the Venti Charms given to them.
  • If Frey chooses to marry Dylas, you get the opportunity to watch Dylas finally tell Porcoline how thankful he is that Porcoline took him in (he also mentions that Porcoline is like a father to him).
    • He does the same thing if she marries Arthur, reminding him that they're all Arthur's family and lamenting that it's going to be weird without him in the restaurant.
  • Porcoline's entire dynamic with Meg, Arthur, and Dylas is this when you think about it. According to one town event (well, according to Illuminata, but still), Porco did have a fiancee once, but it didn't end well. From his meeting Meg to the end of the game, he goes from living completely alone to having three kids who love him to bits.
  • If you marry Dolce, during her wedding she'll call Jones Dad.
  • From the comic: at one point, Frey is knocked of the airship in mid-flight (...again). Dolce has to physically restrain Lest to keep him from diving after her.
  • Many of the mini town events are this.
    • In one with Clorica, she calls you over to sit with her on a bench because she wants to talk to you... but ends up falling asleep on your shoulder instead. You decide to stay still until she wakes up. When she does, she tells you she had a "nice, soothing dream" before getting embarrassed that she actually fell asleep on you the entire time you were with her.
  • After Jones and Nancy take in Dolce, checking their table reveals that they put out four plates: one for Jones, one for Nancy, one for Dolce... and one for Pico. Even though Pico's a ghost and can't eat, they still consider her a part of the family, and they make sure she knows that she's welcome and loved.
    • Jones also sometimes refers to her and Dolce as "the girls", like a father talking about his two daughters.
  • Anytime the player character says "I love you" to the people in town (not even just the marriageable ones) and they say it back in their own special ways... and then there's Porcoline.
  • After either the player or the player's wife gets pregnant, certain townsfolk will have special greeting dialogue based on who you married. For example, if married to Kiel, Leon and Forte both show their support for him and the player. Just hearing different people excited for their friend or relative to have a baby is so touching and makes the community feel that much more alive.
    Leon: So, Kiel's gonna be a father, huh? He might just be a good one.
    Forte: You have nothing to worry about. I'm certain that whatever happens, Kiel will protect you.
    • Porcoline's dialogue about Dylas deserves a special mention:
      Porcoline: Dylas is a father. How time has flown by.
    • In the same vein, everyone's greeting dialogue becomes unique once the player is expecting a baby, showing that the whole community is behind them and eager for a new member. Especially sweet is the player's spouse's dialogue, whether it be helping the player through the pregnancy or excitedly talking about what's to come.
  • You use the "I love you!" feature on your son or daughter, eliciting a cheerful "I love you too, Mommy/Daddy!" in response. It's pure Video Game Caring Potential.
  • If you marry Arthur, his "family" event has your son or daughter asking why he married Mommy. He explains to your child that he used to be a very lonely person, but Frey helped him break out of his shell—otherwise, he might have stayed inside his own little world for the rest of his life. It shows just how helpful Frey has been to him as a person, and shows that he's gone from being a lonely young princeling to a man with a wife and child he loves to pieces.
  • A bonus episode in the Special Edition has a beautiful and heartwarming story... where Lest marries Ventuswill in her human form, with her unable to believe she is his wife. Yes, even the adorably bipolar dragon has a marriage event.

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