Elrentaros Wanderings review

Rune Factory is undoubtedly an accomplished franchise, fusing the laid-back agrarian activities of Story of Seasons with the appeal of real-time combat. But it would be a shame if longtime designer and producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto didn’t get another chance to deviate from the popular series. After all, he once worked on distinctive efforts like Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Riviera: The Promised Land.

With the announcement of Bushiroad’s Rear Sekai at their 2023 New Year Grand Presentation, it becomes evident that Hashimoto was getting his golden opportunity. Although the trailer revealed some Rune Factory-style action, the game seemed to split its narrative between monster-filled dungeons and modern high schools. Renamed Elrentaros Wanderings for its Western release, you’ll need to forgo any hope for Persona with pumpkin growing. Elrentaros is a clumsy mash of mechanics and ideas that rarely feels engaging.

An Amnesiac Outsider Arrives

After selecting a gender for your character, Wanderings’ opening depicts you waking up on the outskirts of a quaint, medieval-esque village. Unlike the warm welcome you traditionally receive in most Story of Seasons and Rune Factory titles, you’ll receive the cold shoulder from some of the townsfolk, spending nights in a remote tent.

Gradually, you’ll meet each of the game’s ten townsfolk, who also seem to exist in Elrentaros’ modern settings. And while the game wants you to wonder which is the real world and which is the reproduction, caring about the core dilemma is tough.

One of the principal issues is that Wanderings’ cast isn’t all that compelling. Yes, you’ll be required to intermingle with them. Completing their errands provides gifts, which in turn are offered to other characters, netting your character passive perks. But between the troublingly literal translations and a deficiency of sentiment, your conversations are lifeless. And here’s the real deal-breaker: you’ll spend little time at school. These visual novel-style scenes are disproportionately doled out just often enough to remind players of the game’s premise.

Grind Time

Any expositional weaknesses could be forgiven if the dungeoneering was decent. Head into Wanderings’ arenas and you might appreciate the decision to eschew traditional leveling. Instead, your potency is determined by your weaponry, bonuses given by Elrentaros’ NPCs, as well as cooldown-constrained, player-selected abilities. At first, being able to carry an infinite number of rejuvenating potions or powerful bombs that complement the melee-based battles might seem gratifying.

But soon, slaying monsters becomes a thankless slog. Part of the problem is rooted in Wanderings’ generic environments. The ten or so rooms that comprise each dungeon are all visually similar, with few distinguishing features. But given the game’s busted balancing, you’ll be forced to revisit these same locals or tougher deviations with palette-swapped monsters with infuriating frequency. But Wanderings’ combat barely evolves, beyond providing a succession of new weapons that you’ll need to counter against stat inflation. Worse, townsfolk don’t accompany you on adventures, so there’s the feeling that you’re doing all the heavy lifting.

Likely, you’ll eventually grow so fatigued, that you’ll decline fighting in an effort to complete NPC requests as quickly as possible, making a beeline toward the boss. Adding insult to injury, Elrentaros recycles the elevated enemies of these showdowns which weren’t original or enjoyable. If I didn’t have to review the game, I would have hopped off Wanderings long before the credits rolled.

Conclusion

Elrentaros Wanderings is built around some interesting ideas. But sadly, these intentions are rarely realized, whether it’s the game’s lopsided depiction of parallel worlds, tedious combat, or even crop cultivation that’s woefully underdeveloped. The result is a disappointing experience where boredom becomes inevitable.

Elrentaros Wanderings was played on Switch with review code provided by the publisher.