Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

Once I was able to work past my standard JRPG inclinations and not fret too much over the efficiencies of my villages, I really, really had a great time with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. If this is the direction of future entries, I'll have my short sword and terra tiller ready.Read More

After Rune Factory 5, which was a bit of a rough transition for the series as it made the jump to 3D, I was a little unsure if they would be able to stick the landing on the second attempt. I am happy to report that Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma might be my favorite entry in this long-standing series yet, bringing a fresh new aesthetic, gameplay innovations, and a far better-performing game on PC.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is perfect for anyone looking to enjoy a heartfelt adventure with meaningful relationships and creative opportunities.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is a farming game with very little farming, but the combat and exploration more than make up for it.

Once it finds its footing, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is an engaging romp through a charming and dynamic world.

With Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma launching on PlayStation 5, new players have the perfect opportunity to check out another solid entry into the long-running sim series.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma revitalizes the franchise with its breezy charm, refined combat, and vibrant seasonal world.

Rune Factory is a series that manages to put out games rather quickly, with very different feels each and every time. While I am aware that two of the three games I covered on the Nintendo Switch, Rune Factory 3 and Rune Factory 4, are remakes of earlier games, they were still flying out. The last new game, Rune Factory 5, while quite good, did run into some performance issues on the original Switch. I’m sure that is a surprise to no one, especially if you know the scale of that game. This ...

The latest addition to the Rune Factory franchise has arrived with Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. For those unfamiliar with this series, it began as a spin-off to the classic Harvest Moon farming games, and since then, Rune Factory has stood on its own over the years. In the most recent release, it’s dungeon-crawling meets city-building. Players will be juggling numerous tasks while attempting to save the world of Azuma and revive its weakened gods. When you’re not battling corrupted beasts and monsters, you’ll be hard at work rebuilding villages through farming and renovation. The big ques...

Despite character events being the best they've ever been, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma fails to offer much depth after its opening hours.

The journey through Azuma is a journey packed with a mish-mash of boring dungeons and weak RPG progression tools, supported by a fun cast of characters and decent story.

While there are good ideas at play, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma doesn't do enough to impress