Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

I don't usually review games, but seeing some of the negative reviews made me want to state just a couple thoughts. For new players: this game is pretty high quality. The visuals, music, voice acting, and plot all feel good. The combat isn't complex but it is satisfying and the farming is much more simplified than the usual RF game. I think this game is a great entry for new players and imo feels more cohesive than the other RF games which sometimes feel like different systems are being piled on top of you. This game focuses more on townbuilding, story, and relationships. If you're looking specifically for in depth farming, crafting, or even combat (if youre expecting difficult or very complex combat), I would say to just be understanding of what you're getting into as while those aspects do exist in this game, they're definitely not the point and are absolutely more simplistic than gam

I love this game to bits but can see why some people may prefer older entries in the series. I'll give you a quick rundown for likes and dislikes for any fan of previous games: You will probably like this RF if: - you like the whimsical humour of the previous entries. Yep, thats still there! - are super indecisive about who to marry. This game lets you create multiple alternative timelines where your story progress (and honestly any progress) stays the same, while your affection levels for the candidates reset, letting you marry everyone on one savefile... And you can freely go back and forth between those timelines where you married different characters. Oh this should be a permament feature of the series!! - you wished the combat was more refined. I think its very smooth and being able to swap to a secondary weapon on the fly is a huge plus. Also you can freely change gear on your par

If you want the quick and dirty, Guardians of Azuma is a good Rune Factory game with an incredibly good base-building gameplay loop held back from being awesome by several cracks in the story and Digital Deluxe DLC package. In more detail: Guardians of Azuma is a spin-off of the mainline Rune Factory games, akin to something like Tides of Destiny which has its own cult following within the already small cult following Rune Factory has. It takes place after Rune Factory 5, and has some lore ties to that game, but it's not completely necessary to enjoy the story. Instead of being primarily focused on farm management, it is instead a side activity that can be automated away with proper village management, which is the main gameplay loop. Skills have also been completely reworked. What's new: You can craft more than just furniture, including entire buildings and shops to place in the fou

I've played almost every mainline Rune Factory and spinoff title, but after 5 (which I thought was...okay), I really wasn't sure what to expect from Guardians of Azuma. But I'm very, very pleasantly surprised so far! I have a terrible tendency to pick up a million cozy games in Early Access and then vow to actually play them once they have a little more time in the oven--usually 3-5 years later--so it's really nice to have a game that's actually complete, polished and fun from the start. The traditional Japanese fantasy setting and themes are new for a Rune Factory game, but I was invested immediately in bringing back the various seasonal gods (who all happen to be hot and single) and reviving the land. I know opinions are mixed on the new art style, but I think everything looks beautiful! Exploration is fun, environments are detailed, and characters are expressive, even if there are no

8.8/10 - I so badly want to give it a 9 because this is one of the most enjoyable Rune Factory games I have every played (I have been here since the release of the first Rune Factory game and have played every game since), but a series of small gripes that piled up during the late-game hold me back. PROS: -Game is gorgeous! I often feel sad about the lack of 2d portraits in these types of games, but I actually didn't notice it at all in this game! The 3D models are very expressive and nice to look at. The world is pleasantly populated between the NPCs, villagers, and townsfolk, without being overwhelming. -SO MUCH QUALITY OF LIFE like seriously. Warping is convenient, building is convenient, the map shows you right where all of the characters are. Almost everything you need is right at your fingertips at all times, and even if it's not, it's just one quick teleport away. The game has bu

Day 1 PC release is enough for me. Don't have to suffer through the absolute performance nightmare that was rune factory 5 on switch