Rune Factory 4 Special

Rune Factory 4 is an abundant RPG, full of fun characters, things to do, and a compelling network of interlocking systems.

There’s something here for everyone in Rune Factory 4 Special, but its greatest strength is how it ties together everything into one thoroughly enjoyable package. Varied gameplay, strong writing, and an emphasis on progressing at your own pace make this one of the best farm sim games available on the Switch to date. We’d give this one a high recommendation to anyone looking for an engaging yet undemanding game for their Switch. With that being said, those of you who have already played it on the 3DS may want to pause before buying it again, as the new features alone do little to justify the co...

Rune Factory 4 Special arrives on the Switch, proving to be a worthwhile Farming Simulator/Dungeon Crawling hybrid.

The Rune Factory series allows players much more to do than simply tending to a farm. Loosely described as Harvest Moon but in a fantasy setting with swords and magic, Rune Factory 4 was highly regarded as one of the best titles in the series in 2012 for the 3DS. Unfortunately, the original developer Neverland Co. went bankrupt. However, the publisher, Marvelous Entertainment, brought in the devs from Neverland to bring us the Switch port of Rune Factory 4 which acts as a prelude to the upcoming Rune Factory 5. While I’m an avid lover of the Harvest Moon series, I never actually had the chance...

Still one of the best of its kind nearly a decade after its initial release, Rune Factory 4 Special is still thoroughly engrossing when it comes to most of what it attempts.

Rune Factory in general was the brilliant outcome of mashing two genres in a beautiful harmony that worked together wonderfully with Rune Factory 4 being the current pinnacle of the series. The Switch version brings the same entry players loved on 3DS with a fresh new HD look, new difficulty and brand new extras featuring newlywed scenarios for everyone to get the chance to experience for the first time. It's just as wonderful a title as it was on 3DS and the Switch only makes it even better with the option to relax at home on the big screen or freely take it on the go. Rune Factory 4 is bound...

Any Harvest Moon, Season of Stories, or Rune Factory fan should definitey check this one out on Nintendo Switch, as it has one of the most charismatic worlds I've seen in a game in the genre yet.

Rune Factory 4 Special comes to the Nintendo Switch seven years after its original 3DS release. Does the move to a new console with one fewer screen work?

Whether you want to whet your appetite before Animal Crossing: New Horizons comes out or you're looking for your next fix after blowing through everything available in Stardew Valley, Rune Factory 4 is the perfect second-life for you. You might feel a bit overwhelmed at first, but once you manage to find your focus the addictive gameplay lets you wash away hours of your day in an instant.

Rune Factory 4 Special brings the farming/action-RPG hybrid to a new audience on the Nintendo Switch. Rune Factory 4 originally released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 and was the last game to be released in the series before the original developer Neverland Co. went bankrupt. Fortunately, the publisher, Marvelous Entertainment, brought the devs from Neverland in-house and updated Rune Factory 4 for Switch as a prelude to Rune Factory 5.

Rune Factory 4: Special packs a whole lot of decent content into a singel package. The game is only let down by some poor decision in the porting department.

If you haven’t played the original and this sounds even remotely like your kind of game, I heartily encourage you to try it. If you did play the original, you probably won’t get too much that you didn’t already experience. Should you just feel a little nostalgic for it and want to go back to one of the best farming life sims ever made, though? That was more than enough for me to adore my time with Rune Factory 4 Special, and will continue to do so long after you’re done reading this. Here's hoping the upcoming Rune Factory 5 manages to capture that magic again.