Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma PC review — Build fighters

Rune Factory games have always been made by a related team, first by Neverland and then later when the team reformed as Hakama. Seeing Marvelous itself take a crack at the franchise had me eager to see how it would turn out. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is still very noticeably a Rune Factory title, complete with all the fighting, bonding, and farming the series is known for. But there are some very large changes that make it clear that this is a spin-off, as the additional city management elements make the game really stand out. The game is also considerably more impressive than Rune Factory 5, making for an entry that’s well worth checking out.

You’re once again given the choice between male and female protagonists that you name. Instead of being an Earthmate, your character is an Earth Dancer, who uses various items granted to them by gods to help save the day. The land of Azuma is a nation in the East of the Rune Factory world that was broken into pieces during a cataclysmic event. The resulting pieces are villages trapped in perpetual seasons, alongside a host of islands floating in the sky. It’s a strikingly unique idea and I marvelled the first time I flew a freaking dragon across the sky, landing at islands along the way.

Instead of having a single town that you use as your base, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has you mostly splitting your time between villages. Different villages align with different seasons, so you’ll be able to grow crops from all-year-round at the same time. The kicker this time is that you’re going to have to do a lot more than farm. The villages have checklists of tasks that will grant you experience that lets you level them up. Higher levels means more villagers and you can assign tasks to these villagers. For instance, you can have them farm or gather resources.

Villages also need a steady influx of cash, plus you’ll want to keep villagers happy. You’ll place buildings and decorations that can grant your character stat bonuses and access to services. Placing businesses and staffing them will net passive income too. It’s a remarkably detailed, fun system that’s honestly somewhat overwhelming at first, as there’s just so much you can be doing. Of course, there’s exploration and fighting added into the mix. The combat here is quite enjoyable, although it isn’t all that different from the usual series fare.

You have a basic combo string, a charge attack, and ultimate attacks that trigger if you keep pressing the attack button after your basic string ends. You can dodge too, alongside a very generous window that slows down time for a few seconds if you dodge accordingly. It’s satisfying, although I wish you could dodge cancel, as it’s easy to get caught in long-winded attack animations. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma has a large cast of friendly NPCs that you can bond with, but you can actually spend time hanging out with them to increase their bond level. You can take them with you into the field too, where they all have set combat roles.

Most of the exploration areas are linear but decently large, with a fair amount to see. You’ll find frog statues and little shrines all over that will grant you new recipes. Enemies still drop ingredients all the time, which you can sell, use to craft, or upgrade gear. Almost everything in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma grants you some form of skill tree experience, used in the game’s many skill trees. Every weapon has one, as does each of the items given to you by the god of each village, leading to another interesting wrinkle in the game.

The world has many spots that are blighted, which can only be healed by using these items. However, all of the items also have additional uses. For instance, you get a drum early on that can be used to grow crops quicker, restore dead trees, or heal you and your party. A fire sword lets you clear purple blight as well as shoot fire arrows to (naturally) use it as a weapon. A wind fan lets you run faster when equipped… the list goes on. A remarkable amount of thought was put into the game down to nearly every avenue. There are so many systems and there’s simply so much to keep in mind that I couldn’t help but be impressed across the board.

However, many of the classic Rune Factory characteristics aren’t here. You don’t need to craft and place things to fulfil your tasks (although certain aspects of this are still around, such as having to build and staff a blacksmith to forge and upgrade weapons.) Mercifully, eating bread to learn new recipes has been completely replaced by the aforementioned frog statues and mini shrines. Overall I consider this an improvement. One aspect I’m not as fond of is the way you handle certain parts of the farming.

Instead of just directly tilling the soil, you now have you craft field squares and place them on the ground. It works fine, but it’s just a little weird to need to craft something when you should be able to hit the ground instead. With that said, it works alongside similar items you need to place, including pathways, waterways, and rice paddies. Considering the amount of depth there is in all of this, it’s hard to consider it any more than a nitpick. Due to the complexity, however, the game spends hours where it’s often on tight rails, as the devs needed to ensure players knew how to do the mountain of mechanics that comprise the game systems.

The game’s pacing is a bit bizarre in relation to this. You’re taken from one village to another in short order within the game’s first dozen hours, which might make some people who want to focus on building out the villages feel rushed. Granted, you can really have all the time you want to farm and build without worrying about taking your next steps in the main storyline. Working towards unlocking before you really buckle down and focus on maximising the villages isn’t a bad idea in and of itself.

I’m incredibly pleased with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma across the board. From the combat, to the bonds, building, and farming, there’s enough depth and so much to focus on that it’s hard not to find something to love. This is a very strong return to form for the series that scratches an itch that I never expected a Rune Factory game to scratch.

Take a look at our previous review:

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