Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma review

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma offers a big, bold departure from the series’ time-honored formula, introducing sweeping changes that set it apart from its pastoral predecessors. Previous entries blended farming, life simulation, and light RPG elements, allowing players to generate their own daily ritual. Remarkably, Guardians of Azuma adopts a more focused and unified experience that still retains the series’ sense of autonomy.

Thankfully, the core gameplay loop is still there, but clever changes shift the focus from traditional agrarian responsibilities to an absorbing village management simulation. Meanwhile, combat has been given a radical overhaul, with overworld treks capturing the thrill of a dedicated action title. What’s most amazing is how Marvelous has managed to fit so many polished components together, crafting a new watermark for the nineteen-year-old franchise. For a title that centers on restoration, developer Marvelous has worked their own wonders.

Earth Dancer Moonlighting as a Village Leader

Yes, one of the most noticeable changes is the shift away from your daily farming duties. Instead of tending to your fields each day, players now oversee the development and management of entire villages, each representing a different season. This new system has you ordering the construction of buildings, placing decorations, and assigning villagers to various jobs such as farming, mining, fishing, and blacksmithing.

All the while, you’re tasked with ensuring each village isn’t bleeding money. While keeping your finances in the black isn’t difficult, it forces you to be mindful of expenses, which represents a different kind of responsibility for most returning Rune enthusiasts. Best of all, if you don’t relish playing virtual CEO, Azuma has you doing it for the people rather than the profits.

The Halcyon Joys of Placing a Torii Gate

The assortment of systems in Guardians of Azuma work together more cohesively than in previous Rune Factory entries. Village management, combat, exploration, and relationship-building are all cleverly interwoven, ensuring that actions in one component have tangible effects in other areas.

One example: placing decorations or cleaning up elevates a village’s ‘scenic score’, which in turn contributes to the level growth of the lead character. Given these correlations, you’re constantly inspired to interact with the game’s different systems. Sure, there’s some kind of reward for almost every undertaking, but Azuma manages to avoid feeling like it is dangling incentives in front of you. Instead, there’s something palpably rewarding about renewing the land, helping people, and becoming the catalyst of change for a community. Even better, the game’s structure ensures you’ll know what to do next and provides a sense of momentum across the 40-50+ hour trek. Due to these changes, I felt it was easier to prioritize tasks and follow the overarching plot.

Side Quest Seduction

However, the shift in direction does come at the cost of some player autonomy. Previous Rune Factory titles offered quite a bit of autonomy, allowing players to pursue farming, combat, romance, or exploration at their own leisure. Guardians of Azuma’s more directed experience means that map markers and story beats will prod you toward the next objective. Sure, you’re free to head off and become an agrarian hustler, but the game’s plotline and pacing will be paused until you get back on track. For me, the diversions weren’t quite as tempting as Yakuza’s mini-games, but they were unquestionably tantalizing.

Another improvement is found in Guardians of Azuma, social interaction system, which is more nuanced and engaging than the gift-giving in previous entries. Players can hang out with townspeople choosing from a range of activities—such as sharing a meal, chatting about hobbies, or visiting special locations, with each character having their own preferences that impact rapport.

Agreeably, as bonds deepen, characters become stronger allies in combat as well as unlock new scenes and dialogue, offering the possibility of romance with the 13 available love interests. Social activities are further enriched by a skill tree that unlocks more interaction options over time, and party members will engage in dynamic conversations during exploration. Largely, interaction doesn’t feel as scripted. When the village carpenter had a birthday, material for tools would have been an obvious present. But to my surprise, we accepted some pickled veggies offering some heartfelt appreciation in return.

Engaging Encounters with the Help of Your Mates  

Combat in Azuma pivots toward a more action driven experience that emphasizes weapon variety and includes elemental tactics. Players can equip two weapons at once that range from swords and bows. You get to swap them on the fly, swiftly alternating between close-quarters and ranged approaches (which is essential for boss battles).

Battles incorporate modern action-RPG mechanics like perfect dodging, which slows time and offers counterattack opportunities.  Although combat remains accessible and leans toward simple combos, the integration of skill trees, power moves, and gear customization offers some room for player customization. So, if you’re up to kit out your party of friends, Azuma accommodates. Yet as enjoyable as combat is, it’s not without fault. When using a bow, the first-perspective perspective can reading the battlefield difficult. And over time, encounters inevitably become repetitive.

Revision Done Right

Despite an inventory of changes, Guardians of Azuma retains the series’ spirit, with its vibrant characters, relationship systems, and a world overflowing with secrets to uncover. New mechanics, from the use of sacred relics, the ability to assign villagers to tasks, and the introduction of village builder mode, inject vitality into the franchise. Ultimately, Guardians of Azuma’s radical reinvention succeeds by merging a multitude of systems into a more focused, satisfying experience, redefining the concept of a Rune Factory game. This feels like one of those titles, I’ll be returning to regularly, basking in the fulfillment of village renewal.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.