Marvelous, the developer behind Story of Seasons and Deadcraft, has announced the latest installment in its Rune Factory series with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. This new game retains the farming, crafting and taming elements of previous iterations but adds many new features that will make you fall in love with Rune Factory all over again.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma takes players to the never-before-seen eastern lands of Azuma, where a massive object has crashed into the land—an event known as the Celestial Collapse. Players assume the role of either Kaguya or Subaru, who awaken to find they are fated to wield the powers of an Earth Dancer to restore the natural order.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma expands on the farming mechanics from previous entries, moving beyond managing a personal plot to building and overseeing entire villages. Constructing buildings, waterways and shops makes your village unique. You’ll design every aspect of the land and enlist NPCs to work in the village. Each NPC has their own stats, making them better suited for some jobs than others. Additionally, each has a set wage based on their stats, so you must manage not only who is best suited for the job but also who is most cost-effective.
“Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma takes players to the never-before-seen eastern lands of Azuma…”
Beyond the basic NPCs are the characters with whom you build relationships in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Interacting with these characters improves your bond with them, allowing you to develop deeper relationships and even romance. You can also recruit your friends to join you in battle, and the strength of your bonds can affect their performance on the battlefield. These character interactions are fully voiced and are brought to life with heartfelt scenarios, whether you’re sharing a lighthearted moment, baring your souls to one another or walking through the village hand in hand.
Now, I did mention something about battling in this game… Oh yes! You can battle in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. As you explore Azuma, you’ll encounter all kinds of enemies, from small ducks that cunningly trick you into thinking they’re friendly to formidable bosses. Enemies drop various materials that will prove useful throughout the game. Be sure to bring along some of the friends you make on your journey (up to six) to help keep you alive.
Any good fighter—and any good farmer—has one thing in common: the right tools for the job. In this game, many of the tools at your disposal are useful for both combat and farming. While your magical talisman and bows may not do much when harvesting crops, your Sacred Treasures—such as a flaming sword, a drum, a fan and more—are invaluable in battle and practical in the fields.
“Beyond the basic NPCs are the characters with whom you build relationships in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.”
These items can help harvest plants or seeds and even water crops more efficiently, speeding up the mundane farming tasks and letting you focus on results. Your items can use up magic in battle when using your Earth Dancer powers, which will need time to replenish, so if you are up against a big baddie, try to time those attacks with your other party members so you aren’t all left trying to fight up close.
I had the chance to play Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for a while at a preview event in Los Angeles, and the mechanics of the new features are easy to pick up. Anyone familiar with life simulation games will quickly master the farming mechanics, and those with RPG experience will adapt to the combat without trouble. The larger customization options for managing your village are a bit more nuanced and may take some time to grasp, but the game’s tutorials guide you through the process smoothly.
During my gaming session with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, I encountered a mid-level boss while accompanied by three in-game allies. Although these allies were non-player characters, their performance was impressively strong. Unlike in other games, where such allies are often just odd distractions, these NPCs had real strategies and unique special abilities that really contributed to the battle and provided significant and helpful assistance!
Of course, what’s the point of travelling all the way across the continent if you don’t take the opportunity to have a few romantic encounters? In Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, they aren’t just weird distractions like some other games. They have a strategy, they have special abilities. They actually help you! And why travel across the continent if you can’t go on a couple of dates? I had a sweet encounter with a shop owner and then a meaningful conversation over chestnuts with a sword-obsessed character who, by the way, can get it.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will be available on May 30, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch and PC, and is rated T for Teen. From what I saw and experienced, the game offers a unique twist on the life sim genre, combining adventure, romance and an appealing aesthetic. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what the game has to offer as the release date approaches.
